The main character (Casey) is so unlikeable that I could not finish the first chapter. I much preferred Pachinko and thought I'd like this just as much. ( )

The main character (Casey) is so unlikeable that I could not finish the first chapter. I much preferred Pachinko and thought I'd like this just as much. ( )

I had to keep reminding myself that this book was written in 1998-ish. In 1998, I myself was an undegrad enlightening myself on the issues in race, class, and gender in the United States. "Deconstruction" was a word frequently used. So, for 1998, this novel touches on many of the race/class/gender issues of Asian American women. But looking at it from today, in 2009, it was almost like the book was such a device to discuss these issues--in as many pairings of variables as possible. Like something assigned for a Sociology or American Studies course, in 1999. The story itself got lost in there. I think it was a good one, the story. But I kept losing it. Also, this story was told from the perspective of an East Coast APA woman. I myself am of the West Coast variety. Maybe these two experiences are vastly different. But it just didn't seem "real" enough to me, but instead cliched and assumptive.

That said, again, the story itself was good. I relate to the characters and they have real human emotions. I didn't really care for the protagonist, but her story was unique. ( )

This was four hundred pages too long. It was excellent storytelling, but it was hard to invest in the characters. ( )

Overall quite good, contemplative. I thought it was going to be Plot, but it turned out to be People. Felt a little ambivalent around the turn of the 4th quarter, but it worked out. ( )