the way people talk about this I was just expecting ... more. It's essentially just a collection of thoughts about different pieces of media,2.5 star*
the way people talk about this I was just expecting ... more. It's essentially just a collection of thoughts about different pieces of media, all of which conclude with the same basic point 'even though it's problematic for abc reason I still liked it for xyz reason so I'm a bad feminist' blah blah. One of the big issues, I think, is that it's very Of The Time. So a lot of the media pieces critiqued, like Lena Dunham's Girls and Twilight, well I just felt I've heard it all before.
I guess one other issue I have is that I didn't find it challenging enough. A lot of them really just rehashed the plot of the book/movie without really interrogating them. Some essays were stronger, mostly the ones about the body and politics but since 80% of them are about pop culture I just felt there was too much fluff inbetween. Most of the essays, I agree with her general point, but agreeing with an essay doesn't mean its GOOD. I felt as well sometimes they would meander and never quite come back to a strong conclusion. In fact, the whole book felt a bit like that. I didn't think it worked because she posits bad feminist, such as herself, can still be a part of feminism. Which is true, but the way she phrased it made it sound like there is a brigade of perfect feminist ostracising women who enjoy twilight and I just found that, odd. I would say the perfect feminist she describes is by far the minority and much more ostracised generally then someone who likes pink and shaves their legs.
Even though I have laid out so many issues I did find this book, okay! Some were even good! Maybe if I read it in 2014 it would of been a bit better but reading it in 2024, I would say it's fine....more
This is a contemporary fiction, almost an anti-romance. It explores the tension the main character experiAround the world challenge: Vietnam
3.5 stars.
This is a contemporary fiction, almost an anti-romance. It explores the tension the main character experiences between western and traditional Vietnamese living and expectations of women, especially in romance.
I thought the exploration of this tension was really well done, especially in the way this book used the 'love triangle' to tease that out. I also thought it had an interesting ending. Where it fell down for me a bit is that it was a little clunky, and I'm not sure if it was the writer or translator. But some scenes didn't really come together. I also thought it felt like the last third became very basic and rushed, whereas the first half had more descriptive and emotive writing.
I bought this book in Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City when I was visiting in 2023. I thought the descriptions of Vietnam, particularly Saigon, were really nice. I felt like I was back there. ...more
amazing premise but wish this had gone a little bit deeper with it's themes and observationsamazing premise but wish this had gone a little bit deeper with it's themes and observations...more
it's not that often I open a book and just know I'm going to love it immediately anymore, but I had that with this book. One of those books where you'it's not that often I open a book and just know I'm going to love it immediately anymore, but I had that with this book. One of those books where you're so absorbed and the pages are flying by and the choices the characters make make you personally irritated like it's your friend telling you the story. I admit it has flaws I could pick apart, like the game chapter, but who cares I loved it so much.
Also, LOVE the complexity of the characters. Love love love books where the author just presents the characters as are and isn't trying to make or get you to make moral judgements on their actions and character. mwah.
This is one of those books thats charming and interesting but probably would of been 100000% more enjoyable if you are more familiar with sydney. becaThis is one of those books thats charming and interesting but probably would of been 100000% more enjoyable if you are more familiar with sydney. because the parts I enjoyed most were about the areas I know better. that said, still some really great things in here!
Found Berry's writing style super easy to engage with and she's able to paint a picture well. Some of her descriptions of place and atmosphere are very vivid. It made this so charming, and very immersive. Of course some chapters were better than others, but overall really good...more
I’ve read some of Yiyun Li’s short stories (the whole collection of “A Thousand Years of Good Prayers” and some selected stories from “Gold Boy, EmeraI’ve read some of Yiyun Li’s short stories (the whole collection of “A Thousand Years of Good Prayers” and some selected stories from “Gold Boy, Emerald Girl”) but never one of her novels. I’ve owned this one for quite a while so it was nice to finally pick it up.
One thing about this book - it’s not really what the jacket says. The premise is that a woman named Gu Shan is executed after the cultural revolution for being a counterrevolutionary which sparks a protest in the town of Muddy River. While this event does happen, it isn’t until part 2 of the novel.
This is more of a character study about how these characters lives are informed and impacted by the cultural revolution. It is a study of the time period itself, narrowing in on the death of Mao Zedong and democratic protests in Beijing impact this small, rural town in China.
It’s very well written but it’s also very bleak. It’s sort of a book you have to stay with - don’t expect to rush through it. Sometimes it really was a “30 pages and I’m done for tonight” kind of book. That said, I like the way the author lingers on the details, sits in the characters heads to where it’s actually uncomfortable. It really felt placed in this exact moment in time with these exact characters. I really like that instead of her, observing them, it’s like she lets us see how they observe the world, think and feel.
Yiyun Li is a great writer and I would really like to read her entire catalog....more
dnf @ 42%. Didn't like the writing style, and just didn't care about the characters or story. Maybe will come back to it at some point but not into itdnf @ 42%. Didn't like the writing style, and just didn't care about the characters or story. Maybe will come back to it at some point but not into it right now...more
now the generational saga can be a bit hit or miss for me due to their tendency to be excruciatingly bor
“No one is clean. Living makes you dirty.”
now the generational saga can be a bit hit or miss for me due to their tendency to be excruciatingly boring and drawn out HOWEVER... I loved this one. I was super invested in the core characters (mostly Sunja) and the lives of all the other characters related to her. I also thought this expertly weaved historical/social context into the story. The exploration of themes surrounding war, immigration, home and family was done really well. I just, really enjoyed my time with this novel? And that's despite it being a genre I sometimes find tedious...more
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