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4.21 AVERAGE
4.21 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
3.75 on StoryGraph, rounding up on Goodreads. Some lovely reflections on the complexities of culture, identity, and family, as well as war and loss (and peace and growth).
i basically cried my way through it. really enjoyed it though.
Gorgeous epic chronicling multiple generations of a family from China to Taiwan to the US. Moving and evocative. These characters will stay with me. Can't wait to read the next book from this author
I loved this novel and didn’t want it to end (yet I stayed up late and got up early to finish it).
The story follows Meilin and her son, Renshu, for a span of almost seventy years, as they make the perilous journey from war-torn, mainland China in 1938 to temporary safety in Taiwan, to living different lives on different continents.
I was inspired by Meilin’s resilience, her love for her son, and the deep bond between them, and I was heartbroken by the many losses and setbacks the two of them must suffer. Yet the suffering is never without hope (Renshu, renamed 'Henry', makes a middle-class life for himself in the US and fathers a daughter who comes to symbolize the melting pot in all its questioning glory), and the hope is never without disappointments. Quote: "Within every misfortune there is a blessing, and within every misfortune, the seeds of misfortune, and so it goes until the end of time."
The novel covers more emotional ground than any I’ve read in a long while, the characters are utterly relatable, and Fu’s prose is never less than evocative and stunning. All thumbs.
The story follows Meilin and her son, Renshu, for a span of almost seventy years, as they make the perilous journey from war-torn, mainland China in 1938 to temporary safety in Taiwan, to living different lives on different continents.
I was inspired by Meilin’s resilience, her love for her son, and the deep bond between them, and I was heartbroken by the many losses and setbacks the two of them must suffer. Yet the suffering is never without hope (Renshu, renamed 'Henry', makes a middle-class life for himself in the US and fathers a daughter who comes to symbolize the melting pot in all its questioning glory), and the hope is never without disappointments. Quote: "Within every misfortune there is a blessing, and within every misfortune, the seeds of misfortune, and so it goes until the end of time."
The novel covers more emotional ground than any I’ve read in a long while, the characters are utterly relatable, and Fu’s prose is never less than evocative and stunning. All thumbs.
Honestly I don’t know much about the China during WWII. Reading this definitely opened my eyes to just a fraction of the things that had happened. What a beautifully written book!! This may be my favorite of 2022. I’m glad I spent my time going through this story. Just reading on the generational trauma and how each family member was navigating those waters. Also, I especially enjoyed the author’s method of handing off the narration to the next generation. Those transitions were so smooth it was a :::chef’s kiss:::
Such a bittersweet book. I would definitely recommend this book.
Such a bittersweet book. I would definitely recommend this book.
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
When tragedy is all around, it takes a mama to change the story to a happy ending. The happiness is in finding contentment where we end up, a home where one is needed.
This was a triumphant joy and a testament to the ripple effect of a mama's love.
This was a triumphant joy and a testament to the ripple effect of a mama's love.
challenging
informative
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The beginning of this novel is set against the backdrop of the Second Sino-Japanese war in China in 1938. It is a vivid reminder of the impact of war on families: fleeing their homes, fearing for their lives, feeling the pain of loss of their loved ones, and struggling to find their future. It was heartbreaking to know the numerous sacrifices Meilin made to care for her son in order to give him a better life and realize what she ultimately gave up. As time passes, a new generation is born and still the wounds of war persist. Lily’s thirst for knowledge demonstrates our universal desire to know our own history and heritage.
Shui Meilin married into a family of an antique dealers. Her husband, Dao Xiaowen, and his older brother, Dao Longwei, have left the business and their family home to go fight against the Japanese aggression. While Meilin awaits his return from battle, she busies herself in her husband’s home recording inventories and helping with the housework. She and Xiaowen’s young son, Renshu, bears a similarity to his father and is a source of joy to her. She is a loving and patient mother. The two take delight in a silk scroll given to her by Xiaowen which is painted in tremendous and delicate detail with depictions of many stories which Meilin tells to Xiaowen. When Longwei returns from the conflict alone, Meilin grapples with the implication that Xiaowen will not be coming back to her. She is not afforded the opportunity to grieve for long as they are forced to leave with only a few belongings in the middle of the night when the Japanese bomb the city. Throughout the years that follow, as Renshu is growing up, he and his mother follow a pattern of settling, making a home for themselves, and then moving on when their safety is in jeopardy as the enemy approaches. The scroll and the stories painted on its fabric are forever etched into Renshu’s mind and years later he can recall hearing his mother’s voice telling him the tales it showed.
Shui Meilin married into a family of an antique dealers. Her husband, Dao Xiaowen, and his older brother, Dao Longwei, have left the business and their family home to go fight against the Japanese aggression. While Meilin awaits his return from battle, she busies herself in her husband’s home recording inventories and helping with the housework. She and Xiaowen’s young son, Renshu, bears a similarity to his father and is a source of joy to her. She is a loving and patient mother. The two take delight in a silk scroll given to her by Xiaowen which is painted in tremendous and delicate detail with depictions of many stories which Meilin tells to Xiaowen. When Longwei returns from the conflict alone, Meilin grapples with the implication that Xiaowen will not be coming back to her. She is not afforded the opportunity to grieve for long as they are forced to leave with only a few belongings in the middle of the night when the Japanese bomb the city. Throughout the years that follow, as Renshu is growing up, he and his mother follow a pattern of settling, making a home for themselves, and then moving on when their safety is in jeopardy as the enemy approaches. The scroll and the stories painted on its fabric are forever etched into Renshu’s mind and years later he can recall hearing his mother’s voice telling him the tales it showed.