The Interior
by Lisa See
The Interior
Lisa See |
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 159)
Read in July, 2008
The "elements of fiction" are most often listed as follows: plot, character, setting, theme, and style. Genre fiction generally relies on one or more of the first three--plot, character, or setting--to carry the reader along. Strengths of theme and style are more characteristic of literary fiction. As I read Lisa See's The Interior, however, it seems that the strongest element is theme.
On page 380, a minor character remarks, "For so many years the government has talked ...more
On page 380, a minor character remarks, "For so many years the government has talked ...more
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Read in January, 2008
recommends it for:
People interested in a novelization of the culture and history of China
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This is the second book in Lisa See's Red Princess series. It is just as good as the first. Again exploring current topics between China and the US. Free market expansion in rural and rustic parts of China. Labor practices. The same main characters are back: Inspector Liu Hulan (also Red Princess) and her American lover/beau attorney David Stark. Liu is asked by an old friend to investigate her daughters death which looked like a suicide but she suspects is actually a murder. David is aske...more
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Read in June, 2008
Set in current-day China, this mystery story is an interesting read. A U.S. company sets up manufacturing in China, something that appears to be a win-win situation for the company and the Chinese people. The company can employ laborers in its manufacturing plant at a fraction of what it would cost in the U.S. and the factory brings jobs and a small level of prosperity to a rural, impoverished area of China. But when a village girl turns up dead, an apparent suicide, the mother of the girl co...more
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Read in March, 2008
This is a creepy Lisa See novel in the continuing series about Inspector Liu, a police detective in Beijing. It takes Liu into the world of the sweatshops of China which are owned by a U.S. company. The women are oppressed, imprisoned and it's still preferable (in the view of this novelist) to scratching out a living on the poor farmland of the area. Liu and David are still clueless about figuring out their relationship, even though she's pregnant with his baby. The relationship part really tr...more
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Read in March, 2008
I liked her Snow Flower and the Secret Fan book - so I picked this one up from Costco. It was interesting - I couldn't put it down. Granted some of it was predictable... easy to figure out - but I thought the attitudes about worker conditions were interesting and... believe that this type of behavior is occurring.
The attitude is that well - at least working in a substandard factory is better than being in the fields... really? It's upsetting. It reminds me of that quote from Wild Swans - tha...more
The attitude is that well - at least working in a substandard factory is better than being in the fields... really? It's upsetting. It reminds me of that quote from Wild Swans - tha...more
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This book had me hooked. I didn't read it in order as this is the second book in a series of three but it has a way to read that you don't really "need" to have read the first book but it would have been a better insight. The mystery in the novel was great but I didn't care much for the ending. I was sorta disapointed. The two murders are set up to be brought together in the end but just have a slight tie then the ending is a kick in the face which made me disgrunted but I finished the...more
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Read in July, 2008
recommended to April by:
Sue
This was a light, fast-paced mystery-type book and I found it to be an exciting read. Definitely not one of the higher quality of its genre, as the characters were somewhat two dimensional and quite a few of the scenes were a bit manufactured and hard to believe. However, this book fit in nicely with all the other China-themed books I've been reading, which was an additional point of interest for me.
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This was an interesting book on some levels. It gave an excellent glimpse into modern day China. At first, I thought it was taking place in some ancient Dynasty, but realized it is based in the 1990s. There does not seem to be much difference in many ways, and that was eye-opening. I believe from this Lisa See went onto Snow Flower, which I loved. I could see how she transitioned as a writer.
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Read in August, 2008
She's a very good writer, so the story is fun to read - despite being more hardboiled than I like. The look into modern China is also very interesting. However, I definitely like her historical fiction better. I'll definitely read the next (and currently last) book in this series and may even try her nonfiction book.
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Lui Hulan and David Stark are together again when he moves to Beijing to be near her and she tries to solve the suspicious death of an old friend's daughter. Along the way they uncover unsafe labor practices, unfit living conditions and missing women from the factory of one of David's clients.
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Read in April, 2008
A modern day lawyer mystery set in China and L.A. I enjoyed learning more about China and issues between the U.S. and china, especially with the Olympics coming up. There were so many characters in this book and only a few of them were developed enough to understand.
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Has a copy to sell/swap
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Read in August, 2007
This is a variation on a mystery novel. The main character is an inspector in China and her boyfriend is an American lawyer. It is more interesting to me because it takes place in present-day China and so gives some insights into how life is there currently.
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I don't usually read mystery/detective like books but this book was able to keep me wanting to read till the end. I enjoyed how See is able to start out with a single event that not only develops but also allow you to follow another culture along with it.
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Read in May, 2008
A crime drama set in China. Fairly heavy-handed in its criticism of American companies abuse of Chinese workers and environmental concerns, although I agree with the message. Not one of her best.
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This Red Princess novel deals with the exploitation of Chinese women working in an American toy factory in China. Anticipates recent concerns about defective Chinese products.
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Read in April, 2008
This book is based on killings and mystery, but the real interest of it is the insight into contemporary China with all the reverberations of its political past.
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This was an interesting murder mystery set in China. Lots of good info on how chinese women in factories are treated.
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Great prose like Amy Tan, but it's more of a solve the crime murder mystery book.
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