Reviews

Daughter of China by Larry Engelmann, Meihong Xu

vikingwolf's review against another edition

3.0

Since I read 'Wild Swans' I've been fascinated by stories of life in Communist China before, during and after the Cultural Revolution. I first read this book in the library then hunted down my own copy.

Meihong Xu is a patriotic young woman who wants to serve her country but when she meets the foreigners, hears about new ways to live and learns about love, she is not so sure of what she is doing. Branded as a traitor and scared she might die, her only hope is to get out of China with help from an American professor friend.

You get so involved in this story that it makes you angry and sad, and also makes you grateful to live in a liberal country with more personal freedom.

Book rating: 3/5

solaana's review against another edition

3.0

Definitely interesting while she was in the Red Army or whatever they called it during the Cultural Revolution, less so after she makes it to Canada or wherever she went, and then comes back.

rosie29's review against another edition

3.0

This was an interesting read because it came from a different perspective. I read Feather in the Storm: A Childhood Lost in Chaos where it was written from a farmers point of view. In Daughter of China it was written from someone who was accepted and trained as a PLA officer. In that aspect it was interesting to compare the two lives. However I didn't care for the writing. It had no flow and very choppy and sometimes confusing. You never knew which part of her life you would read next.

haneve's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

jjjreads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

alurenea's review against another edition

4.0

Interesting story, moving and powerful, I admire Meihong and Larry for their strength and resilience in the hardships they endured.