Wendy Law-Yone

The ending worked, but so much of the book felt like a long, brutal series of horrible things happening to the lead character--the plot wasn't strong enough for me and I didn't think the characters felt real. Beautifully written, though.

Incorporating much of recent Myanmar history, the novel was a good one....right up to the final few pages. Did not much care for the dangling nature of the conclusion, but the storyline and technique were good/excellent.

So glad to reach the last page
Bysally tarboxTOP 500 REVIEWERon 18 March 2014
Format: Paperback
I thought this would be a gripping read given the subject matter: young girl from the 'Wild Lu' tribe of Burma is sold to cruel village headman and thence to living with a nice Western family before ending up enslaved in the brothels of Thailand.Then she meets the enigmatic Will...
Could have made for a thrilling read, but was a struggle to finish it. The heroine, Na Ga, didn't resonate with me at all show more - I felt I should care about her, but I just didn't. And Will seemed such a worthless, unemotional character (who was never explained - why did he want Na Ga to live with him?) that it seemed a good thing when their liaison came to an end.
Not a recommended read! show less

The ending worked, but so much of the book felt like a long, brutal series of horrible things happening to the lead character--the plot wasn't strong enough for me and I didn't think the characters felt real. Beautifully written, though.