Poignant ... The novel’s scope is ambitious and mostly successful. Through her characters’ ranging sensibilities, Chen examines the psychological aftershocks of war ... Captures the enduring and unexpected ways these larger forces impact individual lives.
From heart-wrenching regrets to breathtaking redemptions, Chen’s debut novel seamlessly crosses geographical, cultural, and temporal barriers to deliver a love story that touches all extremes of the human condition.
Epic ... Ambitious ... While it may take a few detours to Google to clarify the occasional word or phrase, the book settles into a compelling narrative that fills in most of the blanks contextually. It’s a small price to pay for admittance to such an auspicious debut.
Sweeping and heartbreaking ... At times, Chen relies too much on expositional dialogue to capture historical nuances ... For the most part, Chen scales the heights of her ambition.
