The Librarian's Husband's Book Club discussion

Share your reviews or post-reading thoughts about the February book selection, Yellowface.

Please make use of the spoilers function ([spoiler]...[/spoiler] but replace [] with <>) as appropriate to be sure we don't ruin parts of the book for others

Borrowed the audiobook From my library via Hoopla and I’ve begun listening!!

Oops- wrong thread.

4 stars

A little OTT and heavy handed, but unputdownable. What a crazy ride!

Post reading thoughts: I didn't find either Athena or June overly likable. I did enjoy June's spiral into more and more offenses and her often, and sadly believable, rabid sense of entitlement in her justifications for doing various things.

I can not believe this book has gotten so much grand publicity. The story was much more interesting in The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz. And the characters were better -- both books have the self-indulgent, self-focused main character. "O Lord, why me?" And the "I am innocent - did not do anything wrong" theme that beats us to death or so it seems. People steal all the time, sometimes it is just more convenient than other times. The Plot had better attending characters - the main character in this book has no friends, no boyfriend, no friends at the workplace. She was such a loner and I could not believe she was such an arrogant thief. I kept reading hoping for some difference from The Plot - nope. The Plot had a nuanced, almost justified ending - the ending of this one is blah! Hope for better next time. Don't bother. Go read The Plot which is much better. Same story. Rated 1 star on Goodreads.

Just finished, giving this 3 stars.

Here is my short review.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I finished today. Five Stars for me, although I understand why many of our group didn't care for it.

Here's my review . . . . .

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

4 stars for me.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Bonus---I now know what pandan is -- going to make pandan pancakes!

sorry guys
its a 1 star for me
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Sue wrote: "sorry guys
its a 1 star for me
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show..."

No need to be sorry. That's why there is a scale :)

Not that I want people to read books they don't like....but I also don't want books that only get a universal 5-star rating.

All reviews and thoughts are appreciated and valued---whether you loved a book or hated it.

My review

Yellowface elicited conflicting feelings from me. Particularly about the protagonist. June Hayward’s character is a fame-chasing racist with narcissistic tendencies. And yet, through much of the book, I was holding my breath wondering how she was going to find a way out of the hole she dug for herself. It speaks to Kaung’s narrative and story-telling prowess. Her ability to draw me in and get me invested in a cast full of unlikable characters is noteworthy. This story covers many themes: plagiarism, racism, cultural appropriation, fame, cyber bullying & the overconsumption of social media. But the one theme that really stuck with me is the topic of self-deception; the lies we tell ourselves and to what extent we’ll go to believe, reinforce, and protect them. I found it to be an intriguing character study.
In other reviews I read, it was mentioned that the topic of social media obsession and cyber bullying has been exhausted. I disagree. I don’t think it’s a tired topic, if purely for the fact that it’s so relevant. For me, it remains an interesting topic: our tangible world versus our virtual world, and the spaces where they blur together. And more importantly, what effect that has on the psyche.
In a nutshellshell: I was disappointed with the ending, but overall, enjoyed the book.

Still a 4 week wait at the library for this book.

I finally got this audiobook from the library and finished this afternoon while I’m stuck in Tampa airport.

The book was exhausting! The constant need for winning and attention, regardless of the effects to your life or the lives of others was over the top. The story made me feel filled with anxiety due to the constant spinning thoughts, although perhaps that was the point. I nearly quit listening to this many times but I wanted to learn how this woman would get caught in her lies.
The narrator was running a mile a minutes so that she lost track of where the end of the sentence was a several times. Her voice was laced with righteousness, which was right on for the main character, but I found her (June) to be a whiny, unlikable woman.

I gave it 3 stars overall.

John wrote: "Share your reviews or post-reading thoughts about the February book selection, Yellowface.

Please make use of the spoilers function ([spoiler]...[/spoiler] but replace [] with ) as..."

I am surprised about all the hype the book has received since I was not impressed with the writing. Additionally, I really worry about how easily young people today feel that stealing someone else's intellectual property is not a big deal. As a high school teacher I can tell you that cheating is rampant. Integrity and pride in one's work are values that have been lost.

Here is the link to my official review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Sounds like a good choice

i gave it three stars. Interesting story and very much not what I expected. It was kind of interesting to hear about this twisted tale of the publishing world. I was pulled in, but I don't know that I would reread the story. The protagonist was not likable. So the book did its job.