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A review by inkreads
Their Divine Fires by Wendy Chen
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
- 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
Their Divine Fires by Wendy Chen Narrated by Katharine Chin is more than just a novel, it is a lyrical opus of a families story spanning a century. More than this, it is a family that is symbolic of the human face of enduring through incredibly tumultuous and under-reported times in history. The human face of the people of China
This audiobook was breathtaking to the extent that the book is immediately on my keeper list (I will also quantify this by my own mother having a similar story so this resonated with me on so many levels)
Katharine Chin is a phenomenal narrator and is well suited to the elegant lyricism of the narrative even when the storyline went to more dark and tense places. Beautifully done
I am astounded that this is a debut novel. Gobsmacked. Wendy Chen brings together family history and weaves it with folklore and the history of 20th century China, travelling from the story of her great grandmother to the dichotomy between two cousins in 2018, one in Boston, one still in China
Heart-rending and awe-inspiring, Chen draws the reader into a time long gone, to the fear and bravery of the people through the end days of feudalism, the Cultural Revolution, occupation by the Japanese and the uprising and terror of the 1980's and unrest of the 90s (I remember so well the news reports and the sadly poignant imagery of the time)
This is a novel that arfully draws together the trifecta of family history, historical events and folklore and weaves together an epic page-turner
Absolutely astounding
Thank you to Netgalley, Hachette Audio | Algonquin Books, the author Wendy Chen and narrator Katharine Chin for this stunning ALC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own
This audiobook was breathtaking to the extent that the book is immediately on my keeper list (I will also quantify this by my own mother having a similar story so this resonated with me on so many levels)
Katharine Chin is a phenomenal narrator and is well suited to the elegant lyricism of the narrative even when the storyline went to more dark and tense places. Beautifully done
I am astounded that this is a debut novel. Gobsmacked. Wendy Chen brings together family history and weaves it with folklore and the history of 20th century China, travelling from the story of her great grandmother to the dichotomy between two cousins in 2018, one in Boston, one still in China
Heart-rending and awe-inspiring, Chen draws the reader into a time long gone, to the fear and bravery of the people through the end days of feudalism, the Cultural Revolution, occupation by the Japanese and the uprising and terror of the 1980's and unrest of the 90s (I remember so well the news reports and the sadly poignant imagery of the time)
This is a novel that arfully draws together the trifecta of family history, historical events and folklore and weaves together an epic page-turner
Absolutely astounding
Thank you to Netgalley, Hachette Audio | Algonquin Books, the author Wendy Chen and narrator Katharine Chin for this stunning ALC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own