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dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual violence, Violence, Colonisation, War
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Grief, Death of parent, War
Moderate: Cancer, Torture, Medical content, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment
Minor: Child abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide, Terminal illness, Excrement
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Despite its difficult subject matter, The Mountains Sing is a book that I didn't want to put down. You are compelled to keep reading to find out what happened in the past and what fate will befall the characters that you've grown attached to.
I really appreciated how the author explored war and its aftermath, both at a wider and at a more personal level (through the story of the Trần family). I think it did well in depicting all the contradictions and nuances in a country's history.
My only minor complaint in terms of the plot is the big revelation in the final chapters; I found it a little bit melodramatic and fortuitous.
I wasn't completely captured by the writing style but, here and there, there were some touching moments elevated by the prose.
Overall, this is a gripping and powerful book that I would encourage everyone to pick up.
I really appreciated how the author explored war and its aftermath, both at a wider and at a more personal level (through the story of the Trần family). I think it did well in depicting all the contradictions and nuances in a country's history.
My only minor complaint in terms of the plot is the big revelation in the final chapters; I found it a little bit melodramatic and fortuitous.
I wasn't completely captured by the writing style but, here and there, there were some touching moments elevated by the prose.
Overall, this is a gripping and powerful book that I would encourage everyone to pick up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, War
Moderate: Alcoholism, Gore, Mental illness, Torture, Blood, Sexual harassment, Colonisation
Minor: Ableism, Cancer, Child death, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Excrement, Abortion, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Grief, Murder, War
adventurous
challenging
informative
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Abortion
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Vuorten laulu on valtavan kaunis, ja raaka, kuvaus Vietnamin sotaisasta historiasta korostaen nimenomaan lasten ja naisten näkökulmaa. Vuorten laulu on sukuromaani, jossa tarina kulkee monen sukupolven kautta ja kahden sukunsa vahvan naisen kertomana. Vietnamin historiasta puhutaan niin paljon amerikkalaisesta näkökulmasta, että kirja oli myös raikas tuulahdus. Lopusta löytyy myös kirjailijan perustelut sekä aiheelle että alkuperäiskielelle (englanti). Mielestäni Elina Salosen suomennos oli erittäin onnistunut.
Kirja sai minut itkemään ja myös tuntemaan myötätuntoa ja iloa henkilöiden kanssa. Suosittelen ehdottomasti!
Kirja sai minut itkemään ja myös tuntemaan myötätuntoa ja iloa henkilöiden kanssa. Suosittelen ehdottomasti!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, War
Moderate: Alcoholism, Vomit, Injury/Injury detail
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Mountains Sing is a story of resilience and boundless familial love. In 1975, we follow Huong and her grandmother Dieu Lan as they try to survive bombing and its aftermath in Hanoi. In 1955, we follow Dieu Lan through her early village life in Northern Vietnam in the face of the immense cruelty of the Communist government. Dieu Lan's life in both eras is almost unimaginably difficult. Yet she manages to cleverly and bravely persevere despite all challenges. More than anything, the driving force of Dieu Lan's strength - and this whole novel - is devotion. Devotion to her family is what consistently sustains Dieu Lan on even her darkest days.
What truly makes this novel shine is the personal tone of the entire story. Huong's recollections feel diaristic and Dieu Lan's story is entirely addressed to Huong. When Nguyen reveals in the acknowledgments that The Mountains Sing was directly inspired by the lives of her family members and friends' families, it came as no surprise to me.
The Mountains Sing is the first book that prolific author Nguyen Phan Que Mai ever wrote in English, her second language. I have seen a handful of criticism of this novel that states that the writing is too simple or repetitive. First of all, I challenge those reviewers to consider writing an entire narrative in a second language. Second of all, I think that the bittersweet beauty and strength of this story overrides any supposed less-sophisticated diction.
What truly makes this novel shine is the personal tone of the entire story. Huong's recollections feel diaristic and Dieu Lan's story is entirely addressed to Huong. When Nguyen reveals in the acknowledgments that The Mountains Sing was directly inspired by the lives of her family members and friends' families, it came as no surprise to me.
The Mountains Sing is the first book that prolific author Nguyen Phan Que Mai ever wrote in English, her second language. I have seen a handful of criticism of this novel that states that the writing is too simple or repetitive. First of all, I challenge those reviewers to consider writing an entire narrative in a second language. Second of all, I think that the bittersweet beauty and strength of this story overrides any supposed less-sophisticated diction.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual violence, Violence, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, War
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was a wonderful family saga and I cried and learned a lot! The things I knew about Vietnamese history I mostly had from museums, this book brought history to life in all its tragedy, cruelty, all its sorrow and grief, all its persistence and kindness and love. At times this story is almost unbeatably sad and I felt so much for the family and everything they had to go through but it also managed to be hopeful throughout. The women here are so strong for their persistence and their unwillingness to give in or to lose their kindness.
Highly recommended the audio book, there's so many Vietnamese proverbs in this and hearing them spoken by a Vietnamese speaker and not just reading them wrongly in my head.
Highly recommended the audio book, there's so many Vietnamese proverbs in this and hearing them spoken by a Vietnamese speaker and not just reading them wrongly in my head.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, War
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The perspective of the grandma and Huong (Guava) as they live through significant war-torn parts of Vietnamese history. I came into this book blind once again and did not expect the war crimes of the Vietnam War to hit me so hard. It was a really tough read but it is so well written. I got so emotional and entirely immersed in the fear, sadness, and lost of the family. I read one of the critic reviews of the book that mentions that this was the missing narrative of the war and I totally agree.
This historical fiction hits really close to home and to hear directly from a fictional family that has been affected represents so many families that actually experienced the aftermath of war. There is a lot going on in this book so please tread lightly and take breaks if needed. But I highly recommend this novel!
This historical fiction hits really close to home and to hear directly from a fictional family that has been affected represents so many families that actually experienced the aftermath of war. There is a lot going on in this book so please tread lightly and take breaks if needed. But I highly recommend this novel!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, War
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wow. This was incredible. While it was fiction, it helped me understand what life must have been like in Vietnam before, during, and after the war. The writing was beautiful. I highly recommend the audiobook as well, the narrator gave a great performance.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder, War
Moderate: Sexual violence