The Neurospicy Bean

  Before I get into my review I should say that this book probably deserves like. English course level analysis, which I’m sure has been done. If you’re interested in a deeper analysis of it, please, please go check some of those out, because I was not reading with that mindset and I have no doubt that there are all sorts of wonderful literary devices used to convey the book’s themes that deserve to be appreciated. In fact, if I get the chance I would definitely like to reread it someday to better appreciate that aspect. This review, however, is going to be more surface-level. The writing was absolutely lovely – not overly gimmicky, like a lot of literary fiction. It didn’t feel like Bennett was trying to make it challenging or inaccessible at all, which to my mind is a serious problem with a lot of literary fiction. Instead, it’s compelling writing that sweeps the reader into the characters’ minds, lets us feel their feelings, and weaves an elaborate tapestry that comes together n...

 

  There are quite a few reviews saying that this book didn’t meet their expectations in terms of action, which is a real bummer because this is by far one of the best pieces of historical fiction focusing on Chinese women that I’ve read. It’s true that if you’re looking for Treasure Island, Pirates of the Caribbean-esque action, in the vein of The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi, you’ll be a bit taken aback by this book. I was definitely expecting something in that vein going in, and it is the genre I typically prefer. It probably should be marketed less as a pirate book and more as historical literary fiction about womanhood and female friendship…that happens to be about history’s most successful pirate. But once you get past all that, this is still a really, really good book. If you remember (or want to look up) my review of the extremely popular Lady Tan’s Circle of Women, there were a lot of elements of that book that didn’t do Chinese women justice, and I would consider this boo...

  A perfectly compelling little contemporary novel following the daughter of a famous writer and the secrets she unearths in her quest to become a novelist herself. It does some strong analysis of privilege and the pressure that comes from successful parents, as well as the men who profit off women’s labor. The character arcs were all reasonably well done. But I was just never that engaged or gripped by any of it. Not much beyond that to say here, really – it was fine to read, but not particularly memorable.

  I’m not generally a big literary fiction person, but wow this book was gorgeous and heartbreaking and fascinating. It takes a bit of time for things to really get established, but once they do the multiple overlapping stories are beautiful and compelling. It’s the kind of book I’d actually want to examine for symbolism, because there’s just so much. I imagine to someone more familiar with Taiwanese culture there’s even more to analyze. I should say that it’s definitely pretty dark at times, discussing rape, abuse, and violence in a very candid manner. It’s quite intense, especially in its depictions of various kinds of violence and cruelty. These scenes are important and they’re never gratuitous, but worth keeping in mind that nothing in this book is romanticized or sugarcoated. The only things I struggled with were keeping track of everything and the ending. I know there’s a reason for all the sisters’ names starting with the same letter (explained in the translator’s note for t...

It takes a bit to get going, but once it does, this book is absolutely gorgeous. I should say – although this book is labeled as mystery/thriller, those genres are relatively small, subtle aspects of the story. The emphasis is much more on the main character, Jess, her relationship with her older sister, Liz, and the two of them navigating grief. There’s also a healthy dose of exploring small town prejudice. None of this is to say that there isn’t a mystery – there is, and the main characters work to solve it – but the mystery is for the sake of the characters’ growth, not the other way around. So I wouldn’t recommend going into the book with a mind towards a traditional mystery, because I don’t think that will get the best experience out of it. As far as what I really liked, I thought the depiction of grief was beautifully done – all the small things that bring it back, the way that it colors a person’s whole experience of life. I actually enjoyed Liz as a character more than Jess, be...

  Alright so this review is going to be in two different sections because there are a couple of different things that need to be addressed. First I’m going to discuss my thoughts on the book itself, what I liked, and what I didn’t. Then I want to discuss the author, as well as share some thoughts my girlfriend shared about her. It’s important to emphasize that these are not disparate things, and as you read through this review it will become clear that they’re closely connected. It’s just easier for me to organize my thoughts when it’s divided up this way.  So first, the book itself is about the titular Lady Tan Yunxian and based loosely on the real historical figure. It follows her throughout her entire life, from childhood to old age, with the bulk of the book focusing on her time as a wife in the compound home of a wealthy family. Now, I always hated being told to “write about the seed, not the watermelon” in school, but in this case, I think someone needed to tell that to...

  This felt a whole lot like a book I’d be assigned to read in school, not understand, and then analyze straight into the ground. Which unfortunately made it not really my kind of book at all. I need to be extra absolutely clear on this review that my rating reflects my experience of reading ONLY. I don’t think that there’s anything inherently bad about this book and I’m certain there will be people who love it. That being said, if you follow my reviews because you tend to enjoy the same books as me, there’s a good chance this book won’t necessarily resonate with you. I don’t really enjoy books that make me work hard just to understand what they’re trying to tell me; I want books to present me with interesting concepts and dilemmas and characters that I can then turn around in my head and find something meaningful in. It felt like this book wanted me to do a lot of work to understand the point it was trying to make, and short of discussing it with a class, that’s not something that...