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Shanghailanders
"I think love is when you think you need someone for your survival. Survival, defined broadly."
"The way you think, sometimes..."
"The way I think, what?"
"It... surprises me. Yoko, we need each other. Family - family is all we have."
While the years rewind from 2040 back to 2014, Shanghailanders brings readers into the shared and separate lives of the Yang family, parent by parent, daughter by daughter, and through the eyes of the people in their orbit-a nanny from the provinces, a private driver with a penchant for danger, and a grandmother whose memories of the past echo the present. As they build their lives in this old, futuristic city, we see Leo, his wife Eko and their daughters Yumi, Yoko and Kiko trip over their own desires in their bids to connect with one another, in their attempts to be a family.
Though the world shifts and brings change for each of the Yangs, universal constants love is complex and family will always be stubbornly connected by blood, secrets, and longing.
Dazzlingly constructed and achingly resonant, Shanghailanders is an unforgettable exploration of everything that follows 'happily ever after'-and the ways a family makes and remakes itself across the years.
"The way you think, sometimes..."
"The way I think, what?"
"It... surprises me. Yoko, we need each other. Family - family is all we have."
While the years rewind from 2040 back to 2014, Shanghailanders brings readers into the shared and separate lives of the Yang family, parent by parent, daughter by daughter, and through the eyes of the people in their orbit-a nanny from the provinces, a private driver with a penchant for danger, and a grandmother whose memories of the past echo the present. As they build their lives in this old, futuristic city, we see Leo, his wife Eko and their daughters Yumi, Yoko and Kiko trip over their own desires in their bids to connect with one another, in their attempts to be a family.
Though the world shifts and brings change for each of the Yangs, universal constants love is complex and family will always be stubbornly connected by blood, secrets, and longing.
Dazzlingly constructed and achingly resonant, Shanghailanders is an unforgettable exploration of everything that follows 'happily ever after'-and the ways a family makes and remakes itself across the years.
250 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 7, 2024
315 people are currently reading
22546 people want to read
About the author
Juli Min
6 books121 followersJuli Min is a writer and editor based in Shanghai. She studied Russian and comparative literature at Phillips Academy and Harvard University, and she holds an MFA in fiction from Warren Wilson. She was the founding editor of The Shanghai Literary Review and served as its fiction editor from 2016 to 2023. Her first novel, Shanghailanders, was published in May 2024 by Spiegel & Grau (US) and Dialogue Books (UK), with translations acquired in Japanese, Spanish, Norwegian, German, and Arabic.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 607 reviews
September 11, 2024
everything about this book just seems Cool.
i thought the traveling-backward-through-time take on a family drama might feel gimmicky, but it actually felt so fresh and interesting. sure, 2040 didn't feel much different from 2014, but so often with this genre you're finding out the why behind the dynamics after they happen, and this felt like a unique take on that.
i wish this book were a bit longer and we spent more time with each character, but overall this was a great debut!
bottom line: add another point to my "fun kind of unpopular opinion" tracker.
(thanks to the publisher for the arc)
i thought the traveling-backward-through-time take on a family drama might feel gimmicky, but it actually felt so fresh and interesting. sure, 2040 didn't feel much different from 2014, but so often with this genre you're finding out the why behind the dynamics after they happen, and this felt like a unique take on that.
i wish this book were a bit longer and we spent more time with each character, but overall this was a great debut!
bottom line: add another point to my "fun kind of unpopular opinion" tracker.
(thanks to the publisher for the arc)
November 22, 2024
In a Nutshell: A literary fiction structured in reverse, going from 2040 to 2014. Character-driven all the way. The structure is what will make or break your experience. I loved it, despite the few gaps in the jigsaw. A marvellous debut. And guess what, I am an outlier… on the positive side – Yippee! 🥳
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Plot Preview:
Just a couple of days back, I read a book that was marketed as a short story collection but turned out to be a composite novel (Nina Schuyler's 'In This Ravishing World.'). I didn’t like it as much as I would have, had I known what to expect. Now here’s a composite novel tagged accurately as a literary fiction. What a difference the right label makes to our experience! I went in prepared for a character-driven storytelling, and got exactly that.
Bookish Yays:
😍 Every section, coming from a specific time period and a distinct character, feels like a proper story, beginning and progressing the way an independent short story would. This book thus reads as a series of vignettes, with the first and the last one coming from Leo, making the book come a full circle.
😍 As the title suggests, the book highlights a variety of “Shanghailanders”. Thus we get the narratives from varied age groups (child to senior citizen), financial status (from wealthy to poor), and even from male and female characters. Most perspectives are in third person, but there are a couple in first or second person. I enjoyed the variety of voices, both in terms of characters as well as writing.
😍 The Yang family is not entirely likeable. Each of them has their positives and negatives and secrets. Their complexities lend depth to the novel. Two of the chapters that come from secondary characters working with the Yangs are the most interesting, both in terms of the characters’ backstory as well as the insights they offer into their employers.
😍 The writing is focussed. While clearly character-oriented, the author creates a tangible feel of the setting, balancing her descriptions without overburdening the story flow.
😍 As with every story focussed on a family, the book highlights various aspects of families that appear normal but are actually dysfunctional. Relationships, secrets, emotions, fights, loyalty, loneliness, scandals, trauma, unaware parents, emotionally damaged children – all are a part of this narrative. I like how the drama, despite so many potentially emotional topics, never goes over the top.
😍 The near-future world beyond our current year feels realistic enough. There are technological improvements over our current world and also hotter temperatures, but it is not a world so unbelievably ultra-modern that it seems implausible.
😍 There is no overarching plot in this story, nor a central conflict or a happy family reunion at the finale. The narrative is focussed on the characters and their backstories, with us already knowing the events of the “present time” of 2040, and then discovering what could have led to that stage. This might not work for some readers, but I liked it.
😍 The pace is on the slower side, as is typical of literary fiction, but it never slackens. I was invested from start to end, thanks to the intricate structuring.
😍 Though the setting is clearly Chinese, the story feels universal thanks to the characters and the human flaws and frailties so clearly visible in them. That said, the story still gives us enough of a glimpse of Shanghai and its people. I am not sure if this counts as an OwnVoices work, because the author is a Korean-American living in Shanghai. But at least by location and tone, it appears authentic. (Only a Shanghainese would be able to confirm this.)
Bookish Mixed Bags:
😐 The backward structure is the USP of this novel, but it works both for and against the narrative. While it offers an innovativeness to the experience, it also makes the reader’s task a tad difficult. We need to keep track of the reverse aging of the characters, which gets a bit confusing at times. Also, backwards storytelling is used when there is a big reveal in the latest timeframe and then we discover what led to it. But there is no single big reveal here. Instead, we get loads of mini reveals about the characters, which is good in its own way but doesn’t offer a holistic picture of their life.
😐 As each section comes from a different character and from a different year, we see only their isolated perspective on the events of that time. So all the pieces of the jigsaw aren't available to us. This won’t satisfy readers who need completed arcs. The “What happened next?” stays unanswered as the “next” perspective is from a different character. Mind you, this didn’t affect my reading experience. I was still fascinated. Just that when I reflected back on a certain character, I wished I knew what happened to them afterwards.
Bookish If Onlys:
😕 Minor complaint: Keeping track of Yumi and Yoko was very confusing for me. (Not being racist here. I feel equally confused about a Jenn and a Jill or a Rajiv and a Ravi being in the same book. Heck, I even confuse my daughters’ names, both of which begin with ‘An----.') Thankfully, Yukiko was referred to as ‘Kiko’, otherwise my confusion would have been greater. I wish the two older girls had names beginning with distinct letters.
All in all, despite a few stumbling blocks, I really enjoyed this book. While it has a strong literary flavour, I feel it will work for those readers who enjoy not just character-oriented narratives but also short story collections. For a debut work, this novel is quite ambitious, so kudos to the author for presenting us with this unusual dysfunctional family storyline without dumping unnecessary themes into the plot.
Definitely recommended, but not to all. If you like to read an easy-going story with likeable characters, a proper plot, settled character arcs, and a satisfying ending, this book isn’t for you.
4 stars.
My thanks to Spiegel & Grau for providing the DRC of “Shanghailanders” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog || The StoryGraph || Instagram || X/Twitter || Facebook ||
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Plot Preview:
2040. After dropping off his family at the airport, real estate businessman and Shanghai local Leo Yang is in the train back to the city. On the journey, he mulls over why his wife insisted on accompanying his two elder daughters to Boston, though they are grown up enough to travel independently. Leo’s family comprises his wife Eko, an artistic Japanese-French woman who is tired of Shanghai, and his three daughters, Yumi (20, self-obsessed, and has a dark secret), Yoko (18, academically inclined, and has a dark secret), and Yukiko (16, the baby of the family, and has a dark secret.)
As the book traverses down the years, working backwards from 2040 to 2014 a few months/years at a time, we learn more about the family and some key incidents in their lives, through their own narration, or through the eyes of those who work for them. Each section comes from a different time period and a different character.
Just a couple of days back, I read a book that was marketed as a short story collection but turned out to be a composite novel (Nina Schuyler's 'In This Ravishing World.'). I didn’t like it as much as I would have, had I known what to expect. Now here’s a composite novel tagged accurately as a literary fiction. What a difference the right label makes to our experience! I went in prepared for a character-driven storytelling, and got exactly that.
Bookish Yays:
😍 Every section, coming from a specific time period and a distinct character, feels like a proper story, beginning and progressing the way an independent short story would. This book thus reads as a series of vignettes, with the first and the last one coming from Leo, making the book come a full circle.
😍 As the title suggests, the book highlights a variety of “Shanghailanders”. Thus we get the narratives from varied age groups (child to senior citizen), financial status (from wealthy to poor), and even from male and female characters. Most perspectives are in third person, but there are a couple in first or second person. I enjoyed the variety of voices, both in terms of characters as well as writing.
😍 The Yang family is not entirely likeable. Each of them has their positives and negatives and secrets. Their complexities lend depth to the novel. Two of the chapters that come from secondary characters working with the Yangs are the most interesting, both in terms of the characters’ backstory as well as the insights they offer into their employers.
😍 The writing is focussed. While clearly character-oriented, the author creates a tangible feel of the setting, balancing her descriptions without overburdening the story flow.
😍 As with every story focussed on a family, the book highlights various aspects of families that appear normal but are actually dysfunctional. Relationships, secrets, emotions, fights, loyalty, loneliness, scandals, trauma, unaware parents, emotionally damaged children – all are a part of this narrative. I like how the drama, despite so many potentially emotional topics, never goes over the top.
😍 The near-future world beyond our current year feels realistic enough. There are technological improvements over our current world and also hotter temperatures, but it is not a world so unbelievably ultra-modern that it seems implausible.
😍 There is no overarching plot in this story, nor a central conflict or a happy family reunion at the finale. The narrative is focussed on the characters and their backstories, with us already knowing the events of the “present time” of 2040, and then discovering what could have led to that stage. This might not work for some readers, but I liked it.
😍 The pace is on the slower side, as is typical of literary fiction, but it never slackens. I was invested from start to end, thanks to the intricate structuring.
😍 Though the setting is clearly Chinese, the story feels universal thanks to the characters and the human flaws and frailties so clearly visible in them. That said, the story still gives us enough of a glimpse of Shanghai and its people. I am not sure if this counts as an OwnVoices work, because the author is a Korean-American living in Shanghai. But at least by location and tone, it appears authentic. (Only a Shanghainese would be able to confirm this.)
Bookish Mixed Bags:
😐 The backward structure is the USP of this novel, but it works both for and against the narrative. While it offers an innovativeness to the experience, it also makes the reader’s task a tad difficult. We need to keep track of the reverse aging of the characters, which gets a bit confusing at times. Also, backwards storytelling is used when there is a big reveal in the latest timeframe and then we discover what led to it. But there is no single big reveal here. Instead, we get loads of mini reveals about the characters, which is good in its own way but doesn’t offer a holistic picture of their life.
😐 As each section comes from a different character and from a different year, we see only their isolated perspective on the events of that time. So all the pieces of the jigsaw aren't available to us. This won’t satisfy readers who need completed arcs. The “What happened next?” stays unanswered as the “next” perspective is from a different character. Mind you, this didn’t affect my reading experience. I was still fascinated. Just that when I reflected back on a certain character, I wished I knew what happened to them afterwards.
Bookish If Onlys:
😕 Minor complaint: Keeping track of Yumi and Yoko was very confusing for me. (Not being racist here. I feel equally confused about a Jenn and a Jill or a Rajiv and a Ravi being in the same book. Heck, I even confuse my daughters’ names, both of which begin with ‘An----.') Thankfully, Yukiko was referred to as ‘Kiko’, otherwise my confusion would have been greater. I wish the two older girls had names beginning with distinct letters.
All in all, despite a few stumbling blocks, I really enjoyed this book. While it has a strong literary flavour, I feel it will work for those readers who enjoy not just character-oriented narratives but also short story collections. For a debut work, this novel is quite ambitious, so kudos to the author for presenting us with this unusual dysfunctional family storyline without dumping unnecessary themes into the plot.
Definitely recommended, but not to all. If you like to read an easy-going story with likeable characters, a proper plot, settled character arcs, and a satisfying ending, this book isn’t for you.
4 stars.
My thanks to Spiegel & Grau for providing the DRC of “Shanghailanders” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog || The StoryGraph || Instagram || X/Twitter || Facebook ||
January 11, 2024
So that was it, then. So this is married life.
Min has an impressive ability to get inside stories and to make them feel rounded and significant. But the downside of that is that this book feels more like a collection of interlinked tales rather than an organic novel. The backwards telling as we move from 2040 to 2014 adds to this fracturing as story elements don't conclude or lead anywhere and while it's fascinating to trace what we didn't know in the first sections set in the future until we come to the later stories set in the past, there's also something a bit unsatisfactory about being left hanging like that.
I was somewhat disappointed that there's little sense of Shanghai or China, and not much is different in 2040 from now - there are super high-speed trains, and the climate is a bit hotter in one section but nothing seems to have materially changed.
At the heart of the stories, though, is the family: Leo and Eko and their three daughters. Moving between Shanghai, Japan and Paris; across generations; and viewing the family from both the interior and exterior, this deals with scenarios and moments that feel very human and which are treated with a kind of expansive and non-judgemental empathy.
And that's where I think Min's skills sit: take away the slightly gimmicky backwards telling and this is an intimate look at family relationships, what is said and unsaid, and how people grow into, and out of, their family roles.
Many thanks to Dialogue Books for an ARC via NetGalley
November 22, 2024
Shanghailanders is a family drama that reads like interconnected short stories. The chapters jumped timelines and settings.
The narrative follows wealthy parents who are in their 40s raising three children with help of live in nanny. Each child has
different drama related to their age and face these challenges in different ways.
The story is very well written, but at times I felt like every possible challenge was encountered by various family members. The chapter set in the cabin in the woods where the girls are forced to learn survival skills and farming was powerful.
The theme of Motherhood is explored as well as reaching back to reconnect to the past. The father buying the building he grew up in is the chapter that captures this essence.
I always enjoy when a book is set in Japan or Boston, and this book has chapters set in both. The nanny’s story really stood out to me. I found it impactful and heartbreaking.
A few chapters felt like bonus material that stood out and wasn’t necessary for narrative. I understand why the author takes us back to the beginning at the end, but it felt like the story slowly losing steam and rolling into the station after all the tension and drama from the previous chapters. Overall, a solid read. Excellent narration. 3.75 stars. Rounded up to 4.
The narrative follows wealthy parents who are in their 40s raising three children with help of live in nanny. Each child has
different drama related to their age and face these challenges in different ways.
The story is very well written, but at times I felt like every possible challenge was encountered by various family members. The chapter set in the cabin in the woods where the girls are forced to learn survival skills and farming was powerful.
The theme of Motherhood is explored as well as reaching back to reconnect to the past. The father buying the building he grew up in is the chapter that captures this essence.
I always enjoy when a book is set in Japan or Boston, and this book has chapters set in both. The nanny’s story really stood out to me. I found it impactful and heartbreaking.
A few chapters felt like bonus material that stood out and wasn’t necessary for narrative. I understand why the author takes us back to the beginning at the end, but it felt like the story slowly losing steam and rolling into the station after all the tension and drama from the previous chapters. Overall, a solid read. Excellent narration. 3.75 stars. Rounded up to 4.
January 20, 2025
1.5 "well meaning but in the end both dull and banal" stars !!
Thank you to Netalley, the author and Spiegel & Grau for an ecopy. This was released May 2024. I am providing an honest review.
This is a challenging review to write as I feel both bored and exasperated.
Initially I thought this was going to be decent to good read (2.5 stars to 3 stars) and would end up being soapy good fun or a family drama. In the end it was neither. The author writes of a privleged Chinese-Japanese family settled in Shanghai but telling the tale backwards through a series of vignettes from 2040 to 2014. This was an interesting and clever device.
All was ok until there was a chapter at the 48 percent mark that was so outlandishly amateurish and histrionic that I could just not return to this being an ok average book and completely kiboshed any hopes that as a reader I could recover. From there my eyes glazed, I lost belief in the character sketches and the plotlines became increasingly uninteresting. I skimmed while rolling my eyes and needed to finish this quickly or throw it against the wall (there was no way I was going to break my kindle). The prose is at times lovely but is more often grating and hyperfeminine.
I do feel the author is both well meaning and has some talent but I do not think I would ever read another one of her novels.
Thank you to Netalley, the author and Spiegel & Grau for an ecopy. This was released May 2024. I am providing an honest review.
This is a challenging review to write as I feel both bored and exasperated.
Initially I thought this was going to be decent to good read (2.5 stars to 3 stars) and would end up being soapy good fun or a family drama. In the end it was neither. The author writes of a privleged Chinese-Japanese family settled in Shanghai but telling the tale backwards through a series of vignettes from 2040 to 2014. This was an interesting and clever device.
All was ok until there was a chapter at the 48 percent mark that was so outlandishly amateurish and histrionic that I could just not return to this being an ok average book and completely kiboshed any hopes that as a reader I could recover. From there my eyes glazed, I lost belief in the character sketches and the plotlines became increasingly uninteresting. I skimmed while rolling my eyes and needed to finish this quickly or throw it against the wall (there was no way I was going to break my kindle). The prose is at times lovely but is more often grating and hyperfeminine.
I do feel the author is both well meaning and has some talent but I do not think I would ever read another one of her novels.
November 6, 2023
Shanghailanders is centred around one super-rich family, their relationships and their emotional lives. It begins in 2035 and then moves back in time, the point of view shifting between family members and people close to them. The father, Leo, is Chinese and the mother, Eko, Japanese-French, and their three daughters grow up proficient in four languages. Their privilege means they live in an international bubble so it is only through Leo and some of the secondary characters that you gain much insight into Shanghai and China in this period.
The writing in Shanghailanders is very strong. The prose is atmospheric, the reflections of the characters thought-provoking. Their different identities are sensitively explored.
However, Shanghailanders employs not one but two high concepts – not just telling the story backwards, but beginning it in the future. If you’re going to make that demand on your readers there has to be a payoff. I didn’t think that was true in either case. It seems life in 2035 for the super-rich isn’t that different from life now (apart from faster trains). It’s a bit hot but climate change hasn’t dented their world, they still wear similar clothes, attend similar colleges, have similar social media sites.
And each time the story moved backwards in time, I just felt frustrated, because I wanted to know what happened next, not what had gone before. There is a surprise of sorts towards the end (the family’s beginning) but for me it wasn’t big enough to justify the expectation which the structure sets up.
The writing in Shanghailanders is very strong. The prose is atmospheric, the reflections of the characters thought-provoking. Their different identities are sensitively explored.
However, Shanghailanders employs not one but two high concepts – not just telling the story backwards, but beginning it in the future. If you’re going to make that demand on your readers there has to be a payoff. I didn’t think that was true in either case. It seems life in 2035 for the super-rich isn’t that different from life now (apart from faster trains). It’s a bit hot but climate change hasn’t dented their world, they still wear similar clothes, attend similar colleges, have similar social media sites.
And each time the story moved backwards in time, I just felt frustrated, because I wanted to know what happened next, not what had gone before. There is a surprise of sorts towards the end (the family’s beginning) but for me it wasn’t big enough to justify the expectation which the structure sets up.
October 27, 2023
I love this beautiful novel. It's enormous and far reaching yet small and simple in message, a truly amazing debut.
In Shanghailanders, we are introduced to the Yang family and the time. 2040, The family is International and cosmopolitan from Japan, China and France.. The daughters in the future are situated in Boston and Paris. Through a variety of scenes and remembrances we begin to learn the intricacies of the family and the forces at play throughout their lives. Flashing backwards slowly to 2014 we learn about the Yang family - both from parents and daughters as well as grandparents and caretakers and staff.
It's truly an amazing work, all the more impressive as a debut! #Spiegel&Grau #grau #shanghailanders #julimin
In Shanghailanders, we are introduced to the Yang family and the time. 2040, The family is International and cosmopolitan from Japan, China and France.. The daughters in the future are situated in Boston and Paris. Through a variety of scenes and remembrances we begin to learn the intricacies of the family and the forces at play throughout their lives. Flashing backwards slowly to 2014 we learn about the Yang family - both from parents and daughters as well as grandparents and caretakers and staff.
It's truly an amazing work, all the more impressive as a debut! #Spiegel&Grau #grau #shanghailanders #julimin
April 10, 2024
This book centers around a married couple, Leo and Eko and those around them.
There’s no real plot but more a meandering backward and forward through their lives and moments in the lives of their three children, staff, and other friends and family.
To be honest when the book finished I was surprised as there was no real lead up to an end. No climax. Nothing really happens.
Meh.
There’s no real plot but more a meandering backward and forward through their lives and moments in the lives of their three children, staff, and other friends and family.
To be honest when the book finished I was surprised as there was no real lead up to an end. No climax. Nothing really happens.
Meh.
February 12, 2024
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book!
The concept of a story told backwards was intriguing to me at the beginning. The author’s descriptions are well crafted and the prose is strong. There is a lot of character potential but that’s were it fell flat, in my opinion. The characters aren’t very interesting to me. The main family is very wealthy, not just rich but "we buy Chanel lipstick at the airport" wealthy, and many of the problems they have are easily solved with money so there is very little stakes. The part where I found myself the most invested was the nanny telling her story near the end. A lot of the story is told in exposition and flashbacks. I also found that there are many loose ends that weren’t tied up. I think the backward travel is an interesting idea, but it just left me unsatisfied.
The concept of a story told backwards was intriguing to me at the beginning. The author’s descriptions are well crafted and the prose is strong. There is a lot of character potential but that’s were it fell flat, in my opinion. The characters aren’t very interesting to me. The main family is very wealthy, not just rich but "we buy Chanel lipstick at the airport" wealthy, and many of the problems they have are easily solved with money so there is very little stakes. The part where I found myself the most invested was the nanny telling her story near the end. A lot of the story is told in exposition and flashbacks. I also found that there are many loose ends that weren’t tied up. I think the backward travel is an interesting idea, but it just left me unsatisfied.
March 1, 2024
While I thought the actual writing was lovely, the overall book was a mystery, not in the genre way. The chapters of the book regressed in time from 2040 to 2014. I must have completely missed the relevance of this. I wanted to read more about the family (as I said the writing is wonderful) but I struggled to see the connection between the chapters which were more like random vignettes. There were chapters about peripheral characters and still no connection with the others characters. If there had been a stronger thread within this book, I would rated it much higher.
October 29, 2023
A brilliantly written novel. From the very start, the writing drew me in. I loved how Min was able to switch the narratives and the timezones of the story but still make it easy to follow. The way the story was told, recounting key moments backwards in time, was a refreshing change of pace, and really made the book and the moments stand out. I also really loved the main family, they were all flawed and incredibly interesting to read about. A moving story, with focus on family and culture, that was ambitious and poignant.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for kindly providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. #Shanghailanders #NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for kindly providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. #Shanghailanders #NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
February 12, 2025
3,5 ⭐️—Ambitious and intriguing, but keeps you at a distance.
The narrative takes a bold approach, moving backward through time, weaving together the lives of mothers and daughters across generations. It’s a fascinating structure, but one that might divide readers I think. On the one hand, it creates a sense of mystery, a puzzle you’re desperate to piece together. On the other, it keeps you at arm’s length from the characters, making it hard to truly connect before the perspective shifts to someone new.
Still, as historical fiction, it delivers something rich. The characters, while fleeting in focus, feel vivid and real—products of their time, yet timeless in their struggles. They navigate cultural displacement, family expectations, and the sacrifices demanded by survival. These are lives shaped by history, and the book captures the push and pull between personal desires and collective trauma with elegance.
But the very thing that makes Shanghailanders unique—its fragmented storytelling—also makes it frustrating. Just as you begin to immerse yourself in one character’s world, the narrative slips away, leaving questions unanswered and arcs unfinished. It’s not a flaw, necessarily, but it does create a certain distance, a barrier to full engagement.
For readers who love historical fiction that experiments with structure, this book offers plenty to appreciate. Its portrayal of identity, migration, and the complex ties between women across generations is both compelling and thought-provoking. But for those who crave deep emotional immersion and closure, it might feel a bit like standing outside a beautifully lit window, never quite able to step inside.
The narrative takes a bold approach, moving backward through time, weaving together the lives of mothers and daughters across generations. It’s a fascinating structure, but one that might divide readers I think. On the one hand, it creates a sense of mystery, a puzzle you’re desperate to piece together. On the other, it keeps you at arm’s length from the characters, making it hard to truly connect before the perspective shifts to someone new.
Still, as historical fiction, it delivers something rich. The characters, while fleeting in focus, feel vivid and real—products of their time, yet timeless in their struggles. They navigate cultural displacement, family expectations, and the sacrifices demanded by survival. These are lives shaped by history, and the book captures the push and pull between personal desires and collective trauma with elegance.
But the very thing that makes Shanghailanders unique—its fragmented storytelling—also makes it frustrating. Just as you begin to immerse yourself in one character’s world, the narrative slips away, leaving questions unanswered and arcs unfinished. It’s not a flaw, necessarily, but it does create a certain distance, a barrier to full engagement.
For readers who love historical fiction that experiments with structure, this book offers plenty to appreciate. Its portrayal of identity, migration, and the complex ties between women across generations is both compelling and thought-provoking. But for those who crave deep emotional immersion and closure, it might feel a bit like standing outside a beautifully lit window, never quite able to step inside.
November 10, 2023
Shanghailanders tells the story of a rich Asian family – a Chinese father, a Japanese-French mother and their three cosmopolitan daughters. The narrative moves back in time, starting from the future – 2040 – and moving backward to 2014. While I was immediately drawn into the story of the Yang family, I didn’t buy into the backward-arcing story. I enjoyed the narrative when it focused on the disparate needs of the daughters in the present and future, but lost interest when it focused on other, one-off characters that were part of the Yang family’s past. I feel the book would have been stronger if it had moved forward in time from the formation of the family, using flashbacks to highlight instrumental events in the past. The future doesn’t feel all that different from the present; except for the aging of the characters, there are few differences in the setting compared to today. I would have liked to see changes in the environment, given our current struggles with climate change.
In addition, a backward-moving story usually uncovers secrets that help explain circumstances in the current (or future) environment. There are usually “aha” moments when “causes” are uncovered. I found Shanghailanders’ backward-moving methodology, while adding to the story, was not crucial to the overall narrative. All-in-all, this was a well-written novel that could be improved with some re-design.
In addition, a backward-moving story usually uncovers secrets that help explain circumstances in the current (or future) environment. There are usually “aha” moments when “causes” are uncovered. I found Shanghailanders’ backward-moving methodology, while adding to the story, was not crucial to the overall narrative. All-in-all, this was a well-written novel that could be improved with some re-design.
February 3, 2025
Juli Mins Debütroman „Shanghai Story“ erzählt die Geschichte der Familie Yang in Episoden rückwärts von 2040 zurück ins Jahr 2014. Dabei wird deutlich, dass es bei der reichen, schönen Familie hinter der Fassade einige Abgründe zu entdecken gibt. Die Figuren blieben für mich lange Zeit unnahbar, was wahrscheinlich aber auch beabsichtigt ist, da die Figuren der Familie einfach fast alle unsympathisch und neurotisch sind. Gleichzeitig gab es immer wieder starke, für sich alleinstehende Episoden – fast wie in einer Kurzgeschichtensammlung. Besonders gefallen haben mir zum Beispiel die Geschichte rund um Theia und das Kindermädchen oder die Episode über Straßenrennen in Shanghai, wobei gerade diese sich nicht um Familie Yang drehen. Auch die notwendigerweise offenen Enden der einzelnen Kapitel fand ich gelungen, weil sie Raum für eigene Gedanken lassen, auch wenn ich finde, dass die Einzelepisoden noch stärker miteinander verwoben hätten werden können.
Ein Aspekt, der mir negativ an der Erzählweise aufgefallen ist, war die konstante Betonung des weiblichen Äußeren. Fast jede Frau in diesem Roman wird in irgendeiner Weise nach ihrem Aussehen beurteilt, was mich zunehmend gestört hat. Selbst wenn das eine kritische Darstellung sein soll, hätte man diesen Aspekt nicht so oft reproduzieren müssen. Die Gesellschaftskritik, die eventuell mitschwingt, war mir für die Häufigkeit der Erwähnungen zu mild. Auch der Zukunftsaspekt war für mich nicht ganz überzeugend. Das Shanghai des Jahres 2040 wirkt technisch erstaunlich ähnlich zu unserer heutigen Welt, sodass die zeitliche Distanz eher künstlich erscheint. Besonders im Hinblick auf die Klimakrise hätte ich mir eine konsequentere Umsetzung gewünscht. Warum ein Teil der Geschichte nicht einfach in der Vergangenheit spielt, bleibt mir ein Rätsel.
Dennoch gibt es viele positive Aspekte: Die Charaktere sind komplex und das Verhältnis der Eltern hat mich besonders interessiert. Manches klärt sich erst im Laufe der Zeit auf, was dem Roman eine gewisse Tiefe verleiht. Einige Episoden haben mich wirklich gefesselt. Unterm Strich bleibt bei mir also ein zwiespältiger Eindruck. „Shanghai Story“ ist ein ambitionierter Roman mit einigen tollen erzählerischen Ideen, aber er schöpft sein Potenzial nicht ganz aus.
Ein Aspekt, der mir negativ an der Erzählweise aufgefallen ist, war die konstante Betonung des weiblichen Äußeren. Fast jede Frau in diesem Roman wird in irgendeiner Weise nach ihrem Aussehen beurteilt, was mich zunehmend gestört hat. Selbst wenn das eine kritische Darstellung sein soll, hätte man diesen Aspekt nicht so oft reproduzieren müssen. Die Gesellschaftskritik, die eventuell mitschwingt, war mir für die Häufigkeit der Erwähnungen zu mild. Auch der Zukunftsaspekt war für mich nicht ganz überzeugend. Das Shanghai des Jahres 2040 wirkt technisch erstaunlich ähnlich zu unserer heutigen Welt, sodass die zeitliche Distanz eher künstlich erscheint. Besonders im Hinblick auf die Klimakrise hätte ich mir eine konsequentere Umsetzung gewünscht. Warum ein Teil der Geschichte nicht einfach in der Vergangenheit spielt, bleibt mir ein Rätsel.
Dennoch gibt es viele positive Aspekte: Die Charaktere sind komplex und das Verhältnis der Eltern hat mich besonders interessiert. Manches klärt sich erst im Laufe der Zeit auf, was dem Roman eine gewisse Tiefe verleiht. Einige Episoden haben mich wirklich gefesselt. Unterm Strich bleibt bei mir also ein zwiespältiger Eindruck. „Shanghai Story“ ist ein ambitionierter Roman mit einigen tollen erzählerischen Ideen, aber er schöpft sein Potenzial nicht ganz aus.
January 23, 2025
Yeah, I really, really vibed to this one.
The “gimmick” is that it is a family saga told backwards —going from Year 2040 to 2014. But the approach is not at all flashy; it’s quite understated. Plus it’s heavily character driven. There’s so much beauty in here: prose, emotional beats, atmosphere. For a while I wondered if the being told backwards was actually elevating the story in any way. And I gotta say the answer is yes. At least for me, it’s a resounding yes. I was invested. I was very curious to see what made the characters behave in the ways that they did in the future. It delivered. As we go along, things began fitting into place. By the end, it felt quite sad. Bittersweet even.
Each chapter is a vignette —where we explore a pivotal moment in that character’s life: a princess birthday party, a promotion, apartment hunting, a visit to a nursing home, a survivalist course (the best chapter in the book).
There is so much beautiful imagery in this novel. Two symbols: string and eggs both come to mind. One particular character’s “string theory” took my breath away. Ooh, the string.
I’m a sucker for the family drama genre, and this one handled itself wonderfully. Loved the writing and the insight that came along with it. This was totally made for me. Gorgeous book.
The “gimmick” is that it is a family saga told backwards —going from Year 2040 to 2014. But the approach is not at all flashy; it’s quite understated. Plus it’s heavily character driven. There’s so much beauty in here: prose, emotional beats, atmosphere. For a while I wondered if the being told backwards was actually elevating the story in any way. And I gotta say the answer is yes. At least for me, it’s a resounding yes. I was invested. I was very curious to see what made the characters behave in the ways that they did in the future. It delivered. As we go along, things began fitting into place. By the end, it felt quite sad. Bittersweet even.
Each chapter is a vignette —where we explore a pivotal moment in that character’s life: a princess birthday party, a promotion, apartment hunting, a visit to a nursing home, a survivalist course (the best chapter in the book).
There is so much beautiful imagery in this novel. Two symbols: string and eggs both come to mind. One particular character’s “string theory” took my breath away. Ooh, the string.
I’m a sucker for the family drama genre, and this one handled itself wonderfully. Loved the writing and the insight that came along with it. This was totally made for me. Gorgeous book.
May 24, 2024
I almost always love books that go backwards, that understand the potential of pointing time's arrow in the opposite direction: Sarah Waters' The Night Watch, Samantha Harvey's The Western Wind, Evie Wyld's All The Birds, Singing. And then there are the books set in the near-future, which have to invent new, plausible things while sticking close to what is real. Juli Min's debut, Shanghailanders, is billed as doing both but in fact does neither. Moving backwards in time from 2040, most of this novel focuses on one tiresome, cliched, incredibly wealthy family in nothing-special prose. The near-future sections might as well be set in the present day apart from a couple mentions of new technology; there's also no real sense of the Shanghai setting, despite the title. And because these kind of family saga type books often jump around in time anyway, it's easy to forget this even runs backwards, as Min does nothing else with that structure. What's especially frustrating is that the only two sections of the book that are not from the point of view of one of the family members work as great stand-alone short stories: the family's driver tells us about racing cars through the city for money, while the family's nanny remembers the previous little girl she looked after and loved. Unfortunately, these interludes also remind us how interesting everything else in the world is when we aren't stuck with our spoilt protagonists. 3.5 stars.
I received a free proof copy of this novel from the publisher for review.
I received a free proof copy of this novel from the publisher for review.
May 2, 2025
Shanghailanders es la ópera prima de Juli Min, una obra repleta de ambición y de luz y en la que todo se sucede del revés, en un orden cronológico invertido, provocando en el lector, al menos en mí, cosas extrañas y a la vez muy verdaderas, como esa sensación que tenemos los seres humanos de pensar en el después y no en disfrutar del presente, de lo que tenemos.
Como digo, "Shanghailanders" nos narra hacia atrás la vida de una familia de shanghaineses durante las distintas edades o etapas de sus vidas. Hay que tener presente que no es una historia única, no, son historias paralelas que giran entorno a un matrimonio con tres hijos que muestran su devenir diario desde el año 2040 y hasta el 2014, sucediéndose todo tipo de cuestiones que otorgan a la historia un enfoque ameno y divertido y que, inevitablemente, van a acabar interconectadas.
A través de esta ingeniosa forma narrativa, nos encontramos con una trama que bebe de secretos familiares, de rarezas, manías, emociones, dramas, soledades, aversiones, etc., todo como un fiel reflejo de la vida, el rico contra el pobre, el hombre contra la mujer, la madre contra el padre, los hijos contra sus propios padres.
Aunque, en su mayoría, es una trama narrada en tercera persona, también hay momentos para el protagonismo del propio narrador, mostrándonos a su familia Yang como una família especial y no siempre agradable. Todos ellos se muestran con diferentes manías, con sus secretos y sus propias personalidades, todas bien distintas y complejas, aportando en el lector una mirada mucho más profunda sobre ellos.
Una lucha titánica contra hijos en busca de distintas perspectivas de vida. El embarazo no deseado de una hija, las aspiraciones a actriz de otra, inspirada por su gran ídolo en el cine: Marilyn Monroe; incluso a las batallas de Yumi en su residencia universitaria. Todo, situaciones que se devienen entre los años 2040 y 2038, con hijos adolescentes entre distintas edades y pensamientos.
Los años van pasando hacia atrás y, a lo largo de la trama, también vamos a conocer a otros personajes secundarios muy interesantes: un chófer apasionado del riesgo, la niñera de la familia Yang o una abuela maniática con querer llevar su pasado al momento más actual.
Me ha gustado mucho, es arriesgada y ambiciosa, es interesante y entretenida. Me gusta la novela asiática, tal vez ese haya sido otro punto fuerte y seguro para haberla disfrutado así. Una historia con personajes profundos y de todo tipo, algunos que matarías y otros que acaban gustando mucho más. Una alegoría inmensa sobre el paso del tiempo y la vida, con las consecuencias y los frutos que acabamos recogiendo a nuestras decisiones durante ella.
Como digo, "Shanghailanders" nos narra hacia atrás la vida de una familia de shanghaineses durante las distintas edades o etapas de sus vidas. Hay que tener presente que no es una historia única, no, son historias paralelas que giran entorno a un matrimonio con tres hijos que muestran su devenir diario desde el año 2040 y hasta el 2014, sucediéndose todo tipo de cuestiones que otorgan a la historia un enfoque ameno y divertido y que, inevitablemente, van a acabar interconectadas.
A través de esta ingeniosa forma narrativa, nos encontramos con una trama que bebe de secretos familiares, de rarezas, manías, emociones, dramas, soledades, aversiones, etc., todo como un fiel reflejo de la vida, el rico contra el pobre, el hombre contra la mujer, la madre contra el padre, los hijos contra sus propios padres.
Aunque, en su mayoría, es una trama narrada en tercera persona, también hay momentos para el protagonismo del propio narrador, mostrándonos a su familia Yang como una família especial y no siempre agradable. Todos ellos se muestran con diferentes manías, con sus secretos y sus propias personalidades, todas bien distintas y complejas, aportando en el lector una mirada mucho más profunda sobre ellos.
Una lucha titánica contra hijos en busca de distintas perspectivas de vida. El embarazo no deseado de una hija, las aspiraciones a actriz de otra, inspirada por su gran ídolo en el cine: Marilyn Monroe; incluso a las batallas de Yumi en su residencia universitaria. Todo, situaciones que se devienen entre los años 2040 y 2038, con hijos adolescentes entre distintas edades y pensamientos.
Los años van pasando hacia atrás y, a lo largo de la trama, también vamos a conocer a otros personajes secundarios muy interesantes: un chófer apasionado del riesgo, la niñera de la familia Yang o una abuela maniática con querer llevar su pasado al momento más actual.
Me ha gustado mucho, es arriesgada y ambiciosa, es interesante y entretenida. Me gusta la novela asiática, tal vez ese haya sido otro punto fuerte y seguro para haberla disfrutado así. Una historia con personajes profundos y de todo tipo, algunos que matarías y otros que acaban gustando mucho más. Una alegoría inmensa sobre el paso del tiempo y la vida, con las consecuencias y los frutos que acabamos recogiendo a nuestras decisiones durante ella.
July 3, 2024
I was drawn to the premise of this novel going backwards in time recounting the life of Leo Yang and his daughters and wife, but as I read this it just started to lose steam for me, as another reader mentioned there really was not a storyline. What I found interesting was the lives of his daughters during a particular time and I wanted that to keep going more instead of it switching to another time. Guess it just wasn't for me.
February 3, 2025
3,5 Sterne
Sie sind Töchter, sie sind Kosmopolitinnen und sie reisen für ihr Leben gern: Kiko, Yoko und Yumi Yang. Sie tingeln durch die ganze Welt, switchen dabei spielend leicht zwischen verschiedenen Sprachen. Wir folgen ihnen durch die Berg-und-Tal-Bahn des Lebens, es geht auf und ab, Glück und Unglück liegen meist nicht weit entfernt, macht uns die Autorin Juli Min bewusst mit „Shanghai Story“. Doch der eigentliche Clou des Buches ist seine Erzählweise, denn sie erfolgt: Rückwärts!
Aber bevor wir zu der eigentlichen Geschichte kommen, möchte ich Euch noch etwas über den Werdegang der Autorin Juli Min erzählen, denn dieser hat mich besonders beeindruckt. Sie wurde in Seoul in Südkorea geboren, ist in den USA in New Jersey aufgewachsen, hat in Harvard studiert, war Mitgründerin der Shanghai Literary Review (eine unabhängige Literaturzeitschrift) und lebt nun in Shanghai in China. Dort spielt auch ihr Debüt Roman „Shanghai Story“. Ein internationales Flair versprüht das Buch vor allem durch seine Protagonisten. Leo Yang, ein wohlhabender Immobilien-Investor bringt seine Ehefrau und seinen ältesten zwei Töchter in Shanghai zum Flughafen. Sie gehen in Boston zur Schule bzw. aufs College und seine Frau fliegt weiter nach Paris im Jahre 2040. Sie bewegen sich nicht nur mühelos zwischen den Orten, sondern auch zwischen den Sprachen und wechseln mal eben von Chinesisch, Französisch oder Englisch zu Japanisch. Mit fortschreitenden Kapiteln erfahren wir mehr über die Familie und ihren Beziehungen untereinander. Sehr sorgsam strukturiert erzählt Juli Min rückwärts, zuerst Jahr für Jahr - dann werden die Sprünge größer - und wir erfahren immer mehr Details bis hin zum Kennenlernen der Eltern. Vor allem die Story der jüngeren Tochter hat mich zutiefst berührt und bestürzt, denn wir lernen sie zu Mitte des Buches als unbescholtenes, smartes, mutiges Elfjähriges Mädchen mit gesundem Selbstbewusstsein kennen, wissen zu diesem Zeitpunkt aber bereits (aufgrund des Rückwärtserzählens), dass sie später Sex mit einem älteren Mann für Geld haben und weinend in einem Bett liegen wird. Das hat mich sehr traurig gestimmt.
Aber warum heißt denn das Buch nun eigentlich „Shanghai Story“?
So ganz klar ist mir das auch nicht, denn für mich ist es mehr Familienroman, als eine Geschichte über die Stadt Shanghai und lediglich der Schauplatz zu Beginn des Buches und der Ort mit dem der Vater Leo sehr verbunden ist, da es sein Herkunftsort ist. Ansonsten würde ich sagen, ist es für die Familie eine Stadt unter vielen in der Welt, in denen sie verkehren, die Yangs sind der Inbegriff von Weltbürgertum.
Asiatische Literatur hat bei mir ja meist von vornherein einen Pluspunkt - bin einfach ein Fan! Was mich aber an „Shanghai Story“ vor allem überzeugt hat, ist die Leichtigkeit mit der Juli Min schreibt, die auch den Lebensstil der Familie widerspiegelt. Alle Familienmitglieder sind Getriebene, sie sind auf der Suche nach etwas im Leben, dabei oft orientierungslos. Dadurch, dass die Geschichte so locker und leicht erzählt wird, fehlte es mir an mancher Stelle etwas an Tiefe bezüglich der Figurenzeichnung. Aber da es Juli Mins‘ Debütroman ist, will ich da mal nicht so streng sein und wünsche mir an dieser Stelle einen Teil 2 des Buches, der die Geschichte der Familie Yang und damit der Figuren weiterentwickelt und uns tiefer in deren Leben und Psyche eindringen lässt.
Sie sind Töchter, sie sind Kosmopolitinnen und sie reisen für ihr Leben gern: Kiko, Yoko und Yumi Yang. Sie tingeln durch die ganze Welt, switchen dabei spielend leicht zwischen verschiedenen Sprachen. Wir folgen ihnen durch die Berg-und-Tal-Bahn des Lebens, es geht auf und ab, Glück und Unglück liegen meist nicht weit entfernt, macht uns die Autorin Juli Min bewusst mit „Shanghai Story“. Doch der eigentliche Clou des Buches ist seine Erzählweise, denn sie erfolgt: Rückwärts!
Aber bevor wir zu der eigentlichen Geschichte kommen, möchte ich Euch noch etwas über den Werdegang der Autorin Juli Min erzählen, denn dieser hat mich besonders beeindruckt. Sie wurde in Seoul in Südkorea geboren, ist in den USA in New Jersey aufgewachsen, hat in Harvard studiert, war Mitgründerin der Shanghai Literary Review (eine unabhängige Literaturzeitschrift) und lebt nun in Shanghai in China. Dort spielt auch ihr Debüt Roman „Shanghai Story“. Ein internationales Flair versprüht das Buch vor allem durch seine Protagonisten. Leo Yang, ein wohlhabender Immobilien-Investor bringt seine Ehefrau und seinen ältesten zwei Töchter in Shanghai zum Flughafen. Sie gehen in Boston zur Schule bzw. aufs College und seine Frau fliegt weiter nach Paris im Jahre 2040. Sie bewegen sich nicht nur mühelos zwischen den Orten, sondern auch zwischen den Sprachen und wechseln mal eben von Chinesisch, Französisch oder Englisch zu Japanisch. Mit fortschreitenden Kapiteln erfahren wir mehr über die Familie und ihren Beziehungen untereinander. Sehr sorgsam strukturiert erzählt Juli Min rückwärts, zuerst Jahr für Jahr - dann werden die Sprünge größer - und wir erfahren immer mehr Details bis hin zum Kennenlernen der Eltern. Vor allem die Story der jüngeren Tochter hat mich zutiefst berührt und bestürzt, denn wir lernen sie zu Mitte des Buches als unbescholtenes, smartes, mutiges Elfjähriges Mädchen mit gesundem Selbstbewusstsein kennen, wissen zu diesem Zeitpunkt aber bereits (aufgrund des Rückwärtserzählens), dass sie später Sex mit einem älteren Mann für Geld haben und weinend in einem Bett liegen wird. Das hat mich sehr traurig gestimmt.
Aber warum heißt denn das Buch nun eigentlich „Shanghai Story“?
So ganz klar ist mir das auch nicht, denn für mich ist es mehr Familienroman, als eine Geschichte über die Stadt Shanghai und lediglich der Schauplatz zu Beginn des Buches und der Ort mit dem der Vater Leo sehr verbunden ist, da es sein Herkunftsort ist. Ansonsten würde ich sagen, ist es für die Familie eine Stadt unter vielen in der Welt, in denen sie verkehren, die Yangs sind der Inbegriff von Weltbürgertum.
Asiatische Literatur hat bei mir ja meist von vornherein einen Pluspunkt - bin einfach ein Fan! Was mich aber an „Shanghai Story“ vor allem überzeugt hat, ist die Leichtigkeit mit der Juli Min schreibt, die auch den Lebensstil der Familie widerspiegelt. Alle Familienmitglieder sind Getriebene, sie sind auf der Suche nach etwas im Leben, dabei oft orientierungslos. Dadurch, dass die Geschichte so locker und leicht erzählt wird, fehlte es mir an mancher Stelle etwas an Tiefe bezüglich der Figurenzeichnung. Aber da es Juli Mins‘ Debütroman ist, will ich da mal nicht so streng sein und wünsche mir an dieser Stelle einen Teil 2 des Buches, der die Geschichte der Familie Yang und damit der Figuren weiterentwickelt und uns tiefer in deren Leben und Psyche eindringen lässt.
January 15, 2025
The effect of the different settings for the members of this family who finally settle in Shanghai for the longest of their time together felt very international and sophisticated to me, and adding new (to me) modes of travel (maglev), and flying forward into the future to begin the tale - all promised readerly satisfaction ahead. Oddly enough that isn't where I landed as I began to this read. As for the writing? It caught me by surprise - a few moments of laugh-out-loudness, and clever twists. All summed up to a decision to read on, to the very end.
Connection with the characters was difficult, starting with the 2040 beginning, and traveling back in time to their various familial landmark moments to its very origins. The inside-outness of the forensic atmosphere considering these five very separate people, who seemed to connect more with the occasional sidebar others in their milieu, kept this reader at a distance.
Reading at a remove with wariness ruling engagement kept me outside the story, observing only. Overall it puzzles me, wondering if just a slight shake of the book could make a difference - so I may yet undertake a re-read on another, less cloudy day.
*A sincere thank you to Juli Min, Spiegel & Grau, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review independently.* #Shanghailanders #NetGalley
Connection with the characters was difficult, starting with the 2040 beginning, and traveling back in time to their various familial landmark moments to its very origins. The inside-outness of the forensic atmosphere considering these five very separate people, who seemed to connect more with the occasional sidebar others in their milieu, kept this reader at a distance.
Reading at a remove with wariness ruling engagement kept me outside the story, observing only. Overall it puzzles me, wondering if just a slight shake of the book could make a difference - so I may yet undertake a re-read on another, less cloudy day.
*A sincere thank you to Juli Min, Spiegel & Grau, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review independently.* #Shanghailanders #NetGalley
May 27, 2024
' Shanghailanders ' is a novel that chronicles the life of a family who lives in Shanghai.
The book has an interesting concept, as it narrates the story from the future and backwards. And even though it was interesting at first, as I got to know the characters while the book progressed, I wanted to know what came next.
Also, there were some POV and stories that were boring.
But, the rest was quite interesting and the story character driven.
The book has an interesting concept, as it narrates the story from the future and backwards. And even though it was interesting at first, as I got to know the characters while the book progressed, I wanted to know what came next.
Also, there were some POV and stories that were boring.
But, the rest was quite interesting and the story character driven.
May 13, 2024
This debut was getting a lot of buzz but it just didn't do a whole lot for me. Not terrible but just not attention grabbing. The story alternates between POVs and time and I didn't love the audio narrator. It might have been a better print read. Just not for me and I probably should have cut my losses and DNF but I stuck it out. Parts were interesting but on the whole it won't be a memorable one.
September 2, 2024
2.5.
in theory i should have loved this book but i found it quite boring and not engaging in the slightest
in theory i should have loved this book but i found it quite boring and not engaging in the slightest
July 21, 2024
one of the best no plot books i’ve read. the future and the past were so different yet similar - times can be different, but humans will be the same
November 2, 2023
This is a really compelling family novel, told in multiple POVs working its way backwards in time. We start in 2040, when Leo and Eko are the middle aged parents to three adult/young adult women, and work backwards to their wedding day in 2014. Family secrets are uncovered, but there's something quite unique about how the more intense secrets live in the past and therefore with this structure they come as the climax of the novel.
The writing is sharp and the characters are fully baked. There was one chapter that - for me - was a bit of an outlier as it featured a non-family member and didn't tie in much with the overall themes. The other non-relative chapter was much more coherent within the story.
Four stars - this is a great book and one I think many can relate to. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
The writing is sharp and the characters are fully baked. There was one chapter that - for me - was a bit of an outlier as it featured a non-family member and didn't tie in much with the overall themes. The other non-relative chapter was much more coherent within the story.
Four stars - this is a great book and one I think many can relate to. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
February 9, 2025
admittedly i did read this in one sitting but it did not work for me ♥️ was excited by the prospect of moving backwards in time but it felt very disjointed and i didn’t have a chance to connect with any of the characters
March 10, 2025
3,5
Vaig agafar “Shanghailanders” perquè em venia molt de gust una història familiar, i el fet que fos sobre una família xinesa feia la novel·la encara més atractiva. A més, també em va semblar interessant que a la sinopsi es presenta com una obra que comença l’any 2040 i acaba en el present. Doncs bé, és un llibre que m’ha agradat, però no és el que m’esperava. Us ho explico:
📖La novel·la se centra en una família de Shanghai i en com es relacionen els seus membres, en el pas dels anys i en l’evolució del matrimoni. Ho fa amb petites píndoles sobre cada personatge, i el fet de viatjar enrere fa que hi hagi moltes trames però no s’hi aprofundeixi gaire. Cada capítol se centra en un membre de la família, i en general el llibre enganxa moltíssim, però sap greu que sovint es quedi a la superfície😢 Sincerament, és culpa de les meves expectatives quan llegeixo “novel·la familiar/generacional”😂 També és cosa meva que quan agafo un llibre ambientat a l’Àsia oriental del que tinc més ganes és d’aprendre sobre la seva cultura i costums i la seva manera de relacionar-se, i en aquest cas aquesta família no pot ser més internacional: mare japonesa que ha crescut a París, filles que viuen a occident, pare de Shanghai...😅Així que no és gens el tipus de novel·la que esperava, però tot i això m’ha agradat i m’ha entretingut molt, simplement us ho volia explicar perquè no us passi com a mi🫰🏻
🧐Hi ha una cosa que no he entès i és per què comença el 2040😂Vull dir, podria haver començat el 2025 i anar enrere. No hi hauria hagut cap diferència. Si us crida l’atenció per aquesta cosa del futur... no us la recomano, perquè us decebrà. En el meu cas, com que no m’agraden especialment les obres ambientades en un futur possible, no m’ha importat. Simplement m’ha sorprès🙄
Vaig agafar “Shanghailanders” perquè em venia molt de gust una història familiar, i el fet que fos sobre una família xinesa feia la novel·la encara més atractiva. A més, també em va semblar interessant que a la sinopsi es presenta com una obra que comença l’any 2040 i acaba en el present. Doncs bé, és un llibre que m’ha agradat, però no és el que m’esperava. Us ho explico:
📖La novel·la se centra en una família de Shanghai i en com es relacionen els seus membres, en el pas dels anys i en l’evolució del matrimoni. Ho fa amb petites píndoles sobre cada personatge, i el fet de viatjar enrere fa que hi hagi moltes trames però no s’hi aprofundeixi gaire. Cada capítol se centra en un membre de la família, i en general el llibre enganxa moltíssim, però sap greu que sovint es quedi a la superfície😢 Sincerament, és culpa de les meves expectatives quan llegeixo “novel·la familiar/generacional”😂 També és cosa meva que quan agafo un llibre ambientat a l’Àsia oriental del que tinc més ganes és d’aprendre sobre la seva cultura i costums i la seva manera de relacionar-se, i en aquest cas aquesta família no pot ser més internacional: mare japonesa que ha crescut a París, filles que viuen a occident, pare de Shanghai...😅Així que no és gens el tipus de novel·la que esperava, però tot i això m’ha agradat i m’ha entretingut molt, simplement us ho volia explicar perquè no us passi com a mi🫰🏻
🧐Hi ha una cosa que no he entès i és per què comença el 2040😂Vull dir, podria haver començat el 2025 i anar enrere. No hi hauria hagut cap diferència. Si us crida l’atenció per aquesta cosa del futur... no us la recomano, perquè us decebrà. En el meu cas, com que no m’agraden especialment les obres ambientades en un futur possible, no m’ha importat. Simplement m’ha sorprès🙄
May 27, 2024
Rock solid prose and some beautiful if simple / stereotypical character work alleviate the biggest risk here. Which is to tell this in reverse, forcing the author to set up everything anew and only occasionally allowing true Insight in the same way gossip is Insight, an act of going back and saying "he did this because his mom did this". The problem is that it leaves more questions than answers as a result. It doesn't feel like a novel at all, just a lot of really, really well written first chapters.
April 22, 2025
Esta novela gira en torno a una familia, una familia acomodada, y lo que hace curiosa a esta novela y que me llamo mucho la atención, fue que comenzamos en el año 2024 y el tiempo corre en sentido contrario hasta el 2014.
La historia ira combinando el punto de vista entre los miembros de la familia y algún personaje cercano a ellos, el padre es chino y la madre es japonesa-francesa, tienen y tres hijas, de las cuales conoceremos su historia al comienzo de la novela.
Al estar estructurado de esta manera tenia mucha curiosidad por como iba a contar el mundo en el 2040, pero no vi mucha diferencia con el mundo actual, algo que me ha pasado, sobretodo con la historia de las hijas, es que quería saber que pasaba después, con su vida, pero no, no sigue la historia y queda como que falta algo en la historia.
Por otro lado creo que este libro ofrece mucho que apreciar, la identidad de las personas, la emigración, la complejidad de lazos entre las mujeres de una generación a otra.
En conclusión una historia que me ha gustado, pero quizá la estructura no ha hecho que conectara con los personajes, dejándome a medias con sus historias y queriendo saber mas.
La historia ira combinando el punto de vista entre los miembros de la familia y algún personaje cercano a ellos, el padre es chino y la madre es japonesa-francesa, tienen y tres hijas, de las cuales conoceremos su historia al comienzo de la novela.
Al estar estructurado de esta manera tenia mucha curiosidad por como iba a contar el mundo en el 2040, pero no vi mucha diferencia con el mundo actual, algo que me ha pasado, sobretodo con la historia de las hijas, es que quería saber que pasaba después, con su vida, pero no, no sigue la historia y queda como que falta algo en la historia.
Por otro lado creo que este libro ofrece mucho que apreciar, la identidad de las personas, la emigración, la complejidad de lazos entre las mujeres de una generación a otra.
En conclusión una historia que me ha gustado, pero quizá la estructura no ha hecho que conectara con los personajes, dejándome a medias con sus historias y queriendo saber mas.
June 19, 2025
Reminded me of River east river west. Will have to think on this one
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