PositiveWashington Independent Review of Books... big, ambitious, sometimes messy, and consistently stunning. This novel tugged at my heart in all the right ways. I got teary explaining to my husband why I’d cried the night before, when I’d stayed up until two in the morning finishing the book. As her characters’ journey becomes increasingly fraught, Liu walks the emotional tightrope perfectly, never swaying into sentimentality but also never shying away from heartbreak ... The book is chockfull of intellectual quandaries, period details, and dialogue that sounds natural. From the text and author’s note, it’s clear that the novel is carefully researched, and the rich detail is certainly a strength. But sometimes, especially in the second half, the detail gets in the way of the pacing and the characters’ emotional journeys. I sometimes found myself restless, eager to move past an intricately worded passage to get to the exciting stuff. The pacing is also frustrating at times ... Still, Glorious Boy is an exciting read, a family story that morphs into a high-stakes adventure.
