Book review?
about a year ago, I said I was going to start reading books and reviewing them on tumblr, and the book I was reading did such a bad job at pulling me in, that after designating one whole day to dragging myself through the first half of the book, I’ve not touched it, or any book for that matter, in a year. I find it very hard to abandon a book, so rather it sits on my table as I dread the thought of reading it. I’m taking the year’s gap as a sign to put the book away. Maybe I’ll try it again some day but that day is NOT today. before I begin my review, I’d just like to say that just because a book doesn’t call to me specifically, doesn’t mean it’s a BAD book! Everyone will have their own preferences and opinions, and this is just mine! I especially can’t judge the whole book, as I only read the first half of this one
I read the first half of This Place Is Still Beautiful by XiXi Tian. It takes place in a small town during summer, and starts with a racial slur being vandalized onto the Chinese-American family’s home. This sets the tone that it’s going to be a story about inequality and racism in America, and would empower Asian people (predominantly Asian women, as the main characters are both women) to be who they are and embrace their culture. Though, reading the first half of the book, the social justice context seemed to take a back burner to what just felt like teen drama and immature romance to me. I felt more annoyed by the characters than intrigued or entertained. The characters felt one-sided to me as well. I tried to give the book a shot, I really did, and I pushed myself through half of it, it just didn’t resonate and was really uninteresting to me. I’m sure it has an audience out there that would love it, I just don’t think I’m a part of that audience. So feel free to check the book out if you want.
not really my thing/10 👏
