Ratings1
Average rating3
This book didn't live up to my expectations. The narrative felt slow-paced and wasn't a magical story I had expected. It felt too slow-paced and the plot was too simple. After finishing the book I was left with a feeling that it still made no sense to me.
I enjoyed the setting. I liked learning about Burma and it's history. Sendker manages a very realistic description of the third-world country, the poverty, the superstitious peasants inhabiting it. What sets this novel apart is that the people in the story are good-natured. You don't have to cringe with every new page. The protagonist faces hardships, but people around him are caring and helpful, there is an air of love.
At the same time I felt like some of the characters were too good, like they were not even human. As if by behaving in such an impeccable way they cast a shadow on the rest of us who are mere sinful humans.