Reviews with content warning for Racism - Peach Blossom Spring

This was a really touching book. I've always loved generational stories, but the way Meilin, Renshu/Henry, and Lily's stories intertwined. This book was full of tragedies but also full of hope, and there were so many times I was emotional.

I really liked how Fu balanced the different perspectives as characters aged, become more or less present, and gain or lost focus. This was a stunning book.

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moon_peach's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

The novel goes through 3 generations, each facing the difficulty of being Chinese.

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owlsreads's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

5.0

A beautiful and heartbreaking read. I cry so hard at the last few chapters that I gave myself a headache.

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emlouise8's review against another edition

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emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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andrewspink's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.0

This is the sort of book that I would not normally choose, but our book club had picked it, so I read it. It is a family drama, running over the best part of a century, not really my thing. That shows how useful book clubs are, without them, I would have missed a treat. The reader is swept along by the tide of history, seen from the perspective of one family. As the book progresses, we pass from the mother to the son to his daughter. Several key themes are dealt with, including trauma (and how childhood trauma can affect later life) and migrating between cultures. These are discussed effectively, raising interesting thoughts and questions.
It is a real page-turner, I was keen to know what happened next. To some extent, the plot was quite predictable though, given that it was driven by historical events, so that in global terms the reader often knows what will be coming next.
The book is written in a straightforward style, which makes it very readable. There are a few odd features, such as the consistent use of 'quieten' instead of 'quiet'. I suppose they were meant to sound Chinese, but I'm not sure whether that worked. It was over-sentimental in places for my taste, but perhaps that is unavoidable given the subject matter.
China has been giving out signals that it wants Taiwan 'back'. This book is also a useful reminder of the history behind that claim.

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