Reviews with content warning for War - Peach Blossom Spring

I've been struggling all day to come up with the right words to describe my thoughts about this book. I feel like I say books are 'lovely' or 'beautiful' or 'touching' too often. This book *is* beautiful. It's also heartbreaking and inspiring rolled into one.

I've read generational stories before, but I don't think any quite like this, following three generations in so much detail with great fluidity. I loved all of the main characters. I felt like I was there with them even though this is a culture I'm only superficially acquainted with. I was going through their tragedies with them and was overjoyed by any good fortune. I also learned a lot about Chinese traditions as well as bits of history I plumb never questioned. It never occurred to me China was also a target of Japan during WWII. If I knew, it didn't register. I knew more about what came after but even then not in much detail. This book also illustrated life for a Chinese/Taiwanese immigrant in America in the 20th Century, eventually coming to a crossroads when it came time to raise children in a new place and the conflict between newfound freedom and heritage.

A book spanning so many decades typically runs the risk of being too dragged out or having too much crammed in, but Peach Blossom Spring has fantastic pacing. It highlights important moments in the characters' lives while respectfully skipping past the less exciting years and moments or revisiting them in hindsight. There is no unnecessary information tossed around. I hope Melissa Fu has more novels planned for the future. Her writing is exquisite.

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lzanamiii's review

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emotional slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

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saucywench813's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Wow. There was never a time in this book where I felt like there was unnecessary fluff or poor pacing. Every character is EXTREMELY well-written and realistic. I'm impressed that both generations held my attention, which is something I've learned to be wary of in multi-generational family sagas. Made me cry several times. I can't write any more as it's truly a story you have to experience yourself.

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koyalites's review

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

4.5/5

"This sadness, however thin and thread-bare, is all that remains to connect her to a boy now grown, a man long dead, a life of waiting and a past slowly fading from sight."

Stunning prose and beautifully developed characters and relationships. I love multi-generational stories. Following a character's life from start to end and seeing how their lives impacted the generation that came after them is always such a fascinating thing to read and so hard to get right but I was invested in every character that showed up on the page, especially Meilin and Renshu. The story is bittersweet, there are a lot of what-ifs that went through my head as the story progressed, but the author just kind of tells it like it is, there's no big parade or celebration at the end, sometimes you just have to stick together and push forward. The journey that these characters go through to survive, find peace, and heal in their own ways through reconnections is worth giving this book a try. It is also filled with hope and little kind moments that feel so intimate (I used the word already but I'll use it again).

The writing is just so beautiful, the author has a poetic voice that captures the feeling like you're reading an old tale, fitting for a story with characters exploring, reconnecting with their pasts, and/or having to start over through someone else's lens. I don't know how else to review this book, just check it out. I might start checking out more historical fiction books, I don't know...

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betanine's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This book is a novel, but it has an organic, truthful feel. I could believe it to be true. The amount of research Fu has done truly brings the story to life. The storytelling flows well, the flowing by, yet taking time to paint beautiful pictures along the way. Joy is woven in the pain and sadness. Beauty is found in destruction. Wounds can heal, even decades later. From this book, I take away this lesson. Hearts are like soil. When left untended, uncared for, they are incapable of growing a life of beauty or the ability to give to others. When we take the time to address the pains and fears in our hearts, to look for the beauty around us, and let those who love us water our hearts, our lives produce a natural beauty that blesses everyone around us.

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