Mountains Sing (Nguyen) - Book Reviews

Book Reviews
A luminous, complex family narrative…. The Mountains Sing affirms the individual's right to think, read, and act according to a code of intuitive civility, borne out of Vietnam's fertile and compassionate cultural heritage.
NPR


The Mountains Sing is a mult-igenerational epic about a family torn apart by war and the efforts of its various members to survive. It is also the missing narrative of the American War in Vietnam…. Nguyen’s poetic descriptions and deep affection for her characters allow the reader to feel for the Tran family’s many vicissitudes.
Minneapolis Star-Tribune


An historical novel that portrays Vietnamese strength in the face of adversity…. I came away at the end of the book with a new appreciation for the courage and resourcefulness of the Vietnamese.
Washington Independent Review of Books


(Starred review) [L]yrical, sweeping debut novel chronicles the Tran family through a century of war and renewal.… Nguyen brilliantly explores… what a writer shares with the world and what remains between family. [A] brilliant, unsparing love letter to Vietnam….
Publishers Weekly


(Starred review) An engrossing story of family, adversity, war, loss, and triumph…. Recalling Min Jin Lee and Lisa See, Nguyen displays a lush and captivating storyteller’s gift as she effortlessly transports readers to another world, leaving them wishing for more.
Library Journal


Balances the unrelenting devastation of war with redemptive moments of surprising humanity.
Booklist


(Starred review) A sweeping tale of one family's shifting fortunes in Vietnam across half a century…. For all the loss Nguyen depicts, though, her story is invitingly and gracefully told…. A richly imagined story of severed bonds amid conflict.
Kirkus Reviews