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kukazashi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: War
Moderate: Violence, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Sexual assault, Child death, Murder, and Racism
go2hellstephanie's review
- 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
4.0
I really liked how Fu balanced the different perspectives as characters aged, become more or less present, and gain or lost focus. This was a stunning book.
Moderate: Racism, Death, War, and Rape
lovelymisanthrope'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? Yes
4.0
"Peach Blossom Spring" is a beautiful story that follows one Chinese family through decades. In 1938, Meilin and her four-year-old son believe that the future is bright, until the Japanese army start their invasion. Forced to flee their home, Meilin uses her charisma and wit to find refuge for her and her son. When Renshu is older, he has the opportunity to study in America, which is what he does under the name "Henry Dao". When he has a family of his own and a beautiful daughter named Lily, he refuses to talk about her heritage, and where he came from. Lily really struggles with not knowing anything about half of her.
This story was absolutely beautiful. Although the book spanned decades, it felt very well paced, and I was very satisfied with the story we did get from each of the characters.
I felt that one topic this book really explored well was the idea of identity. Henry saw his mother struggle, and he worked hard to create a better life for himself in America. He sacrificed being able to go back home so that he could continue to build his life in America. But Lily just saw her father keeping secrets and not sharing his heritage with her. She wanted to understand her family and to know where she came from, but those questions brought up difficult feelings for Henry. Henry was too close to the war to be able to comfortably talk about his Chinese self, while Lily was frustrated. It was devastating, heartbreaking, and critical to see three generations' reaction to their own story.
I really appreciated Lily's character because it pushed Henry to look back on his life and the sacrifices his own mother made for him. He is a good father, doing only what he believed is best for his only daughter, but she never allowed him to completely lose his past.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a heartwarming story about family and identity.
Graphic: Racial slurs, Hate crime, War, Xenophobia, Death, Toxic relationship, and Grief
Moderate: Colonisation and Rape
sarah_speaks's review
- 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
4.5
Graphic: War, Rape, Child death, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Child abuse, Death of parent, and Racism
Minor: Pregnancy
e_freckles's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Violence, War, and Death
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Sexual assault, Alcohol, Mass/school shootings, Racism, Rape, and Dementia
emi_momo's review
- 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? No
4.0
Graphic: Sexual violence, Rape, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Death, War, and Violence
Minor: Abandonment, Grief, Racism, and Death of parent
_cararichardson's review
- 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: Rape, Child death, War, and Death
crimsonreader's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Moderate: Bullying, War, Child death, Confinement, Death, and Death of parent
Minor: Police brutality
abundance_of_fiction's review
- 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
4.0
The story itself was such a beautiful exploration into how war/life effects three different generations.
Meilin and Renshu’s migration and war journey was so compelling and the things that Meilin endured to get to Thailand was so heartbreaking. Then Renshu/Henry feeling like he had to abandon his culture to assimilate and avoid “politics” forced the reader to consider how he was still fighting a war, even if it looked completely different. (The scene where he has PTSD to the war after JFK was so jarring and emotional). Finally, Lily describing her desire to understand her culture, but then still not really being apart of it, brought a different kind of sadness. Especially when Lily states that she just wanted to belong.
The conclusion, and the passage of heritage -finally- from father to daughter was such a beautiful moment. I teared up thinking about all the pain that Renshu had to acknowledge, in order to finally let his daughter in on what his life had really been like. The repetition of stories from grandmother to his daughter felt like a nod to all the ways that we can try to move on but that there is this common thread that lingers.
I’m ranting, but the story was beautiful and I have so many emotions. In short, loved it. Melissa Fu is a phenomenal storyteller.
Graphic: Genocide, War, Sexual assault, Racism, Child death, Death, and Death of parent
darkhorse488's review
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Colonisation, Xenophobia, War, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Racism and Racial slurs