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A review by ulanur
The Mountains Sing by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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
5.0
A stunningly beautiful story told through the eyes of Huong and her Grandmother, Dieu Lan, as they recount the story of their family as it unfolded before, during and after the Vietnam War. Huong's chapters start in the 70s in the middle of the War when she's a young child and alternate with her Grandmother narrating their family history to her starting from the 40s.
We learn so much through their eyes as they live through the rise of communism in the North, French and Japanese occupation, The Great Hunger, The Land Reform, all of which took countless lives. Dieu Lan was forced to flee her ancestral village with her children to save their lives. Motherhood is one of the strongest themes in this book, especially in Dieu Lan who does everything in her power to protect her children. It's such a beautiful and moving thread throughout the story that ties all the characters together.
Throughout the narrative, aspects of Vietnamese culture, language and history are interwoven, and though this is one family's story it highlights the losses many Vietnamese people experienced from decades of upheaval and families being ripped apart. I just loved all the Vietnamese sayings and proverbs that the author used continuously, they gave the story so much heart.
The Mountains Sing brought such a human element to a war which I have only ever heard about in statistics and in relation of other counties (especially America's warped view of it). Through one family you get a sense of the magnitude, of the suffering and especially women's contributions and personal sacrifices. I loved that the author didn't glorify any aspect of war, she showed with great compassion that any killing is horrific and focused on the victims, really driving home the fact that war is the real enemy. The level of empathy in this book just absolutely ripped my heart out
We learn so much through their eyes as they live through the rise of communism in the North, French and Japanese occupation, The Great Hunger, The Land Reform, all of which took countless lives. Dieu Lan was forced to flee her ancestral village with her children to save their lives. Motherhood is one of the strongest themes in this book, especially in Dieu Lan who does everything in her power to protect her children. It's such a beautiful and moving thread throughout the story that ties all the characters together.
Throughout the narrative, aspects of Vietnamese culture, language and history are interwoven, and though this is one family's story it highlights the losses many Vietnamese people experienced from decades of upheaval and families being ripped apart. I just loved all the Vietnamese sayings and proverbs that the author used continuously, they gave the story so much heart.
The Mountains Sing brought such a human element to a war which I have only ever heard about in statistics and in relation of other counties (especially America's warped view of it). Through one family you get a sense of the magnitude, of the suffering and especially women's contributions and personal sacrifices. I loved that the author didn't glorify any aspect of war, she showed with great compassion that any killing is horrific and focused on the victims, really driving home the fact that war is the real enemy. The level of empathy in this book just absolutely ripped my heart out