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jhartsoe's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.5
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Bullying, Xenophobia, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: War, Sexual assault, Racism, Rape, and Grief
Minor: Child death and Death
samlo28's review against another edition
3.75
βwithin every misfortune there is a blessing and within every blessing, the seeds of misfortune, and so it goes, until the end of time.β
i always like the idea of a generational story more than the story itself. when covering such a large period of time, a lot of events are just told to the reader which leads to a sense of detachment. i also find the transition from the first main character to the next main character dissatisfying.
that being said, i still enjoyed PEACH BLOSSOM SPRING, especially the first half that focused more on meilin. i was moved by her thoughtfulness and strength in the face of such horrors. i also loved the incorporation of stories and their importance.
unfortunately when the focus of the story shifted to renshu/henry, my enjoyment wavered. i understood his actions and decision-making process but it made for a tedious reading experience. my interest picked back up a bit with lily and i feel like the ending was strong, but it never quite reached the highs of the first half.
i always like the idea of a generational story more than the story itself. when covering such a large period of time, a lot of events are just told to the reader which leads to a sense of detachment. i also find the transition from the first main character to the next main character dissatisfying.
that being said, i still enjoyed PEACH BLOSSOM SPRING, especially the first half that focused more on meilin. i was moved by her thoughtfulness and strength in the face of such horrors. i also loved the incorporation of stories and their importance.
unfortunately when the focus of the story shifted to renshu/henry, my enjoyment wavered. i understood his actions and decision-making process but it made for a tedious reading experience. my interest picked back up a bit with lily and i feel like the ending was strong, but it never quite reached the highs of the first half.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War and Rape
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Racial slurs and Xenophobia
emziesreads's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
It's hard to enjoy a book written in such a dispassionate way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
jmitchell20's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
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
4.25
A moving story of a Chinese family dealing with generational trauma caused by wars and displacement through the 20th century. It was educational without feeling fact-heavy. Really felt for every family member during the difficult choices they were forced to make.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Racial slurs, Violence, and War
kejan's review
challenging
dark
emotional
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? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, War, Rape, and Child death
lightltup's review against another edition
emotional
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death of parent, Rape, Death, War, and Grief
awebofstories's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Rape
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
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 FORππ½Eππ½VERππ½ to get into it. Y'all? I started it 3οΈβ£ different times and only made it to page 5-10 the first few times. π€·π½ββοΈ That third time was a charm though! The writing was beautiful & so detailed. I loved that the history was shared in CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER! ππ½ (so many books I read have jumping timelines that confuse me π
). 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!
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!
Content Warnings
Moderate: War, Grief, Rape, Racism, and Child death