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What Members Thought
I don't know how to begin to tell you how much I love this book.
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If you could find the answers to your questions, would it bring you peace? Would you be ready to hear the truth and for what it has to tell you? I loved this book and I cared about all of the characters, which is rare. Ng gives each one a voice and a story and allows us to see what they know, what they think they know, what they are hiding. One of my favorite quotes is a simple one but used so well— “Tiny green buds, fallen from the trees, crushed themselves beneath the bristles.” I won’t includ
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Probably closer to a 3.5 rating.
I'm certain I read this years ago...probably after reading and falling crazy in love with Ng's storytelling in "Little Fires Everywhere". Although I didn't recall everything, I had a vague recollection of so much of what actually happened in this novel.
This was a good read. I appreciated the tale of never feeling like you're enough or that you're worthy. The trauma of constantly having to meld to what others expect of you is told believably. Ng makes every charact ...more
I'm certain I read this years ago...probably after reading and falling crazy in love with Ng's storytelling in "Little Fires Everywhere". Although I didn't recall everything, I had a vague recollection of so much of what actually happened in this novel.
This was a good read. I appreciated the tale of never feeling like you're enough or that you're worthy. The trauma of constantly having to meld to what others expect of you is told believably. Ng makes every charact ...more
Lydia is dead, found in a lake near her home. The book then travels back and forth showing the events that led up to Lydia's death and the aftermath. Lydia is the middle child of a family with a father whose parents were from China and whose mother is white. Lydia is pushed by her mother to excel in school and be a doctor and by her father to be popular and fit in. Lydia's older brother Nath and younger sister Hannah are both ignored while all the parents attention is focused on Lydia. I really
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This book is a deep, heartfelt portrait of a family struggling to understand one another. So much sadness written with detail and sensitivity.
I read this only a few weeks ago and forgot to review it- funny, because now I can hardly remember it. The mixed-race family who didn't know each other very well, and the secrets they held have faded into my memory. For that I have to take off a star- I think it was going to be four stars. Very readable. Don't let me put you off.
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This was a very moving book about a biracial family growing up in the Midwest US in the 1970s. It is hard to read because it is so realistic and powerful, and that made it at times gut-wrenching without being maudlin or melodramatic. It is tragic how some people do not communicate honestly with each other. And how society tries to force us into certain specific roles and expectations, even if we do not want to fit in. This one will definitely stay with me awhile.
May 13, 2015
Jenn
marked it as wish-list
Jun 23, 2015
Lindsay
marked it as to-read
Oct 01, 2015
Tien
marked it as to-read
Dec 21, 2017
Mimi
marked it as to-read
Mar 09, 2018
Jaime
marked it as to-read
Jun 04, 2018
Ashley
marked it as to-read
Mar 25, 2019
Sara
marked it as to-read
Feb 06, 2022
Tamela Rich
marked it as to-read
May 15, 2022
Eva
marked it as to-read
