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chengsim's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation and War
Moderate: Sexual violence
ltfitch's review against another edition
4.0
Wonderful story that is beautifully written. I learned a lot about Malaysia to boot.
catmeme's review against another edition
Apparently I read this, but my only memory of it is skimming over some garden business.
bookasaurusray's review against another edition
4.0
Pacing is a bit slow, but solid writing and a sad story.
deborahisreading's review against another edition
4.0
A beautiful and wonderful book, covering many topics and arts with a cast of multi national characters.
jyotiasthana's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
marciamarciamarcia's review against another edition
5.0
So much history in one book. When Japan surrendered the war was over for us, but not for that small island. This is a part of history I had never thought about. Here is another fun fact, you can bequeath your skin...who knew!
jessicalou_mn's review against another edition
4.0
Beautifully told story about memory, forgetting, finding peace. Interesting narrative structure. High-school me would be flabbergasted, but I have to say I deeply appreciated the absence of sex scenes. They could easily have been there, but the choice to exclude erotic details heightened the sensuality of everything else in the novel.
colettecoen's review against another edition
5.0
Very Zen book with beautiful descriptions of the landscape juxtaposed with horrors of war. Wonderful - made me feel extremely calm when I was reading it.
bionicjulia's review against another edition
5.0
I became aware of this book as it has been long listed for the Man Booker Prize. The fact that it was written by a Malaysian and set in Malaysia made it an immediate must-read for me, and I was pleasantly surprised at how much I ended up enjoying it. I loved the authentic writing style, although I would probably have preferred reading the original version rather than the version for international readers. Highly recommend for anyone interested in Malaysian history.