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There are currently 16 member reviews
for Dragon House
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Joanne V. (Towanda, PA)
Not as good as "The Burning Shore"
I had so much enjoyed "The Burning Shore" that I was looking forward to reading this book. Shores does his usual wonderful job of character development and his descriptions of Viet Nam are vivid; however, I wasn't as drawn into the story as I was with "The Burning Shore" and it took me a bit longer than usual to finish. It is a little too predictable.
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Helen M. (Petaluma, CA)
Forgiving
I enjoyed Dragon House very much. It was interesting to me as I have read very little about Viet Nam. Mr Shors paints a clear picture of both the beautiful side and the ugly side of Saigon or present day Ho Chi Mihn City. The characters are well defined but somewhat predictable. That is my only problem with Dragon City. While enjoying the unfolding of the plot, you knew the outcome well ahead of time. But I thank him for sharing the process of forgiveness and for painting such lovely pictures with words. Book clubs? Yes.
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Daniel A. (Naugatuck, CT)
Dragon House
I enjoyed reading this story very much. The author painted a grim picture of the lives of children living on the streets of Viet Nam, specifically Ho Chi Mihn City (Saigon), and how two Americans open a center to save those children.
The book is a page turner and I recommend it to those who want to read a tale that is fast paced, heart-wrenching, and heart-warming.
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Priscilla M. (Houston, TX)
A Satisfying Story
When I first started reading Dragon House, I found the writing to be a bit uneven and stilted. I had trouble staying with the book and put it down several times before I finally got into the story. Iris Rhodes flies to Vietnam to see the children's home her father was building in Saigon before his death. The author never really explains why her father felt compelled to do this, but the reader can surmise it was motivated by guilt after his involvement in the Vietnam War, a guilt that kept him estranged from his family throughout all of Iris's life. Those of us who reached adulthood during this era can completely identify with his need to rebuild the city in some meaningful way. Iris is accompanied by a childhood friend, Noah, who brings with him physical, mental, and emotional scars from the war in Iraq.
Once Iris and Noah reach Saigon, the story starts to pick up momentum. The reader meets the various characters and in spite of my earlier misgivings about the writing, I became attached to them all. The process of healing for both Iris and Noah keeps the story moving toward a very satisfying conclusion. It is a feel good story, complete with a few teary moments.
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Hilary H. (Bristol, RI)
Dragon House - mixed reviews
Though I enjoyed this book, I had mixed feelings as I read it. The writing seemed uneven - it was slow at the beginning though the end of the story tears along. It made it hard to pick between good and average when rating this one.
The topic was appealing - a daughter of a Vietnam vet goes to Vietnam with her Iraq War injured friend to complete a project that her father (the vet) had started before his death. The project is to create a residence/school for street children. The author does a great job of describing Ho Chi Minh City, the street children and the surrounding area. The children are the strongest characters - from their meager existence/threats from adults/limited prospects for the future to discovering that they did have options and people do actually care about what happens to them. The other Vietnamese characters - the assistant at the Center, the policeman with bad eye sight but hopes for his country, even the nasty, opium smoking Loc - were developed sympathetically so that you really are interested in what happens to them. Other parts of the story less imaginative.
I do appreciate that the author plans to donate funds from the book to the Blue Dragon Children's Foundation.
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Liz C. (Chico, CA)
Dragon House
I have ambivalent feelings about John Shors’ Dragon House. Shors is a masterful writer who makes the country of Vietnam come alive for the reader. The plot and characters of the novel, however, were a disappointment. Most of the characters fit a stereotype that I considered one dimensional and clichéd: the daughter of a Vietnam vet travels to Vietnam to take up the work of the father she barely knew; her childhood friend and Iraq War veteran, who is both physically and psychologically scarred by his war experience, and agrees to accompany her to Vietnam at his mother’s request; the selfless, noble (and beautiful) Vietnamese woman who works at the center. I never got a sense of what motivated the characters. The plot, too, was formulaic and too predictable to hold my interest.
The highlight of the novel for me was the relationship between the two street children, Mai and Minh. Shors did an excellent job of capturing their voices and characters, and their devotion to one another. The problems of street children are very real and I appreciate Shors’ effort to bring their lives and experiences to the attention of general readers. Yet in the end I felt like I was reading a well written fairy tale that left me wanting more.
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Kate S. (arvada, CO)
Mixed Feelings
I have mixed feeling about the novel. The story was interesting and I enjoyed reading it. That being said, I felt that the writing was a bit uneven. The author is a good storyteller and did a wonderful job developing the characters. I actually cared what happened to them. What took away from the story was frequent "repeating" of feelings, thoughts, etc. I also found the ending a bit too "tidy". It felt more like a made for T.V movie than a serious novel. It was not a bad read, but I felt left with a "wanting more" feeling.
