Scan barcode
cassie_tnn's review
3.0
It must have been 15 years since I last read a Chinese novel/book. It was Romance of the Three Kingdoms and it was one of the best novels I have ever read. I decided to pick up this book simply to read about a different time in the history of China.
The book was okay. I learned new things about China and I felt for the characters. My biggest problem with this book, as others have pointed out, is that even though it is about a woman, she did not have any control over the narrative. Everything about her was depicted from others’ points of views, even dogs’ (which was extremely weird). I’m curious about what this woman thinks and feels but I only get to know what others think and feel about her.
The book was okay. I learned new things about China and I felt for the characters. My biggest problem with this book, as others have pointed out, is that even though it is about a woman, she did not have any control over the narrative. Everything about her was depicted from others’ points of views, even dogs’ (which was extremely weird). I’m curious about what this woman thinks and feels but I only get to know what others think and feel about her.
joellie's review
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.5
graff_fuller's review against another edition
5.0
Powerful epic tale of trust, love and death
4.5 Rating
I love reading stories about Asian protagonists. This historical fiction, that reads as if it is historical non-fiction, brought to life. Beautifully told story of a love of a woman by three men, for three different reasons. All ended indeath, but don't we all. Ah Yan is such an amazing character. Also, many POV characters...even two dogs and it works beautifully.
I fell in love with this book. Non-linear storytelling, which some may not like, but I love (when done well). Set in China in a traumatic period in the history of the area.
Some may ask if it is relatable to a Western reader...I believe it is. The way it unveils information and historical events is natural and easy to digest.
I will read this again, someday. It holds a special place in my heart.
4.5 Rating
I love reading stories about Asian protagonists. This historical fiction, that reads as if it is historical non-fiction, brought to life. Beautifully told story of a love of a woman by three men, for three different reasons. All ended indeath, but don't we all. Ah Yan is such an amazing character. Also, many POV characters...even two dogs and it works beautifully.
I fell in love with this book. Non-linear storytelling, which some may not like, but I love (when done well). Set in China in a traumatic period in the history of the area.
Some may ask if it is relatable to a Western reader...I believe it is. The way it unveils information and historical events is natural and easy to digest.
I will read this again, someday. It holds a special place in my heart.
jayisreading's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
2.75
I had mixed feelings about this one. Bryant did a fantastic job with translation because it read wonderfully, and I can only imagine how it must have read in the original language. However, this can only go so far and I felt as though there was a lot left to be desired.
I think my biggest gripe was how there was a fixation on one woman from three perspectives (all men) and the complex feelings—a lot manifesting into love—they have for her. For a story so focused on one woman, it’s kind of incredible that the reader would be so detached from her. Maybe it’s because they were all through the lens of men and pretty much gave her no voice since it was all about what they thought of her. It would have been so interesting to have gotten her perspective on all of this but, alas, that wasn’t the case. Also, why is that each man was calling her by a different name, two of them just giving her one that they felt “suited” her? Ugh.
Another thing that really bothered me was how slow it was. It took me much longer than I would have liked to get through this book because the pacing was too slow for my taste. There was a lot of meandering, especially since each chapter was made up of reflective ramblings on the past from one of the three men. I lost interest pretty quickly and found myself skimming towards the end.
I have to commend Zhang for creating such a strong setting. Everything was clearly well-researched and she laid everything out well. Everything was well-detailed, which included particularly dark scenes that might leave some squeamish; I definitely grimaced at a couple. I think the decision to write unflinchingly was a deliberate one, though, just to show how bad it was during the Second World War in China. It was by no means a pleasant time in East Asia due to the Japanese— I can understand why she would want to highlight this to remind her reader of this.
It’s possible I wasn’t the right audience, because I think it’s objectively not a bad book. It just didn’t work for me is all and I found it somewhat boring.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Rape, Violence, and War
Moderate: Animal death
mooncrepes's review against another edition
4.0
Brutal, poignant, explicit--Ling's epic, now translated into English, tells a unique tale of a Chinese woman during WWII, all through the eyes of the three soldiers who loved her (as friend, lover, and father), who they wait in the afterlife for. The story is so heart-breaking and beautiful all at once, but the part of the book that spoke to me most was how genuine a glimpse we get into the Chinese experience during and after it'd been occupied by Japan. It was eye-opening, at times graphic, but you never lose the sense of that TIME, or the impact it had on the characters, no matter where they came from. And that's all I'll say because I don't want to ruin it.
An important read!
An important read!
crystalroses68's review
I couldn’t finish it. The premise sounded very interesting, but it just didn’t hold my attention and it’s abandoned, for now. Maybe I’ll go back to it later, when life is more settled.
ellie_bell's review
4.0
I didn't think I was going to get into this book to begin with but I'm glad I persevered. It was interestingly done, written from the POV from those whose lives were touched by Yao Ah Yan rather than from herPOV. It works well but I would have loved more of Yao Ah Yan's perspective too. The writing itself is beautiful, even if some of the content was disturbing. The translation was brilliantly done.
ellie_bell's review against another edition
4.0
Review is for A Single Swallow by by Ling Zhang, however the Netgalley link goes to this title instead.
I didn't think I was going to get into this book to begin with but I'm glad I persevered. It was interestingly done, written from the POV from those whose lives were touched by Yao Ah Yan rather than from herPOV. It works well but I would have loved more of Yao Ah Yan's perspective too. The writing itself is beautiful, even if some of the content was disturbing. The translation was brilliantly done.
I didn't think I was going to get into this book to begin with but I'm glad I persevered. It was interestingly done, written from the POV from those whose lives were touched by Yao Ah Yan rather than from herPOV. It works well but I would have loved more of Yao Ah Yan's perspective too. The writing itself is beautiful, even if some of the content was disturbing. The translation was brilliantly done.
debyc's review
4.0
Although I give "A Single Swallow" four stars, I really consider it about a 3.5 because for the past few days I've been going between "I love it!" and "I wish it was different."
It is a beautiful story of a woman, told through the view and experiences of three men that shaped her life after the three men have died. The story itself often flows at a nice pace, giving the reader just the right amount of tension and "ah-ha!" moments as the stories of the three men start to weave with each other.
It is wonderful to be able to experience the world through works from around the world-- but it is also difficult to know whether the book feels 'off' because of the translation or because of the book. For example, there was an interlude told from the perspective of two dogs. As much as I wanted to enjoy their perspective, the humanizing of the dogs in that particular point of the story didn't work for me. I don't know if it was because the translation made the animals awkward, or if it was the story itself.
The ending was not very satisfying- you know where a lot of the story is going to to because three of the main characters are dead at the beginning of the story. Most of the story itself was an enjoyable read and I think there is a lot to learn about Chinese culture and society in WW2 and into the start of Communist China. This would make a great group read and discussion.
Thank you Netgalley and AmazonCrossing for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
It is a beautiful story of a woman, told through the view and experiences of three men that shaped her life after the three men have died. The story itself often flows at a nice pace, giving the reader just the right amount of tension and "ah-ha!" moments as the stories of the three men start to weave with each other.
It is wonderful to be able to experience the world through works from around the world-- but it is also difficult to know whether the book feels 'off' because of the translation or because of the book. For example, there was an interlude told from the perspective of two dogs. As much as I wanted to enjoy their perspective, the humanizing of the dogs in that particular point of the story didn't work for me. I don't know if it was because the translation made the animals awkward, or if it was the story itself.
The ending was not very satisfying- you know where a lot of the story is going to to because three of the main characters are dead at the beginning of the story. Most of the story itself was an enjoyable read and I think there is a lot to learn about Chinese culture and society in WW2 and into the start of Communist China. This would make a great group read and discussion.
Thank you Netgalley and AmazonCrossing for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
mugglemom's review
4.0
Excellent storytelling! The English translation is superior. The sprinkling of woo-woo was a bit different but by the end of the story, it was just a delivery method.
The best advice is to get the audiobook with full cast narrators. They nailed the cadence and provided exceptional context. I got the free ebook from Amazon but I am so glad I purchased the accompanying audiobook.
I got emotionally invested with every single character especially Ah Yan/Swallow/Stella/Wendy and the ending was as satisfying as it should have been. Nobody gets out unscathed in the story or in the real life - FACT! The historical aspects were grisly and accurate, and that alone was worth the hours spent listening to the audiobook. The author created a realistic atmosphere throughout the novel and I loathed any interruptions and finished the book as fast as I could.
Definitely recommend.
The best advice is to get the audiobook with full cast narrators. They nailed the cadence and provided exceptional context. I got the free ebook from Amazon but I am so glad I purchased the accompanying audiobook.
I got emotionally invested with every single character especially Ah Yan/Swallow/Stella/Wendy and the ending was as satisfying as it should have been. Nobody gets out unscathed in the story or in the real life - FACT! The historical aspects were grisly and accurate, and that alone was worth the hours spent listening to the audiobook. The author created a realistic atmosphere throughout the novel and I loathed any interruptions and finished the book as fast as I could.
Definitely recommend.