pickThis was a five-star book right up until it lost momentum around 3/4 of the way through, & then I‘d call it a four, so, like, 4.5 ⭐️. Disagreed about almost everything the reviewer for #ToB2019 said about this layered, deeply sad, loving, messily & barely hopeful novel. Major queer rep all the way through, btw. And, well, a lot more (if quietly) about the US‘ responsibilities and horrors in the Philippines. #Pinoy #Filipina 🏳️🌈💪🏽
batsy Great review. And I disagreed with the ToB reviewer, as well! 6y
suzisteffen * a lot more than I have read about before, including in the excellent![[tagged book]](https://image.librarything.com/pics/litsy_webpics/icon_taggedBook@3x.png)
Insurrecto 6y
Insurrectosuzisteffen @batsy As a critic, I try never to say “DID WE READ THE SAME BOOK” because obviously, each person‘s experience with a book is separate, and in short, no, but MY GOODNESS, I was confused by her take on this book. Also, I REALLY need to read a lot more #PinoyLit. 6y
suzisteffen Gosh, I keep thinking about this book, class, and colonialism. There‘s a scene in a restaurant that is incredibly revealing - about Spain - but I don‘t want to say too much. HOWEVER, it‘s utterly clear and subtle at the same time, and the author NEVER refers to it again. But I can‘t stop thinking about it, so I guess it worked! 6y