A review by justinegrace
The Mountains Sing by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I just finished The Mountains Sing for my bookclub, and I listened on audio but also read the paperback along with it. I’m so glad I listened because hearing the family names, songs, and Vietnamese phrases gave this book an extra layer that I wouldn’t have gotten just reading it on my own and wondering how to pronounce what is written on the page. This story is hard, very hard to read in places but there is so much love and strength throughout the book—and it’s told beautifully. This is the second novel I’ve read written by a poet and the turns of phrases and writing are so lyrical and visual that it makes the reading experience so rich. I also loved the descriptions of food—though hunger is a large part of the suffering the characters go through. 
This is historical fiction at its best I think—it’s made me realize how little I know about the Viet Nam war, and now I’ll be doing a deep dive into that. Highly recommend this for those who love multigenerational sagas and strong women characters—though keep in mind this is a book about the ravages of war on a family, so it’s going to be tough, but it’s worth it.
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