The Vagrants by Yiyun Li

I have to start with the description on this one.  Here it is from the back of the book:      In luminous prose, award-winning author Yiyun Li weaves together the lives of unforgettable characters who are forced to make moral choices, and choices for survival, in China in the late 1970s.

As morning dawns on the provincial city of Muddy River, a spirited young woman, Gu Shan, once a devoted follower of Chairman Mao, has renounced her faith in
Communism. Now a political prisoner, she is to be executed for her dissent. While Gu Shan’s distraught mother makes bold decisions, her father begins to retreat into memories. Neither of them imagines that their daughter’s death will have profound and far-reaching effects, in Muddy River and beyond. Among the characters affected are Kai, a beautiful radio announcer who is married to a man from a powerful family; Tong, a lonely seven-year-old boy; and Nini, a hungry young girl. Beijing is being rocked by the Democratic Wall Movement, an anti-Communist groundswell designed to move the country toward a more enlightened and open society, but the government backlash will be severe.


I thought that this book was excellent in so many ways.  The writing was beautiful, and the pace was perfect. The characters blended into one another's lives in small ways at first, but then the connections became more dramatic.  The story is so rich with history, which is another thing that I loved about it.  However, I wonder if I can suggest this to a friend comfortably because it is so brutal, disturbing, and raw that it kicked the emotional stuffing right out of me.  The moral choices that each character had to make were heartbreaking.  This isn't a book that's going to make you feel good, but it's one that you'll remember.  Readers with an interest in the history of China shouldn't miss it.  I'm rating it a 4/5 only because there were times it was too much for me.  I'm still glad that I read it.

Tell Me Something True by Leila Cobo

Tell Me Something True is a story told both by Gabriella and her late mother, Helena.  Helena's story unfolds through a journal that she kept when Gabriella was a baby.  The journal starts off as messages from mother to daughter, but then it becomes a secret diary for herself.  Gabriella discovers the journal while she is visiting her grandmother in Cali, Columbia, and she becomes consumed by the need to find out whether her mother planned to abandon her, as appears to be the case in the journal.  Gabriella also falls in love with a dangerous man and is torn about whether to follow her heart or the advice of her family.

I expected this to be a five star book as I was reading it.  The style and the plot both had me hooked from the beginning.  However, this is one of those books that has you waiting for the big bang of an ending, and it just wasn't there.  I didn't feel like there was much character growth in Gabriella, and I felt that her mother's story just fizzled out.  I'd probably give it a 3 1/2 out of 5, but it could have been a 5.  The potential was there.

Early reading in May

I have started off May with two excellent books, although I haven't felt up to writing reviews lately.  However, they are definitely worth mentioning.  The first one is

Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok.  I've seen this book described as chick lit, but I wouldn't agree with that tag.  The story is sad, about choices that can't be changed and regrets.  The main character is Kimberly, a Chinese immigrant residing in poverty in Brooklyn with her mother.  As Kimberly grows up she is faced with some decisions that set the path for her life.  I felt very connected to her.  I loved the book, and would easily give it a 5/5.

The other novel that I have read so far is Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann.  It starts off with the description of Philippe Petit's tightrope walk between the Twin Towers in 1974, however, the stories that surround the event are about various people on the ground.  The individual stories seem very disjointed at first, but come together beautifully.  I loved the writing style of this novel.  I loved how well he gave each person their own unique voice.  It's a great book, and also a 5/5 on my list.