Hard to get through. I absolutely ended up hating the main character. Total manipulation of the truth with no moral core. Waited for her to redeem herself but along with the story, it never did. I would pass on this book. Can't believe it is on the NY best seller list. ( )

While the idea of who owns a story is fascinating to me, and the book offered many ideas as well as a treatise on publishing and Twitter feeds, I found it dragged despite its good writing and fine character development. Moments went on too long as the protagonist pondered her enemies and tried to determine their identity. I felt impatient with her and with the details in that they were not serving the story and its pacing. ( )

http://olvasonaplo.net/olvasonaplo/2023/12/30/r-f-kuang-sarga/ ( )

Quizlit’s Book of the Month July 2023 is Yellowface by R.F. Kuang. It’s her fifth novel and the first outside the Fantasy Genre.

June Hayward and Athena Liu were supposed to be rising stars of the literary world. However while Athena’s now a superstar, June Hayward’s first book flopped and there might not be a second.

After a night out together for a few drinks, they end up back at Athena’s luxury apartment. A drunken decision to make pancakes unfortunately leads to the freak choking death of Athena. While waiting for the emergency services, June finds Athena’s unfinished manuscript, a novel about the unsung contributions of Chinese laborers during World War I. The temptation was too great….

June edits and finishes Athena’s novel and sends it to her agent as her own. A new publisher rebrands her as Juniper Song complete with an ambiguous ethnic author photo. The book is a huge hit and June/Juniper is catapulted into the spotlight.

But June is haunted by Athena’s shadow, and as the secret emerges, it threatens to bring Juniper’s success down around her. As June races to cover her trail, she discovers exactly how far she will go to keep what she thinks is rightfully hers.

Yellowface tackles questions of racism and cultural appropriation, as well as the terrifying attention of social media. It also provides an insight into the ruthless world of publishing. R.F. Kuang’s novel is a brilliant satire, thrilling, spiky and thought-provoking.

You can read more about R.F Kuang on my book of the month article
https://quizlit.org/book-of-the-month-july-2023 ( )

This was like watching a car crash. I couldn’t look away. Almost every character involved was self-serving and driven by an absolute narcissistic desire for success, but the author was so good and you are so invested in what happens next. The whole plot is really digging at a deeper issue of cultural history and authorship. The ever present threat of social media’s ire gave it and added weight. Lived up to the hype for me. ( )