pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The story of star-crossed lovers in 1930s Shanghai. This isn‘t a story of politics or war, though. It‘s focus is relationships, between lovers, friends, and family. Very well done.
Cathythoughts Lovely review ❤️👍🏻 3y
Half a Lifelong Romance | 
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The story of star-crossed lovers in 1930s Shanghai. This isn‘t a story of politics or war, though. It‘s focus is relationships, between lovers, friends, and family. Very well done.
pick5/5 🌟
This an incredibly sad and heartbreaking love story that will stay with me for a very long time. The ending was so unbelievably heart wrenching. Definitely one of my new favourites!
so-soMaybe quarantine-itis impacted this, who knows. Overall I did enjoy following the main characters‘ friendships and romance, and their emotional turmoil felt very real. But the pacing was quite slow at times with scenes that felt like tangents, and the dialogue, even among the friends, felt formal and stilted. Could be a translation thing, perhaps. Hard to say what plays a role in this bizarro world. Liked this but not a fave. 3/5 ⭐️
The thought of a daughter‘s unhappy fate could not but drive a mother to tears.
[I‘m not a mother but I know my mom would agree with this 100%.]
Happy memories quickly turn vague, while unpleasant incidents, especially those dating from childhood, stick in our minds, and rise up again for no reason we can find.
I absolutely love this cover. It‘s simple but so striking. I read a collection of Eileen Chang‘s novellas and I didn‘t enjoy it all that much, but I‘ve heard really good things about this book. I‘ve been wanting to read more translated fiction, too!
#nowreading
Happy International Women‘s Day! My reading life has been filled with so many beautiful books written by women. From childhood favourites like Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild and the Earthsea series Ursula K Le Guin, to contemporary reads written by diverse women writers like Yoko Ogawa, Attica Locke, Zen Cho, Balli Kaur Jaswal.
Who are your favourite women authors?
#internationalwomensday
In Dec. @theboxwalla, sent me their December box. I‘ll be armchair traveling to China as I read, Half A Lifelong Romance & to India w/ Seven Sixes are Forty-Three. Both sound absolutely intriguing! I‘m especially looking forward to Chang‘s book, since they mentioned in a post, that it‘s rich w/ food descriptions, & the “lives are seamlessly woven around eating”. I‘m a foodie at heart, & love reading about feasts, afternoon teas, & celebrations.
Wow! This book has managed to keep me intrigued since the beginning!
#marchintoreading day 24: #autobuyauthors
From top left: Gene Luen Yang (comics), Eileen Chang (fiction - translated), NK Jemisin (awesome speculative fiction)
Bottom row from left: Nnedi Okorafor (also awesome speculative fiction), Yoko Ogawa (beautiful short novels - translated), Keigo Higashino (fantastic crime novels - translated), Ursula K Le Guin (classic fantasy).
Which authors do you buy/read without any hesitation?
A selection of my #booksbyasianwriters. There a some real gems here but my favourite (and I haven't read all of them yet) is The Satanic Verses, stirring, discomfiting, transformative. #ReadJanuary
#readjanuary day 5: #dressesoncovers
I had more books with dresses on them than I thought! Frog Music and I Woke Up Dead at the Mall are still TBR but I loved the other four. Miss Happiness and Miss Flower was something I read as a kid and was so pleased to find this new version of the cover.
A day of planning my reading for year...
Overkill - Maybe .... but EPICALLY PRICELESS!!!!!! Come on 2017, woop woop
pickDelicious attention to detail and meticulously realistic dialogue make this a delight to read. Plus, it's utterly transporting, with characters who you root for and who break your heart.
pickNeed a distraction? Travel to Shanghai in the 1930s in this story that asks, Have you missed your one chance at true love? This is quite the soap opera with spots of humor.
pickSo much drama in this book about, you guessed it, a romance. Class differences, family disapproval and one very ugly incident threaten to tear the lovers apart. What especially wins it for me is Chang's attention to detail. An unforgettable read!
So far really enjoying this novel set in 1930s Shanghai. (I imagine there's a lot of drama to come.)
