👶👶👶 The Girl Who Wrote in Silk, by Kelli Estes

It is with great ambivalence that I write this review. On the one hand, I was absolutely captivated by Mei Lein’s story set in the late 1800s. The characters were extraordinary and possessed great depth, and the entire novel could have easily focused on that rich history. I knew little of this shameful ethnic cleansing that took place on American soil, and would have appreciated learning even more about her particular circumstances. Perhaps an interwoven story about others with a similar fate, would have been more concordant with the salient history that was shared by the author.

On the other hand, I felt frustration each time the story alternated back to the current-day, because I honestly had little interest in Inara’s predictable situation. Each time Mei Lein re-entered the story, it was like catching up with an old friend; whereas, Inara’s current-day problems seemed vacuous, and paled in comparison. The quick romance was a true eye-roller, and this portion of the novel lacked believability, when sprinkled with so many instances of serendipity.

In summary, the historical aspects of the book were incredibly impactful, but the execution was mediocre.

Read 4/27/16