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Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Crazy Rich Asians (2018) in Movies
Jul 2, 2019
Crazy Rich Asians, Kevin Kwan’s romantic comedy has been delivered to the theaters with all of the glamour and glitz portrayed in the bestselling novel. This film features an all Asian Cast, a rarity, since the last American studio film to feature that was Joy Luck Club 25 years ago. This movie marks the first time Asians are cast as leads in a romantic comedy.
Rachel Chu’s (Constance Wu) journey to meet her boyfriend Nick Young’s (Henry Golding) family could be a bit of a fish out of water tale. Rachel is the daughter of a Chinese single mother who immigrated to America. Being an economics professor at NYU, is pretty prestigious accomplishment and Rachel loves what she does. She has been seeing Nick for over a year. He has his best friend’s wedding in Singapore and suggests that Rachel comes along to meet his friends and family.
Nick is from a well off family, a subject that he had never mentioned before. The first thing that tips her off is the treatment that they receive on the plane. When Rachel finds out that his family is well off, it does not change their relationship. However, she still does not realize how extensive the family finances are and is definitely not aware of the social status of the Youngs.
Singapore in all of its crisp and elegant beauty is a character in itself. We are taken to the many sites on the island as it is shown to Rachel. From the moment the couple arrive, they are met at the airport by Colin Khoo (Chris Pang), Nick’s best friend the groom and Araminta Lee (Sonoya Mizuno) the bride. They are taken to one of the Hawker’s Centre full of stalls, each specializing in a handful of dishes, some with a Michelin Star. We see an incredible smorgasbord in a quick cut of food porn. Nothing in Rachel’s first taste of town indicates the opulence that is to come.
Rachel goes to see Piek Goh(Awkwafina), her roommate during college. The Goh family is “new wealth” and we see the gilded display throughout to the point of excess. We meet Piek’s parents , Neenah (Chieng Mun Koh) and Wye Mun (Ken Jeong, bringing his brand of weird, creepy and awkward as Piek’s dad). The Gohs welcome Rachel with such warmth and treats her like family. This is where she learns how affluent and respected the Young’s are in Singapore. Piek takes it upon herself to provide her best friend with a fabulous suit of armor and education in order to survive the introduction to the world of the Youngs.
Meeting the Youngs is comparable to being introduced to the Royal Family of Singapore and Rachel was not aware of the social graces that are expected in the circles of the crazy rich. You can see that she is not accustomed to the superabundance that she is witnesses and is a little overwhelmed in trying to adapt. As Nick introduces her to his mother Eleanor (Michelle Yeoh), Rachel immediately gleams that his mother does not like her. Thus begins the power play between them. Eleanor doesn’t think that Rachel is an appropriate candidate to be the future Mrs. Young and Rachel wants to be accepted as she is and now feels the need to prove that she is good enough for Nick.
The only member of Nick’s family that Rachel has met is Astrid Young Teo (Gemma Chan) his cousin. If Eleanor is the Queen, then Astrid is the princess. She doesn’t walk, she glides. The societal cognoscenti hold her in high esteem. The women want to have her style and the men want to have her. With all the grace and beauty, she reigns in the land of the crazy rich. Rachel liked her some much that she says Astrid is who she wants to be when she grows up. Those who think that her life golden, is unaware that she has her own problems.
We are introduced to the wedding party and the extensive lavishness of the super rich of Asia. It may seem ridiculous and an exaggeration, but the lifestyle of the crazy rich and Asian is based on reality. As Rachel carefully steps through the social landmines that have appeared, she becomes more confident in her own ability and recognizes the game and how to play it.
I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, I wanted to see it again to catch all the things that I did not soak in from the first viewing. The story has a great balance of comedy and drama with Ken Jeong and Awkwafina gifting us with hilarious one liners and Constance Wu playing the confident woman learning how to find her footing. Henry Golding does exceptionally well on his first ever feature film, playing the man who has found love outside of the world of the Crazy Rich Asians.
This is an excellent romantic comedy that is served on a golden platter. Jon M. Chu has delivered a wonderfully delicious story that deserve to be watched over and over again. If you are a fan of the romantic comedy genre, take the time with this gem of a movie.
Rachel Chu’s (Constance Wu) journey to meet her boyfriend Nick Young’s (Henry Golding) family could be a bit of a fish out of water tale. Rachel is the daughter of a Chinese single mother who immigrated to America. Being an economics professor at NYU, is pretty prestigious accomplishment and Rachel loves what she does. She has been seeing Nick for over a year. He has his best friend’s wedding in Singapore and suggests that Rachel comes along to meet his friends and family.
Nick is from a well off family, a subject that he had never mentioned before. The first thing that tips her off is the treatment that they receive on the plane. When Rachel finds out that his family is well off, it does not change their relationship. However, she still does not realize how extensive the family finances are and is definitely not aware of the social status of the Youngs.
Singapore in all of its crisp and elegant beauty is a character in itself. We are taken to the many sites on the island as it is shown to Rachel. From the moment the couple arrive, they are met at the airport by Colin Khoo (Chris Pang), Nick’s best friend the groom and Araminta Lee (Sonoya Mizuno) the bride. They are taken to one of the Hawker’s Centre full of stalls, each specializing in a handful of dishes, some with a Michelin Star. We see an incredible smorgasbord in a quick cut of food porn. Nothing in Rachel’s first taste of town indicates the opulence that is to come.
Rachel goes to see Piek Goh(Awkwafina), her roommate during college. The Goh family is “new wealth” and we see the gilded display throughout to the point of excess. We meet Piek’s parents , Neenah (Chieng Mun Koh) and Wye Mun (Ken Jeong, bringing his brand of weird, creepy and awkward as Piek’s dad). The Gohs welcome Rachel with such warmth and treats her like family. This is where she learns how affluent and respected the Young’s are in Singapore. Piek takes it upon herself to provide her best friend with a fabulous suit of armor and education in order to survive the introduction to the world of the Youngs.
Meeting the Youngs is comparable to being introduced to the Royal Family of Singapore and Rachel was not aware of the social graces that are expected in the circles of the crazy rich. You can see that she is not accustomed to the superabundance that she is witnesses and is a little overwhelmed in trying to adapt. As Nick introduces her to his mother Eleanor (Michelle Yeoh), Rachel immediately gleams that his mother does not like her. Thus begins the power play between them. Eleanor doesn’t think that Rachel is an appropriate candidate to be the future Mrs. Young and Rachel wants to be accepted as she is and now feels the need to prove that she is good enough for Nick.
The only member of Nick’s family that Rachel has met is Astrid Young Teo (Gemma Chan) his cousin. If Eleanor is the Queen, then Astrid is the princess. She doesn’t walk, she glides. The societal cognoscenti hold her in high esteem. The women want to have her style and the men want to have her. With all the grace and beauty, she reigns in the land of the crazy rich. Rachel liked her some much that she says Astrid is who she wants to be when she grows up. Those who think that her life golden, is unaware that she has her own problems.
We are introduced to the wedding party and the extensive lavishness of the super rich of Asia. It may seem ridiculous and an exaggeration, but the lifestyle of the crazy rich and Asian is based on reality. As Rachel carefully steps through the social landmines that have appeared, she becomes more confident in her own ability and recognizes the game and how to play it.
I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, I wanted to see it again to catch all the things that I did not soak in from the first viewing. The story has a great balance of comedy and drama with Ken Jeong and Awkwafina gifting us with hilarious one liners and Constance Wu playing the confident woman learning how to find her footing. Henry Golding does exceptionally well on his first ever feature film, playing the man who has found love outside of the world of the Crazy Rich Asians.
This is an excellent romantic comedy that is served on a golden platter. Jon M. Chu has delivered a wonderfully delicious story that deserve to be watched over and over again. If you are a fan of the romantic comedy genre, take the time with this gem of a movie.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Big Hero 6 (2014) in Movies
Jun 19, 2019
Mixing Anime with the cutting edge animation that Disney is famous for, “Big Hero 6” is the latest offering from the studio legendary for animated classics.
The film is sent in a near-future San Francisco which is now known as San Fransokyo and follows a boy genius named Hiro (Ryan Potter) who along with his older brother Tadashi (Daniel Henney) lives with his Aunt after being orphaned.
Hiro is very good at designing fighting robots and despite it being illegal; he has managed to earn himself some nice money winning fights on the underground circuit.
His brother wants him to do better and takes him to his college, and encourages him to enroll and follow him and his friends in helping build a better tomorrow.
Hiro opts to enter a technology showcase and blows away the competition which ensures him a place in the school and working with his brother and his team.
At the moment of his greatest triumph, tragedy strikes and Hiro finds himself in deep depression and unwilling to enter school and complete his education. When a freak discovery leads Hiro to learn that his invention has been stolen by a mysterious figure in a Kabuki mask, Hiro must use his knowledge along with Baymax (Scott Adsit), a medical robot designed by his brother to save the day.
Hiro is not without help as aside from complex fighting and flight tools and armor added to Baymax, Hiro enlists and equips his brother’s friends to form an elite fighting unit.
As the team gets closer to the mystery the danger grows, and Hiro must grow beyond his years to do what is right and learn some hard life lessons in the process.
The film is a bit slow to start and parents will want to note the PG rating as it may be a bit dark and intense for younger viewers.
Old viewers may get a bit impatient with the setup but after the first 45 minutes the film gets down to great characters and action which are the selling points of the film.
It was very clear to me that Disney was aiming the film mainly to the Asian markets and to fans of anime but I found the characters growing on me as it went along and I really enjoyed the 3D animation which was wonderful to behold.
In the end it was a pleasant enough introduction to what I hope is the first of many films in the series. Eagle eyed viewers will want to look carefully for a Stan Lee cameo as it is one to enjoy as is this charming new franchise film from Disney.
http://sknr.net/2014/11/07/big-hero-6/
The film is sent in a near-future San Francisco which is now known as San Fransokyo and follows a boy genius named Hiro (Ryan Potter) who along with his older brother Tadashi (Daniel Henney) lives with his Aunt after being orphaned.
Hiro is very good at designing fighting robots and despite it being illegal; he has managed to earn himself some nice money winning fights on the underground circuit.
His brother wants him to do better and takes him to his college, and encourages him to enroll and follow him and his friends in helping build a better tomorrow.
Hiro opts to enter a technology showcase and blows away the competition which ensures him a place in the school and working with his brother and his team.
At the moment of his greatest triumph, tragedy strikes and Hiro finds himself in deep depression and unwilling to enter school and complete his education. When a freak discovery leads Hiro to learn that his invention has been stolen by a mysterious figure in a Kabuki mask, Hiro must use his knowledge along with Baymax (Scott Adsit), a medical robot designed by his brother to save the day.
Hiro is not without help as aside from complex fighting and flight tools and armor added to Baymax, Hiro enlists and equips his brother’s friends to form an elite fighting unit.
As the team gets closer to the mystery the danger grows, and Hiro must grow beyond his years to do what is right and learn some hard life lessons in the process.
The film is a bit slow to start and parents will want to note the PG rating as it may be a bit dark and intense for younger viewers.
Old viewers may get a bit impatient with the setup but after the first 45 minutes the film gets down to great characters and action which are the selling points of the film.
It was very clear to me that Disney was aiming the film mainly to the Asian markets and to fans of anime but I found the characters growing on me as it went along and I really enjoyed the 3D animation which was wonderful to behold.
In the end it was a pleasant enough introduction to what I hope is the first of many films in the series. Eagle eyed viewers will want to look carefully for a Stan Lee cameo as it is one to enjoy as is this charming new franchise film from Disney.
http://sknr.net/2014/11/07/big-hero-6/
Ivana A. | Diary of Difference (1171 KP) rated Sarong Party Girls in Books
Feb 3, 2020
<a href="https://diaryofdifference.com/">Blog</a>; | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/diaryofdifference/">Facebook</a>; | <a href="https://twitter.com/DiaryDifference">Twitter</a>; | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/diaryofdifference/">Instagram</a>; | <a href="https://www.pinterest.co.uk/diaryofdifference/pins/">Pinterest</a>;
<img src="https://diaryofdifference.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Book-Review-Banner-1.png"/>;
<b>A quick Chick-Lit, written in Singlish, an English-based patois that Singaporeans speak to each other. It was interesting and unique, and given the fact that I haven’t read anything like this before, I genuinely enjoyed the writing. This is my first book from Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan.
Our main heroine in this book is Jazzy, a 27-year-old, born and living in Singapore. In her mind, she is getting old and her time to get married is running out. </b>
But Jazzy doesn’t want to just marry anyone, especially not the Asian boys she keeps seeing in the clubs, or the ones that are so traditional and bring her mum soup in the mornings. She wants to marry an English Man, become rich, move abroad and have his babies.
To achieve this, Jazzy and her friends make a deal to start going into clubs and places and meet their perfect English men. They become Sarong Party Girls, and from chapter to chapter we read about new adventures and troubles that Jazzy gets herself into.
This book is unique in many ways, there are a lot of immoral scenes that teach us moral lessons. There is so much culture in this book and it’s nice to see how people tolerate moral levels differently in another part of the world.
I didn’t like Jazzy, and I didn’t agree with almost anything she was doing. From chapter to chapter she kept making stupid decisions, and even though she learnt a little bit in the end, she was still clueless at so many things, which I find annoying.
As much as I loved the refreshing taste of culture this book gave me, I also didn’t enjoy the main character at all, and am struggling to give it anything more than three stars.
<b><i>It is an amazing book, with quality writing that I am sure represents Singaporeans well, culture a plenty and many scenes that trigger discussions. But if you are looking for your perfect character, you won’t find this is Jazzy. You won’t find it in Sarong Party Girls. </i></b>
Thank you to ReadersFirst and Allen & Unwin for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
<a href="https://diaryofdifference.com/">Blog</a>; | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/diaryofdifference/">Facebook</a>; | <a href="https://twitter.com/DiaryDifference">Twitter</a>; | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/diaryofdifference/">Instagram</a>; | <a href="https://www.pinterest.co.uk/diaryofdifference/pins/">Pinterest</a>;
<img src="https://diaryofdifference.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Book-Review-Banner-1.png"/>;
<b>A quick Chick-Lit, written in Singlish, an English-based patois that Singaporeans speak to each other. It was interesting and unique, and given the fact that I haven’t read anything like this before, I genuinely enjoyed the writing. This is my first book from Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan.
Our main heroine in this book is Jazzy, a 27-year-old, born and living in Singapore. In her mind, she is getting old and her time to get married is running out. </b>
But Jazzy doesn’t want to just marry anyone, especially not the Asian boys she keeps seeing in the clubs, or the ones that are so traditional and bring her mum soup in the mornings. She wants to marry an English Man, become rich, move abroad and have his babies.
To achieve this, Jazzy and her friends make a deal to start going into clubs and places and meet their perfect English men. They become Sarong Party Girls, and from chapter to chapter we read about new adventures and troubles that Jazzy gets herself into.
This book is unique in many ways, there are a lot of immoral scenes that teach us moral lessons. There is so much culture in this book and it’s nice to see how people tolerate moral levels differently in another part of the world.
I didn’t like Jazzy, and I didn’t agree with almost anything she was doing. From chapter to chapter she kept making stupid decisions, and even though she learnt a little bit in the end, she was still clueless at so many things, which I find annoying.
As much as I loved the refreshing taste of culture this book gave me, I also didn’t enjoy the main character at all, and am struggling to give it anything more than three stars.
<b><i>It is an amazing book, with quality writing that I am sure represents Singaporeans well, culture a plenty and many scenes that trigger discussions. But if you are looking for your perfect character, you won’t find this is Jazzy. You won’t find it in Sarong Party Girls. </i></b>
Thank you to ReadersFirst and Allen & Unwin for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
<a href="https://diaryofdifference.com/">Blog</a>; | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/diaryofdifference/">Facebook</a>; | <a href="https://twitter.com/DiaryDifference">Twitter</a>; | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/diaryofdifference/">Instagram</a>; | <a href="https://www.pinterest.co.uk/diaryofdifference/pins/">Pinterest</a>;
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Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated Indigo Incite (Indigo Trilogy, #1) in Books
Jan 23, 2020
Well, in a few words, Indigo Incite was quite the snooze fest. It has an interesting premise, yes, but quite DULL. There's nothing much going on. Nothing!
It started out interesting, of course, with all those seriously cool powers but over the course of the book, there really was nothing going on. I was really just hoping it would slowly build up and end with a good pow.
It honestly didn't. It was like Nikita in walking through very deep snow motion, and I actually like Nikita. It's certainly not as interesting as Grimm though. I'm not even surprised by the end. It's obvious and doesn't exactly take brains to figure out the most logical answer.
Then again, I could be surprised by the second book, but I'm pretty sure I won't be surprised. I probably won't be surprised on what may happen at the end of the trilogy either, but that's yet to be seen. *doesn't really plan on reading further on the series unless things spice up a notch in action*
<blockquote>A few different people some good, some not so good. Do you have time to talk? My name is Sarah, by the way.</blockquote>
Essentially it's a repeat of "Hi, I'm so and so. Can we talk?" in a different style. I stress SLOW. Too much talking. Less talking, more action. I have a semi-short attention span and I have other books on my review queue to read that are most likely more interesting than a bunch of dialogue. >_<
Let me backtrack a little. Indigo Incite isn't full of dialogue, but it simply felt like it's all talk and no action, if you know what I mean?
Maybe it's the random commas that just felt really out of place. I really thought that was the main reason for the slow going of things. I eventually ignored them, but still... nothing interesting going on. Zzzzz. *yawns*
<blockquote>Come on, boys. Henry waved the gun toward the door. Lets walk. First, Ill take that disc off your hands.</blockquote>
What happens next? ATTENTION: SPOILER ALERT! Hellooo, the police barge in. -_-
Typical bad guy gets caught by the authorities and real life stuffy. -_-
I thought Tyler and Toby would go all Jackie Chan on Henry and things will finally have some SPICE. I adore spices. Particularly cinnamon and does gingerbread marshmallows count? It contains ginger and they're delicious. Quite cheap right after Christmas too. I don't mean those Asian herbs that look like alien fingers, though for all I know they're the same thing. :D
--------------------
Review copy provided by author for review on the blog tour
Original Rating: 2.5 out of 5 Owls
Formatting has been removed due to copy and paste
This review and more can be found at <a href="http://bookwyrming-thoughts.blogspot.com/2014/01/review-indigo-incite-by-jacinda-buchmann.html">Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
<img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Gi5Rk5yLloA/UtliaUbdL3I/AAAAAAAACbE/J27z92_qrYU/s1600/Official+Banner.png"; />
It started out interesting, of course, with all those seriously cool powers but over the course of the book, there really was nothing going on. I was really just hoping it would slowly build up and end with a good pow.
It honestly didn't. It was like Nikita in walking through very deep snow motion, and I actually like Nikita. It's certainly not as interesting as Grimm though. I'm not even surprised by the end. It's obvious and doesn't exactly take brains to figure out the most logical answer.
Then again, I could be surprised by the second book, but I'm pretty sure I won't be surprised. I probably won't be surprised on what may happen at the end of the trilogy either, but that's yet to be seen. *doesn't really plan on reading further on the series unless things spice up a notch in action*
<blockquote>A few different people some good, some not so good. Do you have time to talk? My name is Sarah, by the way.</blockquote>
Essentially it's a repeat of "Hi, I'm so and so. Can we talk?" in a different style. I stress SLOW. Too much talking. Less talking, more action. I have a semi-short attention span and I have other books on my review queue to read that are most likely more interesting than a bunch of dialogue. >_<
Let me backtrack a little. Indigo Incite isn't full of dialogue, but it simply felt like it's all talk and no action, if you know what I mean?
Maybe it's the random commas that just felt really out of place. I really thought that was the main reason for the slow going of things. I eventually ignored them, but still... nothing interesting going on. Zzzzz. *yawns*
<blockquote>Come on, boys. Henry waved the gun toward the door. Lets walk. First, Ill take that disc off your hands.</blockquote>
What happens next? ATTENTION: SPOILER ALERT! Hellooo, the police barge in. -_-
Typical bad guy gets caught by the authorities and real life stuffy. -_-
I thought Tyler and Toby would go all Jackie Chan on Henry and things will finally have some SPICE. I adore spices. Particularly cinnamon and does gingerbread marshmallows count? It contains ginger and they're delicious. Quite cheap right after Christmas too. I don't mean those Asian herbs that look like alien fingers, though for all I know they're the same thing. :D
--------------------
Review copy provided by author for review on the blog tour
Original Rating: 2.5 out of 5 Owls
Formatting has been removed due to copy and paste
This review and more can be found at <a href="http://bookwyrming-thoughts.blogspot.com/2014/01/review-indigo-incite-by-jacinda-buchmann.html">Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
<img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Gi5Rk5yLloA/UtliaUbdL3I/AAAAAAAACbE/J27z92_qrYU/s1600/Official+Banner.png"; />
Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated American Panda in Books
Jan 23, 2020
<h2><em><strong>American Panda</strong></em><strong> is one of the books I needed my entire life.</strong></h2>
Gloria Chao's debut novel is about Mei, a Chinese-American teen who has no desire to be the doctor her parents want and a crush on a boy who wouldn't get a parental stamp of approval. Her older brother, Xing, is disowned by the family for falling in love with the wrong person, and a few meetups with him to reconnect makes her question the traditions she grew up with.
<h3><strong>I related to Mei so, so much.</strong></h3>
95% of the time growing up and now I feel like I'm alone in my experiences - <em><strong>American Panda</strong></em><strong> reminded me that I'm not alone. At all.</strong> There are other people like me who go through relatively similar experiences! 😭😭😭 (Honestly, I want to cry happy tears the entire time reading.)
And while my experiences aren't the same as Mei, it hit close to my heart with her struggles to choose between fulfilling her parents' dreams and what her heart wants. This is something I continue to struggle with, along with balancing two different cultures.
<h3><strong>Cute, adorable, hilarious.</strong></h3>
On top of relating to virtually every page, paragraph and line in the novel, there's a cute and adorable romance! I loved reading the moments between Darren and Mei.
But while <em>American Panda</em> is all three of those traits, it can also be really heavy and emotional later on as Mei is having an internal struggle with herself, and eventually external with her family members. <strong>If you are expecting a fluffy contemporary read when going into this novel, you will find yourself a little disappointed.</strong>
<h3><strong>But sometimes it wasn't funny.</strong></h3>
There were a few moments in the book where I felt the novel was not funny - most of that occurred near the end. While I understand the approach was meant to be comedic, I felt like it played into the Asian stereotypes a little too much. It also felt like Chao was trying too hard (and maybe that was intentional?) with some of those scenes. At the same time though, most of the stereotypes I feel were handled well by Chao. Again, I'm only one Chinese-American - my experiences compared to another will be different.
<h2><strong>Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed <em>American Panda</em> and how it deals with the struggles of Chinese-American teens growing up.</strong></h2>
While this specifically deals with one Chinese-American experience (and as noted by the author, Mei's experience is taken from many backgrounds and fictionalized), I think a lot of teens will relate to the book in other ways.
<a href="http://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/american-panda-by-gloria-chao/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
Gloria Chao's debut novel is about Mei, a Chinese-American teen who has no desire to be the doctor her parents want and a crush on a boy who wouldn't get a parental stamp of approval. Her older brother, Xing, is disowned by the family for falling in love with the wrong person, and a few meetups with him to reconnect makes her question the traditions she grew up with.
<h3><strong>I related to Mei so, so much.</strong></h3>
95% of the time growing up and now I feel like I'm alone in my experiences - <em><strong>American Panda</strong></em><strong> reminded me that I'm not alone. At all.</strong> There are other people like me who go through relatively similar experiences! 😭😭😭 (Honestly, I want to cry happy tears the entire time reading.)
And while my experiences aren't the same as Mei, it hit close to my heart with her struggles to choose between fulfilling her parents' dreams and what her heart wants. This is something I continue to struggle with, along with balancing two different cultures.
<h3><strong>Cute, adorable, hilarious.</strong></h3>
On top of relating to virtually every page, paragraph and line in the novel, there's a cute and adorable romance! I loved reading the moments between Darren and Mei.
But while <em>American Panda</em> is all three of those traits, it can also be really heavy and emotional later on as Mei is having an internal struggle with herself, and eventually external with her family members. <strong>If you are expecting a fluffy contemporary read when going into this novel, you will find yourself a little disappointed.</strong>
<h3><strong>But sometimes it wasn't funny.</strong></h3>
There were a few moments in the book where I felt the novel was not funny - most of that occurred near the end. While I understand the approach was meant to be comedic, I felt like it played into the Asian stereotypes a little too much. It also felt like Chao was trying too hard (and maybe that was intentional?) with some of those scenes. At the same time though, most of the stereotypes I feel were handled well by Chao. Again, I'm only one Chinese-American - my experiences compared to another will be different.
<h2><strong>Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed <em>American Panda</em> and how it deals with the struggles of Chinese-American teens growing up.</strong></h2>
While this specifically deals with one Chinese-American experience (and as noted by the author, Mei's experience is taken from many backgrounds and fictionalized), I think a lot of teens will relate to the book in other ways.
<a href="http://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/american-panda-by-gloria-chao/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
Singapore Marco Polo Pocket Guide
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Marco Polo Singapore: the Travel Guide with Insider Tips. Fully revised and updated for 2017. Now...