I usually don't save quotes, but the writing in this was so magical to me.
"A relationship with only the good isn't a relationship at all." The people in this are complicated, and interesting, and passionate. From one scene to another, the settings feel haunted by the characters, even though they're alive.
The cinema was especially haunted, and a character describes the "gay men, those squalid and impolite dreamers who wanted nothing but to live without fear." I wish I had this kind of talent, or that I could even find this kind of talent more often. This book is so interesting and beautiful. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this.

This is one if those books where I did not personally connect to the story or the characters or the narrative, but I still thought it was gorgeously written and I have no doubt that others will. I felt like I was reading their story at a remove, as opposed to being fully absorbed in it. It was a bit like looking at a beautiful painting that you just don't quite understand.

Incredibly well-written heart-rending and lovely. Characters felt very real with hopes and dreams. I felt their devastation when bad things happened and their happiness when good things happened. It's been quite a while since a book made me cry.
4/5 stars

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my review copy!

I tend to go into books trying to avoid any description of what it is about. This one truly gave me NO clue as to what it contained with that process. It turned out to be a very unique LGBTQIA+ novel with unexpected characters, and stories of love and loss. It brings readers from China to America, following couples immigrating and their struggle to make it America, while staying true to themselves.

There is some hateful verbiage, which may be challenging for some.

I didn’t vibe with this book but that’s okay because I do genuinely think that other people will LOVE this book!

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the ARC! A beautiful and tender love story - I hope this one gets more visibility. A perfect blend of vignettes - pick this one up!

3.5 Stars
Thank you to Penguin Group Dutton and NetGalley for this ARC.

This is a complicated book to review. It took me a long time to get through it, and I wasn't a huge fan of the pacing, so that's why it has a 3 star review. However, Jiaming Tang did an amazing job at creating a cast of complicated, multifaceted characters. They were messy, and complicated with difficult feelings, but it didn't feel outlandish or extra to me. It felt realistic and I appreciated the realness of the flawed characters and their emotions. I loved that this story spanned so many years, and featured so many people. I think the way that the author worked to connect them all was also really impressive. This book shone a light on what it might be like to be member of the LGBT community years ago in China, as well as what it must have been like for many immigrants, and I appreciated those perspectives. My only other complaint would be that at times it was confusing how many years had passed, or from what person's perspective we were reading from. I think this could've been easily remedied with names and dates being placed at the start of each chapter, but maybe there was a reason why the author didn't want to do this.

Overall, I would recommend this book. I think it would be the best fit for individuals who like stories with multiple points of view that span multiple decades, as well as people wanting to know more about the difficulties both LGBT folks and immigrants faced over the past 50--60 years.

Cinema Love focuses on the lives of Chinese immigrants living in New York City, including their early lives and the events that lead to the choice to come to America. While I really enjoyed the parts of the story set in provincial China, of Old Second's coming of age and experience of queerness in a communist country, I feel like the story gets very scattered during the flash forwards to the characters' lives in New York. It took a while for me to find my footing in the novel and made the book feel really slow-paced and fractured.

Cinema Love is a gorgeous book about the heartbreak of being gay in rural China, the joy of a refuge within that world, the loneliness of being a wife to a gay man, the power of female friendship and the hell Chinese immigrants have been forced to live through. There was no part of it that didn't make my heart feel for everyone just trying their best and endlessly struggling.

I found the end unsatisfying, but I'm struggling to figure out why. Time jumps definitely felt off, and maybe that was a big part of it.

A tale that spans decades and continents following a cast of characters all linked by their connection to the Worker's Cinema, a theater in rural post-socialist China where gay men cruised for intimacy, conversation, and love without fear. Its a tender tale about love, family, guilt, and forgiveness. If you want to feel something, and want to read beautiful, lyrical prose, I highly recommend this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a beautifully written story about queer men in Fuzhou, China in the 80s and what follows them when they immigrate to Chinatown in NYC around the turn of the century. The description states that "Cinema Love is a big-hearted and heart-shattering novel about desire, secrets, grief, how we care for one another, and how we survive," and I would whole-heartedly agree. This book broke my heart but also deeply touched me, and left me thinking.

I requested this for consideration for Book Riot's All the Books podcast for its release date. After sampling several books out this week, I decided to go with a different book for my review.

Eloquent writing and lovely descriptions, not great story telling. From the description, it was so promising and interesting. A story of gay men and their wives across multiple decades in China and the U.S. Instead, it became sort of a “slog”, moving less than seamlessly among the three timelines and all the sorry characters. Thank you NetGalley for providing the ARC.

Thanks to Penguin and Netgalley for this advanced copy!

This was a fascinating novel looking at gay Chinese men and the women they marry. From China to New York, I loved how Tang described each character and how vivid their exhaustion and general "working to get through the day" vibe was. I appreciated how the author wove the stories together and followed people through time. Would definitely recommend.

Okay, so I said I'd finish this book like a month ago and I lied. Sorry. Life got in the way.

However, I'm glad I decided to keep reading despite the books slow start and taking huge breaks before picking it up again.

Literary fiction isn't something I usually read but when it's done well... it can really impact.

The story follows Old Second, Bao Mei, and Yan Hua as the three main narrators. Other characters like May also sometimes have a narrative voice throughout. Each character is fleshed out and well developed and I enjoyed following their journey's from beginning to end. Tang does a great job fleshing them out and really SHOWING their grief and trauma, slowly revealing it to the audience, rather than just telling them what happened.

However, my favourite part is seeing how all these characters, who at first seem to be random strangers, are connected to each other. It shows that people have more connections than they'd think. And it also provides new perspectives when the characters are working.

Finally, I want to talk about the setting. Tang just puts so much magic and effort into writing The Worker's theatre that it just became a character of its own. Same as East Broadway and Chinatown in New York City. Because of that, you feel quite connected to the characters as it's easy to visualize them in the settings.

Beautifully written debut novel spanning several decades of gay men's lives, and the women who loved them, if not in the expected ways. Lots of characters in and out of the story, but always intermingling and not superfluous by any means. Starting in China and ending in New York, this is a wonderful story about love in many forms.

My thanks to Penguin Group/Dutton, the author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

A beautiful book. In china, Old Second frequents the Workers’ Cinema, a theater where gay men go to cruise. The story takes us from there to the United States. Nuanced, sensitive, and beautifully considered.

⭐ Rating: 4/5 stars
🗓 Publish date: May 21, 2024
🌈 Representation: gay men, Chinese immigrants to America

CW/TW:
Homophobia, Racism, Infidelity, Grief, Police brutality, Domestic abuse, Xenophobia, Death, Fire, Animal death, Pandemic


Cinema Love by Jiaming Tang is a raw story that glosses over nothing. It follows a diverse cast of characters from life in China and immigration to America. In particular, the story follows a few gay men and those close to them.

The narrative style seamlessly jumps between characters and time periods, revealing a tangled, messy web of life and relationships. There are also threads of magical realism with the characters haunted both by ghosts and by memories.

This book is cerebral with beautiful prose; not a book to get lost in, but a book that drags out the dirt from under the rug to show you the harsh realities and hidden gems in broad daylight.

I didn't quite get invested in the characters until the last 25% of the book, but I did enjoy the journey getting there. The lives depicted are fairly simple, but they also feel bigger than the pages can contain.

I definitely recommend giving this one a try, especially for those interested in literary fiction, unlikeable yet complex characters, and learning more about Chinese immigrant life.

Thank you to Dutton and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this title. All thoughts expressed are entirely my own.

First things first, Tang's writing is exceptionally moving and raw. The feelings of every character are fully on display to the point that there's a rawness to the story that I had to walk away from a couple of times. It's not a happy story, not even a hopeful one, but it has a humanity in its realness that I can appreciate despite not enjoying it.
The story is pretty much a warning that a life lived in fear and in hiding leads to nothing but memories and sadness, which is a powerful message but a very depressing read. So while I can admire the work, I can't say I enjoyed it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dutton for the powerful read!

Cinema Love by Jiaming Tang is a deeply moving and exquisitely crafted epic that delves into the hidden lives of gay men in rural China and the women who stand by their side. This novel offers a rare and poignant exploration of love, sacrifice, and resilience, set against the backdrop of both rural Fuzhou and New York City's Chinatown.

The narrative centers on Old Second and Bao Mei, a couple whose unconventional relationship and shared past in the Workers' Cinema set the stage for a powerful story. Tang masterfully intertwines their past and present, revealing how their lives in rural Fuzhou and their migration to New York have been shaped by love, secrecy, and cultural upheaval.

Old Second’s and Bao Mei’s experiences at the Workers’ Cinema are both heartbreaking and tender. The cinema, a place where gay men found fleeting moments of intimacy amidst classic war films, serves as a poignant symbol of hidden desires and the quest for connection. Tang’s portrayal of these men’s secret lives is handled with profound empathy and insight, capturing the intense longing and fear that defined their existence.

Bao Mei’s role as the ticket seller adds another layer of complexity to the narrative. Her interactions with the closeted men, and her own romance with the projectionist, highlight the intricate dynamics of love and secrecy. Tang paints Bao Mei as a figure of quiet strength and compassion, making her a compelling and memorable character. Her journey from the cinema’s box office to her life in New York is depicted with great sensitivity, emphasizing the sacrifices she has made and the resilience she embodies.

The novel’s dual setting is another standout aspect. Tang’s vivid descriptions of rural Fuzhou and the bustling streets of Chinatown create a rich, immersive atmosphere. The contrast between the two settings underscores the characters’ struggle to reconcile their past with their present, adding depth to their emotional journeys. Tang’s attention to detail in depicting these locales brings the story to life, making the reader feel intimately connected to both worlds.

Tang’s writing is both lyrical and evocative, capturing the subtleties of emotion and the complexities of the characters’ inner lives. The prose flows effortlessly, balancing moments of quiet reflection with scenes of intense drama. Tang’s ability to convey the deep bonds between the characters, as well as their individual struggles, makes for a profoundly affecting read.

The novel also addresses broader themes of identity, migration, and cultural displacement. Through Old Second and Bao Mei’s story, Tang explores the challenges of forging a new life in a foreign land while grappling with the ghosts of the past. The depiction of their immigrant experience is nuanced and authentic, highlighting both the opportunities and the hardships they face in New York.

The emotional weight of the novel is amplified by the haunting events that unfold following the revelation of Old Second’s passion for his male lover. These events propel the characters toward an uncertain future, adding a layer of suspense and poignancy to the narrative. Tang’s handling of these moments is masterful, eliciting deep empathy and reflection.

In conclusion, Cinema Love is a staggering and tender epic that offers a profound exploration of love, identity, and resilience. Jiaming Tang has crafted a beautifully written and emotionally rich narrative that stays with the reader long after the final page. This novel is a testament to the enduring power of love and the human spirit, making it a must-read for anyone seeking a deeply moving and thought-provoking literary experience. A true masterpiece.