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rereadign's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
(Gelezen als audioboek)
Melissa Fu heeft een prachtig boek geschreven dat alleen maar beter werd naarmate het vorderde. Niet alleen zijn de personages realistisch, je gaat ook van ze houden en met ze mee leven. Daarnaast is de manier waarop zij volksverhalen in haar boek heeft verwerkt prachtig en erg fijn om te lezen.
Bovendien is het een interessant boek om meer te weten te komen over de tweede Chinees Japanse oorlog en de gevolgen daarvan op mensen, zowel op individuel niveau als op de banden met anderen.
Al met al een echte aanrader
Melissa Fu heeft een prachtig boek geschreven dat alleen maar beter werd naarmate het vorderde. Niet alleen zijn de personages realistisch, je gaat ook van ze houden en met ze mee leven. Daarnaast is de manier waarop zij volksverhalen in haar boek heeft verwerkt prachtig en erg fijn om te lezen.
Bovendien is het een interessant boek om meer te weten te komen over de tweede Chinees Japanse oorlog en de gevolgen daarvan op mensen, zowel op individuel niveau als op de banden met anderen.
Al met al een echte aanrader
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, War, 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Death, Grief, and Rape
Moderate: Misogyny and Racism
Minor: Racial slurs
missbrookss's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape
TW for rape on pp. 120-121chaitai00'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
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Rape, and War
Moderate: Racism
unboxedjack's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape, War, Sexual assault, Racism, Racial slurs, Grief, and Death
julianh's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Racism, Rape, War, Death of parent, Genocide, Racial slurs, and Grief
linguaphile412's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Death, War, Gun violence, Grief, Racism, Child death, Sexual violence, and Racial slurs
oceanwriter's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-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
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Child death, Death of parent, Death, and Rape
Moderate: Racism and Xenophobia
littlekinggone's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Child death