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There are currently 22 member reviews
for The Night Tiger
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Leia C. (Jacksonville, FL)
For fans of magical realism
I did not expect to be so entranced by this book. The variety of characters and the exotic setting, 1930's Malaya, was a positive aspect for me.
Books that draw me in to an unknown time and place are high on my list for readability.
The young orphaned Malay houseboy stole my heart immediately and I was impressed with the writer's ability to draw the disparate characters together by the end of the book.
The mystery aspect of the novel was intriguing and kept me involved until the very end.
I will probably recommend this book to others as unexpectedly good.
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Carole P. (Framingham, MA)
The Night Tiger
Even though I have finished the book, I find myself picking it up again and again. The writing is beautiful, the story line multi-layered , the main characters are richly developed. Each time I reread a section I find a new discovery. I initially requested Night Tiger because it sounded different from my regular reading. It was! You get romance, magical elements, threatening situations, mystery and paranormal. All blended together expertly. This is one of those few books that I wish was longer. Put this on your list of must reads !. It is an amazing book. The author said Night Tiger took her four years to write. That was time well-spent. Thank you!
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Judith S. (Binghamton, NY)
Enchanting
Yangsze Choo tells an enchanting story in The Night Tiger. Her writing is skillful, lyrical and exciting which is quite a feat. The reader sees, tastes, smells and feels Malaysia of the 1930's in a truly wonderful and entertaining way. There is a mystery throughout but the author's portrayal of the characters and Malaysia has a soothing kind of graceful cadence along with the fast moving mystery. The otherworldly aspects are a joy to read. The story is quite clear but the undertones and nuance of character development are enjoyably complex. Similar in an odd way to the writing of Louise Penny of Canada. Look forward to more from Ms. Choo. Lovely read!
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Alissa C. (Woodstown, NJ)
Such an interesting and different book
I want to begin by saying how much I enjoyed this novel! It surprised me just how much I liked it, because I don't typically read supernatural books. But this was so well-written, with such engaging characters and interesting twists, that I couldn't help but enjoy it.
It was interesting to learn about the five Chinese characteristics that make up a good, complete person- and how the characters in the novel embodied each of these virtues. I liked the idea of how certain numbers were considered either good or bad, based on how they sounded- whether one resembled the word for goodness, the number was lucky; resembling something bad, it was unlucky. So many interesting aspects in this novel!
I also just really found myself loving the main characters, Ji Lin and Ren, and liked how the author would alternate their chapters. I'm assuming Ji Lin was the main focus, since her chapters were written in first-person, and I wanted to see more of her story.
I'm so happy to have received this book, and look forward to more from this author- her style of writing was so enjoyable :)
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Kathryn S. (St. Helena Island, SC)
The Night Tiger
I love a novel that pulls me into an unfamiliar time period, geographical area and/or culture. This one did all of that! Malaya in the 1930s with its upstairs-downstairs mix of British colonials and native Chinese was new to me. The two main characters, Ren and Ji Lin, narrate alternate chapters, creating a colorful tapestry of Malayan life of that time. The British colonial culture is interwoven with Chinese culture - folklore, food, superstitions, Confucianism, family values. Against that backdrop an intricate mystery that begins with a quest plays out, complete with mysterious deaths, ghosts, forbidden love. A good read altogether.
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Mary Jane D. (Arlington Heights, IL)
Fascinating read
The Night Tiger would not normally appeal to my historical fiction interests but I'm glad I gave it a chance and liked it a lot. It is a period piece set in the 1930's Colonial Malaysia. It is a great tale with twins, missing fingers, mythological characters, a loyal houseboy, and unique forbidden love story. The chapters are noted by the location and date so made it easy to keep the story in perspective. The mysteries are slowly revealed and solved and everything was tied up at the end with the possibility of a sequel? If so I definitely would read it!
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Susan S. (Salida, CO)
Magical Realism in Malaysia in the '30's
The Night Tiger – even the title is intriguing! The death that begins the tale, and the introduction of Ren, a very resourceful 11 year old orphan, draws the reader instantly into the time, the mystery and the captivating possibilities of the coming 48 hours. In the next chapter, we meet Jin Li, the young woman who may help solve the conundrum or who will take us to far more inquiries. Careful research, interesting facts about Malaysia and Chinese, a convoluted path of exploration and a tidy drawing of the many strings of the story by the end, make this a very satisfying book. Enjoy the journey to the past, to the mystery and to the exotic.
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