Reviews tagging 'Racism'

Peach Blossom Spring by Melissa Fu

49 reviews

ginadapooh's review against another edition

emotional 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, War, Death of parent, Death, Child death, Rape, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, and Racial slurs

yomireads's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.75

Poignant, hopeful, and heartbreaking. A story spanning 3 generations struggling to understand what to hold back and what to give of their heritage when so much of a past is hardship and pain. 

The prose is especially beautiful, allowing for the switch in perspectives without too much jarring, and the insight to the emotional turmoil in each character during their periods of grief and strength in turn. I particularly appreciated the bond between Renshu and Meiling, strained through hardship and distance over time, but never for lack of love. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual violence, Rape, and Child death

Minor: Racism and Racial slurs

jhartsoe's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, War, and Death

Moderate: Child death, Racism, and Death of parent

Minor: Suicide and Racial slurs

qiaosilin's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Bullying, Xenophobia, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: War, Sexual assault, Racism, Rape, and Grief

Minor: Child death and Death

strom007's review against another edition

emotional reflective tense slow-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Sexual assault, War, and Xenophobia

ludivinev's review against another edition

adventurous emotional informative medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, War, and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Racism and Child death

lindsloveslit's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

4.0

I ended up really loving this debut novel, but it took me FOR👏🏽E👏🏽VER👏🏽 to get into it. Y'all? I started it 3️⃣ different times and only made it to page 5-10 the first few times. 🤷🏽‍♀️ That third time was a charm though! The writing was beautiful & so detailed. I loved that the history was shared in CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER! 🙌🏽 (so many books I read have jumping timelines that confuse me 😅). There was a strong mix of character development & history, but there was 70 yrs of storyline that sometimes felt overshadowed.

All in all, I really appreciated the book. I always find it fascinating to read about history that hasn't been white washed. History told from the perspective of those it happened to. There's so much power in hearing those stories!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: War, Grief, Rape, Racism, and Child death

torturedreadersdept's review

emotional hopeful informative inspiring 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Death, Grief, and Rape

Moderate: Misogyny and Racism

Minor: Racial slurs

chaitai00's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Death, Grief, Gun violence, Murder, Police brutality, Racism, Racial slurs, Rape, Violence, and War

Moderate: Colonisation, Death, Child death, Death of parent, and Forced institutionalization

serendipitysbooks's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

 Peach Blossom Spring hit one of my reading sweet spots - the combination of historical fiction and multi-generational family saga. It follows three generations of the Dao family from 1938 to 2005, from China to the United States by way of Taiwan. This was a tumultuous period in Chinese history in which the invasion by Japan, which became subsumed in World War II, coincided with a civil war between the Nationalists and Communists, which eventually led to the Nationalists and their supporters retreating to Taiwan. It was against this background, one of much loss for the family, that we witness Meilin’s struggles to keep herself and her son Renshu safe and to build a future for them. Renshu eventually goes to America to study, marries and has a daughter Lily, becoming known as Henry along the way. I loved the way Chinese folklore was woven into the story and the way that stories and the precious scroll forged a bond between Meilin and Renshu, providing wisdom and comfort during harsh, uncertain times. The title of the novel comes from a famous Chinese fable, one that offers many parallels with this story. I appreciated the book’s explorations of themes like identity, parent-child relationships, roots and migration. I was especially interested in the rift between Lily and Henry over matters of Chinese identity - her need to know more vs his desire to forget and to protect - and how both of them found a measure of contentment after Henry finally felt able to share the family history with her.
 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Rape, and War

Moderate: Racism