2. Discuss the plot

[John]

2. Discuss the plot:
• Is it engaging—do you find the story interesting?
• Is this a plot-driven book—a fast-paced page-turner?
• Does the plot unfold slowly with a focus on character?
• Were you surprised by complications, twists & turns?
• Did you find the plot predictable, even formulaic?

[Patrick]

It definitely unfolded fast for all the remaining characters. And with respect to Bao-Yu, his parting was just as extraordinary as his birth, jade included. Was it predictable? Not entirely, as there were a few unexpected silver linings towards the end (hey, Bao-Chai will still Bao-Yu's child; the Jia family is not completely ruined).

[[deleted user]]

As Patrick said this moved fast to tie up the previous volumes.

I was expecting Bao-Yu to return to the shadowland and that he would reunite with Lin.

[John]

I found the unexpected silver linings unsatisfying and even formulaic. And given how slow the plot was to develop over the previous four books, this seemed to race along.

[Pip]

There were so many loose ends tied up. It was a bit much of a coincidence that Aroma ends up married to Bao-Yu's friend, Jiang Yu-Han, the actor known as Bijou. Bao-Yu had seen him briefly in The Debt of tears which led nowhere. I was hoping that Caltrop would find out about her birth. She has a few months of presumed happiness with the reformed Xue Pan before dying in childbirth. I thought it was a bit of a let down that her father, the mysterious monk who appeared to Yu-Cun twice earlier in the story, knew of her whereabouts the whole time!
I actually quite enjoyed the dream sequence when Bao-Yu finds himself in Heaven. It sounded so much like a real dream that I could cope with the supernatural aspects of it with equanimity. In all, I thoroughly enjoyed the whole book and this final volume ramped my rating up to five stars.