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sonalipawar26's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
When Meilin loses her husband in the war and her home is destroyed, she packs all the essentials, including a cherished scroll from her beloved husband, in a basket and runs to the station with her son, Renshu, on her brother-in-law's orders to escape death.
From walking on foot to carrying Renshu in carts and selling her precious jewellery to afford food and to the final journey to Taiwan, Meilin and Renshu travel long distances to escape war and bloodshed. However, on this long and arduous journey, they can’t escape time, as Renshu grows up despite it all, and heartbreak, as they lose friends and loved ones along the way.
My heart was 100 per cent into this generational saga until Renshu had to bid goodbye to his mother and travel across oceans to study further. For me, Meilin was the strong foundation of this book, and when she appeared less and less, I disconnected from the narrative.
But the story picks up again when Renshu's (now Henry) daughter, Lily, tries to navigate the mixed emotions accompanying being biracial. While the time jump made Lily's narrative slightly rushed, Fu beautifully tied it all together, making my eyes water. Not to mention, she is a fabulous writer, making prose feel like poetry.
I reckon I had too many expectations from the book, which led to my lukewarm response to this historical saga. Regardless, I’d urge you to read this book to get some background on the impact of the war and post-war uprisings in China.
From walking on foot to carrying Renshu in carts and selling her precious jewellery to afford food and to the final journey to Taiwan, Meilin and Renshu travel long distances to escape war and bloodshed. However, on this long and arduous journey, they can’t escape time, as Renshu grows up despite it all, and heartbreak, as they lose friends and loved ones along the way.
My heart was 100 per cent into this generational saga until Renshu had to bid goodbye to his mother and travel across oceans to study further. For me, Meilin was the strong foundation of this book, and when she appeared less and less, I disconnected from the narrative.
But the story picks up again when Renshu's (now Henry) daughter, Lily, tries to navigate the mixed emotions accompanying being biracial. While the time jump made Lily's narrative slightly rushed, Fu beautifully tied it all together, making my eyes water. Not to mention, she is a fabulous writer, making prose feel like poetry.
I reckon I had too many expectations from the book, which led to my lukewarm response to this historical saga. Regardless, I’d urge you to read this book to get some background on the impact of the war and post-war uprisings in China.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Rape and Violence
Minor: Xenophobia
maritay918's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- 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
Reading the history of China and Taiwan through the lens of a family was an incredible experience. The resilience of Meilin, of everyone was heart-wrenching and inspiring at the same time. I don’t know how they walked through all that devastation over and over and we’re still hopeful, still willing to live on.
The picture into post WW2 America as it relates to immigrants, especially Chinese immigrants was not surprising, just disappointing. While I hated who Henry/Renshu became, I understood it. I am so very glad she allowed for redemption there. And even for Lily. Loved seeing her growth.
Stupendous work Melissa Fu!
The picture into post WW2 America as it relates to immigrants, especially Chinese immigrants was not surprising, just disappointing. While I hated who Henry/Renshu became, I understood it. I am so very glad she allowed for redemption there. And even for Lily. Loved seeing her growth.
Stupendous work Melissa Fu!
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Racial slurs, Rape, and Xenophobia
Minor: Suicide
moon_peach's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
The novel goes through 3 generations, each facing the difficulty of being Chinese.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, and War
owlsreads's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
5.0
A beautiful and heartbreaking read. I cry so hard at the last few chapters that I gave myself a headache.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and War
Moderate: Racism and Xenophobia
lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
4.0
I received a copy of this book as a gift.
"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.
"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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Grief, and War
Moderate: Rape and Colonisation
darkhorse488's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Xenophobia, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Racial slurs and Racism
roguephoenix7's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I initially struggled to get into this book but I found I couldn't put it down by the second half. My favorite part of the story was the characters and how they had a lot of depth to them despite seeing them in such a limited way. They were flawed, they didn't always make the right choice but you could always see why they made the choices they did. They thought they were doing the right thing with the circumstances they were dealt. The story is sad, it's one of loss and struggling to find a place to belong but the characters persist and create new lives for themselves. I enjoyed seeing the story progress through the three generations of the family. It added a lot of depth to the characters getting to see where they came from and how they were raised.
I'm glad I stuck through with this book, I definitely found it a worthwhile read.
I'm glad I stuck through with this book, I definitely found it a worthwhile read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: Child death and War
Minor: Racial slurs, Racism, and Xenophobia
qiaosilin's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Violence, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Grief, and War
Minor: Child death and Death
samlo28's review against another edition
3.75
“within every misfortune there is a blessing and within every blessing, the seeds of misfortune, and so it goes, until the end of time.”
i always like the idea of a generational story more than the story itself. when covering such a large period of time, a lot of events are just told to the reader which leads to a sense of detachment. i also find the transition from the first main character to the next main character dissatisfying.
that being said, i still enjoyed PEACH BLOSSOM SPRING, especially the first half that focused more on meilin. i was moved by her thoughtfulness and strength in the face of such horrors. i also loved the incorporation of stories and their importance.
unfortunately when the focus of the story shifted to renshu/henry, my enjoyment wavered. i understood his actions and decision-making process but it made for a tedious reading experience. my interest picked back up a bit with lily and i feel like the ending was strong, but it never quite reached the highs of the first half.
i always like the idea of a generational story more than the story itself. when covering such a large period of time, a lot of events are just told to the reader which leads to a sense of detachment. i also find the transition from the first main character to the next main character dissatisfying.
that being said, i still enjoyed PEACH BLOSSOM SPRING, especially the first half that focused more on meilin. i was moved by her thoughtfulness and strength in the face of such horrors. i also loved the incorporation of stories and their importance.
unfortunately when the focus of the story shifted to renshu/henry, my enjoyment wavered. i understood his actions and decision-making process but it made for a tedious reading experience. my interest picked back up a bit with lily and i feel like the ending was strong, but it never quite reached the highs of the first half.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and War
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Racial slurs and Xenophobia
strom007's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, and War