Flower Net

Flower Net by Lisa See

My review

rating: 2 of 5 stars
Definitely not one of Lisa See's best books. She should stick to the wonderful Chinese historical fiction she does so well. Flower Net is also set in China, but in almost-modern China (late 90s). The characters are flat and unbelievable and the story is stilted. Seriously, who is going to believe that an experienced attorney who has worked all over the world, who had planned to marry a Chinese woman and who has spent the last several years investigating Chinese mafia activity is really going to wind up in China looking like a bumbling idiot? As an American expat living in China, I know how opaque Chinese customs can be. I also know that a modicum of basic courtesy will get you by in almost any situation, even if you don't exactly know the appropriate behavior. The love story is equally absurd (not to mention extraneous). If the person you wanted to marry lied to you about plans to return from a trip, disappeared without a word, never responded to your letters and never told you the truth about his/her background, would you really pick up without even an explanation if you crossed paths again more than a decade later? Unlikely! Don't waste your time!


View all my reviews.