The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion
note: This topic has been closed to new comments.
SUMMER CHALLENGE 2023
>
Best Review Contest (for Summer 2023)
date
newest »
newest »
Fragile Cargo: The World War II Race to Save the Treasures of China's Forbidden City 4 starsAlthough WWII is the back drop of this true story, the real story is about China and it's culture and the art that came from it for centuries.
When one thinks of WWII we seem to forget that the war in Asia began before that on the European continent. In the early 1930's Japan decided it wanted China as it own and began a campaign to subjugate and terrorize it's population. As the assault began the curators of the Forbidden Palace, and all it's irreplicable treasure, began to formulate plans to hide their historical paintings, jade and the thousands of other items kept over the centuries.
...in the years to come, the imperial collections of China-these hundreds of thousands of irreplaceable objects-will undergo a series of strange, transformative journeys through time and space. They will travel thousands of miles by steamship and bamboo raft, by train and truck, and the the backs of straining, sweating porters, across mountain ranges, up rolling rivers, through burning cities.
The story cannot be compared to that of The Monument Men in Europe. The large scale collection and the size of China make the European salvage of art look meager. The scholars and dedicated Chinese men (and their families) tell the tale of determination and absolute dedication to saving and keeping safe the inheritance of past dynasties . Theses artifacts travelled across the continent for more than 16 years (encompassing the initial invasion of China, WWII and then the civil war between the Chinese Republic and the Mao's Communism).
A fascinating, engrossing piece of history that will keep you captivated to the very end. As I said, ignore the mention of WWII and you have a story that will entrance even those of you who have "closed the book" on that section of history
LAURENJODIThe Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena
3 Stars
A parent's worst nightmare - Anne and Marco Conti return home from dinner with their neighbors to discover the front door open and their baby missing. Detective Rasbach is suspicious of the young couple from the start as so many aspects of their story don't line up with the facts. Is this a case of post-partum depression gone wrong? Perhaps a kidnap for hire? Or does someone have a more sinister motive?
The kidnapping plot, which is a clear allusion to the abduction of Madeline McCann, starts out well, and the alternating POVs of the parents, the neighbor, and the cop keep the reader guessing until the halfway mark. At this point, there are a couple of twists that a) require a healthy suspension of disbelief, and b) make it difficult to care about the primary protagonists.
It is almost impossible to accept that Marco is as stupid and gullible as he is presented. The man is well-educated and successful, yet he (view spoiler). Anne's characterization is also exceedingly strange. Not only is she a hand-wringing, sobbing mess (understandable given the situation), but she also suffers from post-partum depression and has (view spoiler) - given all of this, it's amazing the woman is compos mentis at all!
The eventual explanation is ridiculously obvious, and the villain's motivation is an annoying cliché - (view spoiler) - really?
The only remotely sympathetic character is the detective - the poor man has his hands full dealing with these people.
Kirsten Potter's narration is excellent, and it is actually her performance that kept me engaged enough to finish the book.
Overall, given the abovementioned issues with the book, I am very surprised that it was nominated for a Goodreads award.
This topic has been frozen by the moderator. No new comments can be posted.
The Seasonal Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
The Couple Next Door (other topics)Fragile Cargo: The World War II Race to Save the Treasures of China's Forbidden City (other topics)
To be eligible for this task opportunity you must have achieved at least 100 points on the Spring 2023 Challenge Readerboard by midnight Eastern Time on May 13. Only one task per person per challenge.
Just a reminder that each person can only submit one review - but you can make edits to your review up until the end. The review does not have to be any particular length and doesn't have to be a positive one (i.e. you can choose to review a book you didn't like).
Please include your Readerboard Name.
PLEASE DO NOT comment on people's reviews in this thread - this is for submissions only - you will be able to comment when voting begins.
SPOILER ALERT! These reviews may include spoilers.