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Title: Surprisingly awkward
Review: I bought this novel expecting and wanting to love it. Unfortunately, I was disappointed by both the style and substance. Although the prose sometimes achieved elegance, it was frequently clumsy and obvious, especially when the author attempted to flesh out the personality and thoughts of the characters. Perhaps this was because the author was attempting to show how simple and callow the characters were, but I don't think so. Also, I found myself bored with the shallow and obvious treatment of some of the major themes - city vs. country, modern vs. traditional, capitalist vs. communist. The structure is good, the author's heart is in the right place, but the execution is clumsy and disappointing.
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