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emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Violence, Grief, War
Moderate: Child death, Death, Racism, Death of parent
emotional
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:
Complicated
I received an e-galley of Peach Blossom Spring by Melissa Fu from Little, Brown Company via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, War
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, War, Injury/Injury detail
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Peach Blossom Spring is one of those books where you don’t notice the time passing as you’re reading, it’s one that’s engaging and difficult to put down and it’s one that is just a perfect example of why I love storytelling. Through Melissa Fu’s clear, succinct but beautiful prose comes a story spanning decades from 1938 onwards and generations of one family fleeing war and journeying across China, Taiwan and the US— something that is close to being flawlessly done in a book under 400 pages.
There are many themes that I thought were beautifully explored in Peach Blossom Spring, including identity, generational trauma, loss and grief. One of things that I especially appreciated though was how Fu makes a point, through the different characters and decades, to portray many unique examples of immigrant experience— positive and negative experiences alike. I also adored the inclusion of Chinese fables that are weaved beautifully and skilfully throughout the novel from beginning to end. I am sure that this vivid, captivating novel, that really captures the importance and joy of storytelling, will stay with me for a long time.
Thank you to Headline/Wildfire Publishing for the review copy of Peach Blossom Spring.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, War