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ajmacdougall93's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Sexual assault, Violence, and War
chaitai00's review
- 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
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
kylakahrin's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: War and Violence
Moderate: Death, Child death, and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual assault
linguaphile412's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Death, War, Gun violence, Grief, Racism, Child death, Sexual violence, and Racial slurs
saucywench813's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Child death, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, War, Violence, Racial slurs, and Colonisation
koyalites's review
- 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
"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...
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: Gun violence, War, Xenophobia, Violence, and Racism
grantsharpies's review
- 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
4.25
Moderate: Death of parent, Rape, Sexual assault, War, and Violence
lvr105's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Rape, War, Violence, and Grief
Moderate: Racism, Child death, Death of parent, and Death
kindredbooks's review against another edition
- 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
Peach Blossom Spring follows the story of a multi-generational Chinese family as the members find themselves on the move as events on a national and international level force them to keep fleeing for survival. The story first begins in the late 1930s in China and the historical events of that time - Japanese invasion, World War II, and the Chinese Civil War - provide the backdrop for the characters. We follow Meilin and her son Renshu as they move through China and across oceans in hope for a place to call home. A historical novel like this is so important because it really is more of a personal historical story. While you can read accounts of the "facts" of these historical events - stories like this show the more personal histories (and HERstories) that happened to the people who had to live out these time periods. I really liked Meilin - her strength, her love for her son, and her resilience and determination in the face of some really challenging life events.
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, Racism, War, Rape, Bullying, Child death, Racial slurs, Violence, and Grief
haleysversion's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Blood, Death, Child death, Sexual assault, Racism, War, Violence, Rape, Racial slurs, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, and Death of parent