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Fell behind on my #12booksof2024 !

I read this one with my book club to mixed reviews, but I loved this sister story set in Vietnam.

@Andrew65

Dust Child is a fictional story set in Vietnam told from 3 POVs & timelines: an Amerasian orphan dealing with racism & poverty as he makes his way in life, an American veteran dealing with PTSD from the war, & a young Vietnamese woman who moves to Saigon during the war. It‘s sad but the writing is excellent. It took me to Vietnam every day.
Read if you like sister stories or historical fiction.
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The author kindly commented on my IG post!

🇻🇳 I‘m reading Dust Child for book club.

💀 Photo taken downtown Phoenix on stormy Friday evening

✔️ author‘s name is in the wrong order on the tagged book

#alwaysbringabook

Set in Vietnam this centres those children. The children born to Vietnamese women and Americans soldiers.

This in my opinion is a successful dual timeline. One during the Viet Nam war and the interactions between local women and the soldiers. The second one 40 odd years after and those children (now adults) dealing with the consequences. I was equally invested in both timelines and both trotted along in a nice breezy pace.

Alternating betweenqq 1969 and 2016, author Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai explores, family, love, country, and how the past can alter our present. The new novel The Women is getting a lot of attention right now due to its Vietnam setting, and this novel really takes you into the heart of the conflict and how it affected the Vietnamese specifically. Deeply emotional and heart wrenching.

I loved The Mountains Sing just a little more than this one but this one was still love. The author really brings up many of the long lasting impacts of the Vietnam War. There are so many things happening: poverty, the increasing fighting & tactics used during the war, abandonment/adoption, racism, Vietnam‘s continuing struggles post war. So much to unpack but Nguyen weaves it into a seamless story to discuss the phenomenon of Dust Children.

4 out of 5

A very sad story again from my favourite author. A must read for everyone. The audiobook is àlso very well narrated. I am not good in writing reviews but I really want all of you to read this book once. You won't regret.

I loved The Mountains Sing and I loved this even more! This is about the children born as mixed to American GIs and left behind during the Vietnam war. Dan revisits Vietnam in hope of finding his abandoned child and girlfriend. Phong, who has faced a lot of prejudice due to his mixed heritage desperately in search for his father and Trang , a girl who makes difficult decisions due to poverty has her life changed forever.. beautiful read!

Five stars, read this book now. Based on the children left behind from American GIs during the Vietnam War. The children, called bui doi, the dust of life, who were left behind after a terrible war that affected everyone.

I really enjoyed this novel- told across multiple perspectives & time frames, the focus here is on Việt Nam both past & present. In 2016, Dan travels back to try to find the girlfriend & child he abandoned. Meanwhile, Phong, abandoned at birth presumably because of his mixed heritage, tries to find the American father who may not know he exists. In the 1969 timeline, Trang & her sister move from the countryside to the city. Emotional & engaging!

My beautiful copy of Dust Child was just delivered.Another rainy day perfect to stay in and read.

Happy Publication Day to this beautifully written novel.📚❤️

Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai has given the world another beautifully written book. The juxtaposition of the gentle Vietnamese people against the savagery of war shreds my heart and soul. Even though surrounded by violence, respectfulness, and gentleness could still be found among the people of Vietnam.

Set in Vietnam in both 1969 and 2016, this beautiful novel deals with the effects of the war on civilians, veterans and the many Amerasian children fathered by American soldiers. The author has done a wonderful job of illustrating the life of poverty and prejudice these children faced. It is a story of resilience and survival and like the best historical fiction left me with more knowledge while still being a great story. I really enjoyed it. 4/5

Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai has given the world another beautifully written book. The juxtaposition of the gentle Vietnamese people against the savagery of war shreds my heart and soul. Even though surrounded by violence, respectfulness, and gentleness could still be found among the people of Vietnam.