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djali84's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
What a beautiful, poetic story. Commercial photographer in New York City, Amy (Wu Aimee) lives her life with her husband away from her family in China. When she receives a letter from her sister, she begins a journey through memories as she returns to her home village for the first time in ten years. It is a story about home, how you make one, how you can't quite return to a past one, about relationships, family, grief, and healing. The writing is beautiful, effortless, lyrical. I'll definitely reread it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent and Death
jcapati's review
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
musicalpopcorn's review
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
4.0
When Aimee’s mother dies, Aimee feels compelled to travel back to her home in China to find herself.
The writing in this book was beautiful. The non-linear storyline wove through the book in a way that didn’t make it feel choppy. I realized towards the end that even though the story wasn’t all that exciting, I was quite invested in Aimee and her mother.
This book made me smile.
The writing in this book was beautiful. The non-linear storyline wove through the book in a way that didn’t make it feel choppy. I realized towards the end that even though the story wasn’t all that exciting, I was quite invested in Aimee and her mother.
This book made me smile.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
tenderbench's review
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- 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? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
nini23's review
reflective
4.0
A lovely debut about the journey of Wu Aimee back to her home village in NE China on receipt of news of her mother's passing. As I had read the blurb too fast, I thought that Aimee would have to go through the underworld to reconcile with her mother. The Light of Eternal Spring is a reflective lyrical take on the role of art in storytelling. As Aimee is a photographer, she perceives the world through framing and light. Some of the images described such as ladybugs blanketing a wall and lanterns alight at the Mid-Autumn Festival are just gorgeous.
The stories of Manchu shamanism, folktales, mythology, culture and herbalism imparted by Aimee's mother when she was young form a guiding framework for her internal journey. The relationship was fraught then estranged after Aimee left the village to go to Harbin to study then onward to New York. Aimee or Amy has established for herself a life in New York. As with many diaspora, she feels her selves being split and this visit home to her family is not only for reconciliation with them.
Although knowing the village could be fictional, I couldn't help being inquisitive about Eternal Spring (would it be yongchun or yongquan?) With the clues in the text, I gather it's in the province of Heilongjiang in the Dongbei region, situated at the trifecta border of China, North Korea and Russia. Aimee's disorientation at finding the village turn from a few hundred population to a town of two hundred thousand after an oil boom is understandable. Reconnecting with her Manchu heritage and the redemptive love of family in Eternal Spring brings about an unexpected chrysalis transformation.
Thanks to Random House Canada and Netgalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review. The Light of Eternal Spring's publication date is 25th April 2023.
The stories of Manchu shamanism, folktales, mythology, culture and herbalism imparted by Aimee's mother when she was young form a guiding framework for her internal journey. The relationship was fraught then estranged after Aimee left the village to go to Harbin to study then onward to New York. Aimee or Amy has established for herself a life in New York. As with many diaspora, she feels her selves being split and this visit home to her family is not only for reconciliation with them.
Although knowing the village could be fictional, I couldn't help being inquisitive about Eternal Spring (would it be yongchun or yongquan?) With the clues in the text, I gather it's in the province of Heilongjiang in the Dongbei region, situated at the trifecta border of China, North Korea and Russia. Aimee's disorientation at finding the village turn from a few hundred population to a town of two hundred thousand after an oil boom is understandable. Reconnecting with her Manchu heritage and the redemptive love of family in Eternal Spring brings about an unexpected chrysalis transformation.
Thanks to Random House Canada and Netgalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review. The Light of Eternal Spring's publication date is 25th April 2023.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
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