Reviews - Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China

1.34k reviews for:

Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China

Jung Chang

4.32 AVERAGE

livlaughlove7's review against another edition

5.0

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

vaishsviews's review against another edition

4.5

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

kinnis's review against another edition

4.0

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

busyisi's review against another edition

5.0

I heartfelt portrait of all of human capabilities, good and bad. The sadest part is that it all happened for real!

sophiafrench's review against another edition

4.5

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced

upperlowercase's review against another edition

4.5

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

I was suppose to read this in High School for history class but I didn't. I should've read it, it was interesting to learn about these 3 women and life in China. I grow up watching a lot of Asian dramas and I know some of these traditions. I don't pay enough attention to my own traditions and I feel like I am falling out of my own culture. It was refreshing to see how it is in the past.

pnhoff's review against another edition

4.25

adventurous challenging informative medium-paced

Pros:
- Deep development of characters and family dynamic, with exception of the author's siblings, despite non-fiction nature of the book.

- Genuinely informative. I had never really understood the Great Leap Forwards or the Cultural Revolution - the context and lead up is crucial.

Cons:

- The countless waves of Mao's persecutions are described using reptitive language and turn of phrase. The plot mirrors reality, of course, but it would have been interesting to explore narrative options.
- Not really a con, but the pre-Communism era was so interesting - I wish it was explored in further depth!