Drew Murray

I did give it a thorough read-through. Sadly, the pace of vitriol and crude spite continued throughout. This book is so obviously written by a naive twenty-something determined to put down on paper almost every semi-truth she has read about - but her reading list seems to have come solely from the New York Times library. Everything must be given an anti-British slant - from drinking tea to building roads and railways. Not one aspect of England is allowed to be guiltless and the hatred becomes monotonous all too quickly. The basic storyline could have been both clever and interesting, but Kuang’s student style Empire bashing grates so much that it is neither an entertaining nor diverting read. Maybe in a decade or two when she’s really learned a few more of life’s lessons, she might be able to let go of prejudice and produce a tolerable novel. For now, perhaps she should stick to protest marches and throwing paint at buildings - or whatever it is she does when not stomping her feet at her take on a distorted history.