soupstix's reviews
132 reviews

Severance by Ling Ma

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Bliss Montage by Ling Ma

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challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

The Ten Loves of Mr Nishino by Hiromi Kawakami

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mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

this was lovely and atmospheric just like hiromi kawakami’s other novel that i’ve read—strange weather in tokyo—yet it lacked a certain charm due to its central character, nishino yukihiko. i found his motivations for being the way he was unconvincing and lame, but i appreciated the depth and strength kawakami lends to her female narrators in their approaches to their relationships with him. what i love about kawakami’s writing style is that it is both straightforward and mystifying, even when the content itself is not necessarily the most engaging. while i can’t say i disliked this novel—in fact, i even enjoyed it—i feel that it would be a disservice to other novels i’ve read if i bumped the rating any higher.

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

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challenging emotional sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

this confirms what i already knew about myself: i looove stories that follow a singular family through multiple generations.

a very engrossing and informative read regarding ethnic koreans in japan. i thought each of the characters had such unique and complex worldviews/experiences, and each of their interactions thoroughly reflected that. i will say that the third act of the book seemed a little bit rushed and was, consequently, a tad confusing—but nonetheless enthralling.

Disorientation by Elaine Hsieh Chou

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challenging funny informative mysterious slow-paced