The Flower Net

Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable but not excellent
Review: Having spent some time in the PRC (People's Republic of China) I felt very much like I was there once again. However, as a murder-mystery novel, it fell down. There were too many places where the characters jumped to rash judgements, acted too confidently, or over-reacted. Each time I said to myself, "No, don't do that! I hope the outcome isn't what I expect..." but the outcomes were always as I expected. I guessed the truly guilty people within a few chapters, although I confess that I was thrown off track a few times. Also, I think Ms. See should learn more about how detectives do their work, specifically in terms of how much information they typically need to get before they arrest someone. Having said all this, however, I should say that it is a good book, and it does redeem itself in the end.

Rating:
Summary: Great fun read that tweaks the mystery genre
Review: I have read very few mystery novels (mostly Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot tales as a child) and I was delighted and surprised to discover Flower Net. To have a woman take the typical "male role"--stoic and yet vulnerable at times is refreshing. To then have that woman be a Chinese woman is even more revolutionary in the context of detective novels (at least from what I know about that genre). Not ever having traveled to China, I'm not sure about the accuracy about See's details in that regard. (see other Amazon customers' reviews) However, as an Angeleno, I found her research and details to be incredibly accurate: small things like the US attorney's office being on the 13th floor, etc.

I hope that Lisa See writes many more books, including a sequel to Flower Net.

Rating:
Summary: Mixing old world traditions with new world freedoms
Review: Inspector Liu Hulan of the Chinese Ministry of Public Security investigates the murder of the son of the U. S. Ambassador. At the same time, Assistant U. S. Attorney David Stark is searching for the murderer of the son of an influental and powerful Chinese businessman. Shortly thereafter, the two former business associates and lovers are reuinited by their respective governments in a joint effort designed to fail. Lisa See has done a marvelous job of depicting the heavily instilled traditions and repressions in a China that is struggling to incorporate the benefits of the modern world. Her writing tone changes to match the mood of life in China and then the frenzied pace of freedom in Los Angeles. Even the contrast of life in ethnic Chinese areas within Los Angeles is eye-opening. The reader is easily swallowed into the places and activities of each chapter. Thoroughly enjoyable.

Rating:
Summary: Unique Thriller
Review: It took me FOREVER to get into Lisa See's book "Flower Net". It seems like the book just sat on my nightstand for 3 weeks with the bookmark protruding from the creases of Chapter One. And then when I actually made an effort to read the book, it was finished in a day.

Lisa See has succeeded in creating a unique and gripping thriller. When the son of a American Ambassador and the son of one of Beijing's political elite both turn up dead under mysterious circumstances, U.S. Attorney David Stark is reunited with an old flame, Liu Hulan, to solve the case. Following leads, the case unravels a trail of clues from China to the United States, leaving David and Hulan to find the connection.

Lisa See has developed a very intriguing read, especially to people interested in Chinese culture. I did struggle in a few parts, making me wish that I had more solid knowledge of Chinese History. It was a relief for me at the end of "Flower Net" when I discovered that most of my confusion (in reference to historical facts) had been resolved. I found See's inclusion of Chinese Herbal Medicine to be especially interesting. I do agree with some of the reviewers that some of the plot twists seemed very forced or convenient (and yet somehow you could still see them coming a mile away).

My least favorite part about this book are the characters. It seemes to me that the background characters in "Flower Net" were more interesting and appealing than David Stark and Liu Hulan were. In fact, I found both the main characters to be dreadfully dull and pretty one-dimensional.

I would recommend this book as a quick weekend read for fans of thrillers and especially to anyone interested in Chinese history and culture. Aside from that, I think it might make an interesting movie, and I enjoyed "Flower Net" enough to convince myself to check out the sequel.

Hope this helps! :)

Rating:
Summary: A superbly crafted mystery
Review: On a January morning in Beijing, a child skating on a frozen lake finds the corpse of a white man under the ice. Liu Hulan, a female detective, is assigned to head what will be a delicate investigation, for the murder victim is the son of the American Ambassador. Thousands of miles away, David Stark, an assistant U.S. attorney, boards the China Peony, a barely seaworthy freighter carrying hundreds of illegal immigrants to America. On board he finds the badly decomposed body of a "Red Prince", the son of one of China's top officials. The murders appear to be unconnected until rare plant fibers are found coating the respiratory tracts of both victims and the Chinese and Americans agree to work together. The Flower Net is a superbly crafted mystery and in this full-length, thirteen hour, unabridged, audio cassette format with flawless production values and a wonderfully gifted narrator, offers the listener a true "theatre of the mind" experience.

Rating:
Summary: Lightweight, but might make a good movie
Review: This is basically a police procedural which spans the globe between China and the U.S. There's a female Chinese investigator and an American district attorney and predictable international intrigue and romance. The book is lightweight and simple and would make a good movie that would have a familiar ring. I've seen this story before, over and over again. But yet had few relaxing hours with it.

Rating:
Summary: Unusual setting and interesting heroine
Review: Those who read mysteries by the dozen can get pretty bored with the same old settings, stereotypical investigators and cookie-cutter crooks. The main virtue of "The Flower Net" is a nice change of pace on all three counts. Despite the opening of China, it's still a pretty rare setting for fiction, mystery fiction in particular. Likewise, the featuring of a female Chinese investigator was refreshing in concept. Even better is that she's a nicely complicated yet empathetic protagonist. Her American counterpart, David, isn't nearly as interesting. While the villians aren't surprising in the long haul, they aren't just the usual Triad types either.

If the book has a weakness, it's the revived romance between Liu and David. It seemed irrelevant to be crime solving and not very interesting.

This review is based on the six-hour abridged tape version. I found that the plot followed pretty well. The narrator, an American-Chinese woman was a mixed blessing. Certainly there were aspects of the story where her underlying speach patterns were perfect but sometimes her tone was a bit awkward.

Bottom-line: A nice change of pace from mysteries set in the US or England. Not great literature but I learned some new things and like Liu enough to want to read a sequel.

Rating:
Summary: Unusual setting and interesting heroine
Review: Those who read mysteries by the dozen can get pretty bored with the same old settings, stereotypical investigators and cookie-cutter crooks. The main virtue of "The Flower Net" is a nice change of pace on all three counts. Despite the opening of China, it's still a pretty rare setting for fiction, mystery fiction in particular. Likewise, the featuring of a female Chinese investigator was refreshing in concept. Even better is that she's a nicely complicated yet empathetic protagonist. Her American counterpart, David, isn't nearly as interesting. While the villians aren't surprising in the long haul, they aren't just the usual Triad types either.

If the book has a weakness, it's the revived romance between Liu and David. It seemed irrelevant to be crime solving and not very interesting.

This review is based on the six-hour abridged tape version. I found that the plot followed pretty well. The narrator, an American-Chinese woman was a mixed blessing. Certainly there were aspects of the story where her underlying speach patterns were perfect but sometimes her tone was a bit awkward.

Bottom-line: A nice change of pace from mysteries set in the US or England. Not great literature but I learned some new things and like Liu enough to want to read a sequel.