I really enjoyed this book. Love the characters and storyline. The author does an incredible job creating the past and a world that is very creative aI really enjoyed this book. Love the characters and storyline. The author does an incredible job creating the past and a world that is very creative and imaginative. The characters came to life so nicely. It took me on an emotional journey. Really love this book and I would read it over again. ...more
Thomas Rosanoff is the main character in this Novel. His father raised him in a one way glass confinement for a psychology study. He is known as “The Thomas Rosanoff is the main character in this Novel. His father raised him in a one way glass confinement for a psychology study. He is known as “The Boy in the Box” to many and this hinders his life. “In this second year of med school, Thomas has altered his identity, dropping his father’s surname, adopting his mother’s instead.”-pg41 In many ways I found this to be so sad and I questioned the father’s parenting skills which lacks considerably. Thomas’s mother passed away when he was younger and he searches for a memory just to feel her close again. He hears a tune in his mind but does this music connect to his mother? Time only tells. The story is simple yet complicated and layered.
Thomas doesn’t attend his classes. He no longer wants to be a doctor. He is in a relationship that doesn’t turn out and he tries to make it better. He begs his professor for a new date on his Thesis which involves three men that believe they are GOD. Thomas feels he can cure them. One of the men is his ex girlfriends brother. So he hopes to make him better and in return get her back. Each character is very well developed and I really found the “Magician” very wise.
There are some scenes that really stand out for me. Like the three Messiah characters in the Kitchen. I can’t stop laughing about how funny this would be on stage. The Magician Challenges Thomas in this book and he reminds me of the “Trickster Character” or the “Joker” in a Shakespeare Play. Wise and funny. I really like how there is a bond between the men. Like a feeling of understanding each other and a calmness when they are together. The Kitchen scene like I said before really made me laugh and I like how the “Ginsu Knife” is brought back at the end of the novel. Smart and funny!
The novel has a lot of psychological and medical terminology but not too heavy just enough to make the reader understand and also at times make the reader question “is there a God or is it just all behaviour and science?” As you can tell this book made me question many things. There are funny parts and dark parts of this story. A lot of sensitive parts as well. The novel is put together brilliantly and I really enjoyed how identity is analyzed and questioned.
I find the relationship between Thomas and his father really sad. There are many moments of identity crisis in the novel and one that stands out most is Thomas. He grew up as a study subject which I find upsetting. Thomas revisits his old bedroom he has flashbacks of when he was little. He would come up to the glass and look at it. His father would write down: “Possible narcissistic tendencies?” But Thomas wasn’t looking at himself, he was looking through himself, or trying to. He though he could see movement on the other side of the mirror. Was someone there? He still didn’t know how to answer to that.” Pg. 238
I highly recommend this book. It is funny and sad. It made me think and question a lot. It surprised me and it also had a really hopeful ending....more
I dove into the life of Li-Yan, the main character of this novel. I watched her learn so many things from her “A-ma” (Mother) and make mistakes too. II dove into the life of Li-Yan, the main character of this novel. I watched her learn so many things from her “A-ma” (Mother) and make mistakes too. I watched what it might feel like growing up as an “Akha” (a Chinese Ethnic Minority in a tea farming community.) The Akha produce pu’er tea. A tea that is very earthy and has a lot of incredible health benefits if its picked and fermented correctly. Right from the beginning of the book the culture and the way of the Akha life is clearly established.
The story continues in this remote Yunnan village a stranger arrives and this changes many things for Li-Yan and for the Akha. She translates for the stranger as she is one of the few educated girls in the village.
The Akha have many traditions and rituals along with taboos. In the beginning of the book the family exchange their dreams and “A-ma” (Mother) reflects upon each dream and its meaning. “A-ma” (Mother) says “Every story, every dream, every waking minute of our lives is filled with one fateful coincidence after another. People and animals and leaves and fire and rain-we whirl around each other like handfuls of dried rice kernels being tossed into the sky.” pg.3
I feel that this is a metaphor for what happens next. Li-Yan has a baby outside of wedlock. She strays from her family traditions. She wraps her daughter in a blanket with a tea cake and leaves her at an orphanage in a city close by. Even though she feels that she has made some mistakes she continues her life by making better and smarter decisions. I really admire her strength and courage. I always feel that she is protected and has a connection with her mother throughout the novel. I also feel that she has a strong spiritual connection with her lost daughter.
After leaving her child at the orphanage she struggles emotionally and as a mother my self, I felt her pain through the pages. What comes next is even harder for Li-Yan. I don’t want to give too much away but I will say that this book is truly wonderful and I absolutely love it. I really love the connection between mother and daughter. The main character is strong and courageous in many ways through her journey. I love how well the books flows. I really enjoyed the parts of the book that explore the story of Li-Yan’s daughter and her life. I also really like the love story that happens. It is truly beautiful and sweet. I’m really satisfied with the ending and it’s a story I will always remember.
It’s a beautiful book that I truly recommend. I give this book a 5/5 stars. Truly incredible!
I really enjoyed reading this novel and it was easy getting attached to some characters and not so much to others. I got a clear picture of what each I really enjoyed reading this novel and it was easy getting attached to some characters and not so much to others. I got a clear picture of what each character is like. The writing in this novel is wonderful and flows nicely. I love the mix of humour with seriousness. I found it to have a lovely balance of mystery, romance and humour. The story takes place in a small Irish town. The story is adventurous and made me laugh and intrigued me. The characters stirred my emotions and allowed me to feel happy, sad and at the end very content. I really enjoyed getting to know each character. I found my self cheering on the main character Mahony from the beginning. I found my self wanting to find out what happen to his mother's disappearance and why she left Mahony at the orphanage. I really liked some characters and annoyed by others. I truly enjoyed the mix of the living and the dead. Yes the dead! Which made it so exciting and gave an erie feel to the novel and pulled me in as a reader. Can you tell I love ghosts? I really liked the romantic parts. It wasn't too much. Just the right amount. The book has a great mix of dark parts and funny parts. I also enjoyed the character of Mrs. Cauley so much. She reminds me of the dancing teacher from the Gilmore Girls in a way. I absolutely love how she encouraged and stood up for Mahony many times. I feel that Mahony really needed that support. He definitely finds many connections, some are good and some are really bad. This novel is definitely worth reading.
I really enjoyed this story and the characters. This story explores identity, culture, family values and immigration. I really love how the author givI really enjoyed this story and the characters. This story explores identity, culture, family values and immigration. I really love how the author gives us a different perspective by allowing the reading to go through the different characters. I laughed and cried through this book. It’s moving and very beautiful. I can relate to this story in many ways in terms of immigration, family traditions and family values. I found the character of Gogol a little annoying at times. I was annoyed at his lack of gratitude and respect for his parents and culture in the beginning but I feel that the conflict within the character of course is intentional. He goes through an identity-crisis and is trying find him self. I find Gogol to be emotionless at times. Overall I really loved the story and the characters. I enjoyed the book and couldn’t put it down. The ending didn’t disappoint me all all. A fantastic book and I highly recommend it. ...more
A really moving story about a girl named Ana Juric, a ten-year-old living with her family in a small apartment in Croatia’s Capital. When the civil waA really moving story about a girl named Ana Juric, a ten-year-old living with her family in a small apartment in Croatia’s Capital. When the civil war breaks out across Yugoslavia Ana’s life changes. The war brings so much bitterness and tragedy to Ana’s life. She blames her self for many things that happen. I really love how the story is written. The novel gives the reader an outlook of how the war effected her life and the people around her. It is written with simplicity and yet the situations themselves are harsh and deeply moving. New York city, 2001 and Ana is a college student in Manhattan. The past haunts her and she is unsettled and emotions build up inside her. She has unresolved issues and thoughts that are bottled up. She heads back to her country to resolve her inner matters. Do things turn out? Does she find out what she needs so she can resolve her inner pains and sorrows? You have to read this book to find out. The story is very emotional, deep, moving and captivating. The story is written very eloquently and I highly recommend it....more
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