I would be lying if I say that I did not tear up nor straight up had them running down my face at many instances in the book. At one point I felt as if I have passed 25 years of my life in utter waste. This is a kind of story that brings such emotions bubbling up.
To put it simply the story is broken down to three arcs. 1. Childhood Arc - The longest and most detailed 2. Young Adult Arc - Shortest yet the most emotional 3. Adult Arc -The conclusion or the happily ever after that you are looking for I have read that many have dropped the book by the first arc itself. I would agree at certain points that I felt it was tedious to read so much about their kindergarten time but by the time I was nearing the end of the book I finally understood how essential it was for us to read of them growing up. We are introduced to two sweet young children, just pass 6 years. One a healthy girl with a mouth ready to tear you apart and the other a talented boy excelling in everything at school with a small difference, he is an amputee. This is the first time I was reading such a novel and I have to first praise the author for going into such detail and giving us a very descriptive novel of such things. The author does not by any chance try to hide the gritty nature and the unfair instances of Gu Mingxi's life. We are given a clear cut and up front description. At times I was boiling with anger for the people making fun of him and at times just crying for him. But what really got me admiring Mingxi was his relentless optimism. His character shone through every single time. He did not regret it, he did not put himself in despair over it but simply pushed through and excelled at everything. That was until Papa Gu decided yo ruin their lives. Let me clarify here that Papa Gu is one of the worst antagonist I've ever met. Even worse than those scheming concubines I read in historical novels. His selfishness tore the family apart and ultimately led to a complete downfall of people.
Then of course comes the second arc. The most painful arc. I was indeed very happy that this was the shortest. If I had to read anymore of the unfairness of society (and even the heavens) in general towards Gu Mingxi, I wouldn't have been able to stop. The loss of a loved one, and losing oneself in the process, this was too realistically portrayed that at times I had to keep down my reader to compose myself. Third and the last is of course their adult life. Compared to both the previous arcs we are given a sweet time. Finally our MC gets the happiness he deserves. That too with added bonuses. By the end I was once again crying but this time happy tears. Gu Mingxi deserves this happiness. This poor boy who just went to help his friend get down the Frisbee. He did not deserve all this suffering he faced in the hands of others.
In all of this we have our imperfect heroine, Pang Qiang. Oh she may the most flawed heroine I have read in few years. During her kindergarten days you cannot but help be slightly mad at her. Sometimes her indifference really did affect MingXi more than she knew but deep down she cared for him like no other. No I take that back. She cared for him the same way Li Han did. In the end for MingXi he truly had only two constants in his life, his mother and Pang Qiang.
One other factor that should be specially mentioned is the side characters. We have a set of great side characters. Love rivals in a way but truly love rivals. I completely loved how all the side characters even the second male lead and female lead truly and genuinely wanted our main couple to be together. Everyone knew the Pang Qiang belonged to Gu MingXi and Gu MingXi to Pang Qiang. My favorite among them were Xi Yie, Shark, Clam, Jodie, Teacher Xu, Papa Pang and of course Dou Dou. Even though at the beginning the author introduced Papa Pang as the least educated ad the one with the lowest strata job, in the end he was the one that shone the most from the adults. His unprecedented love and care towards MingXi was beautiful to watch. he simply wanted Boy Gu to win in life. A part of me wanted them to adopt Dou Dou but with one of his parents still alive it would have too much legal trouble. Also poor Xi Yie. Although you were basically the best second lead in a novel I have recently read, I was still sad you did not get to fulfill your unrequited love (don't worry, it's not our main girl).
In the end this book has left a huge impact in my life. Although it was a romance book in the core, ultimately it transformed into a journey of growth, pain, youth and finally acceptance. What was even better was that we were able to read their journey. It was simply a story of a lone Ostrich ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, and his lively crab.
The story hasn't ended Perhaps one day, you will turn around and see Mr Ostrich and Miss Crab They exist right beside us, just as all the other people in this story So please do not cry for them and please live a good life Each and everyone of us should live our own journey"
Ok. I know this book is supposed to be a love story, but what I can think of right now is all about grievance.
I think it is true that what is more painful than disability itself is attitudes towards people with disabilities (especially from parents). However I still hope that love will conquer all.
Charming story of determination in overcoming a life changing disability. The lead character loses his arms at a very young age but is determined to create a normal (he marries his high school sweetheart and has a family) and highly creative life (he is an artist) for himself.
This novel was beautiful to read from start to finish. Despite all the things that ML have lost in his life but some things will never change with his time- his love for FL. His love for her was understated- he shows how much he loves her, both physically and through his actions.
Gu Mingxi’s (ML) soul is so beautiful. He never blamed anyone for his condition, or blamed anyone who disliked him because of his condition. He was a bright and beautiful child, he hadn’t climbed up to get that frisbee, he would have been a winner in life. But he never regretted anything, never thought of ‘what if’ and just moved with his life forward, bravely facing everything.
I suspect that a lot of girls will stop reading the text and wait until part 4 starts. But I want to say that if you don’t suffer through the pain of part 3, how can you understand the sweetness that comes for Gu Mingxi and Pang Qian in the end?
I was suffering from a cold when I read the book. It was fun initially, to read something that isn't too complicated. But one third into the book, I was really bored with the repeating theme of the book: Gu Mingxi is the boy who is smart, tough, responsible and mature. Pang Liang is the girl who is kind but lazy, silly and clueless. The two characters have not changed a bit since the were 10 years old.
The book is also too sanitized with minimal reference to the times the story happened. Many historical events happened, with profound impact on people's lives. Not really to people in the book. Their main problem is their inter person relationship. This makes the story quite a bit shallower.
Still something worth reading if you are having a cold and couldn't focus on anything more serious.
What a beautiful story. A lot of time, a person with disability has a rough time living their life because of the society that think being disable are troublesome. Pang Xie never look Gu Mingxi with pitiful eye. They fell in love but life has its own turmoil. But in the end, they have their happy ending.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.