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retiredlibrarylady's review against another edition
4.0
A different time and place for historical fiction. China, before the Japanese invasion as well as during and after. Americans training Chinese men to be resistance fighters against the Japanese. Wonderful picture of rural Chinese life before and just after WWII.
hileahrious's review against another edition
2.0
I would not recommend this book. It’s basically the story of suffering of a young woman on behalf of stupid, selfish, creepy men, then retold from their perspectives. Lame! It’s well-written in some parts and others not… perhaps that’s due to translation, idk.
constantreader471's review against another edition
4.0
4 stars for a literary fiction book that is a story of how WWII affected 4 people in a small village in China. This book was written in Chinese and translated into English. The translation is excellent.
It is a love story of 3 men, American soldier Ian Ferguson, American missionary/doctor Pastor Billy and local soldier Liu Zhaohu, all of whom fall in love with Ah Yan, also known as Swallow. Pastor Billy calls her Stella, Ian calls her Wende. and Liu calls her Yao Ah Yan "Swallow."
Pastor Billy teaches her enough medical skills so that she can become a rural doctor. I don't want to go into spoiler territory, but there is rape in this story and it affects how these 3 people relate to each other.The story is told from the viewpoints of the three men in flashbacks. The 3 men come together after they are dead as ghosts.
If you like fiction with a strong woman protagonist, you should like this story. It was an Amazon eBook.
Some quotes:
"Ah Yan had laughed at how my father spoke as if fog really had substance. My father had tapped her head with his bamboo chopsticks, and said, “You don’t believe me? Well, people eat dogs, dogs eat shit, and tea leaves eat fog. Look at all the good tea leaves around the world and tell me, which does not come from a misty mountain?”
"Time is a miraculous thing. It can wear down the thorns of emotion, gradually eroding them to dust, and from this dust, a new sprout grows."
"The sunflowers were full and solid, each golden face looking like a woman who knows how to flirt, free of bashfulness, turned to look at the sky. Everything was golden that day—the rows of finely scattered clouds on the horizon, the bees buzzing on the open flowers, the butterflies flitting through the forest, and the dew clinging to each leaf. I closed my eyes, imprinting the golden memory on my mind as I breathed in the golden breeze. When I opened my eyes again, I suddenly noticed a figure wearing a golden straw hat in the heart of the sunflower forest. "
It is a love story of 3 men, American soldier Ian Ferguson, American missionary/doctor Pastor Billy and local soldier Liu Zhaohu, all of whom fall in love with Ah Yan, also known as Swallow. Pastor Billy calls her Stella, Ian calls her Wende. and Liu calls her Yao Ah Yan "Swallow."
Pastor Billy teaches her enough medical skills so that she can become a rural doctor. I don't want to go into spoiler territory, but there is rape in this story and it affects how these 3 people relate to each other.The story is told from the viewpoints of the three men in flashbacks. The 3 men come together after they are dead as ghosts.
If you like fiction with a strong woman protagonist, you should like this story. It was an Amazon eBook.
Some quotes:
"Ah Yan had laughed at how my father spoke as if fog really had substance. My father had tapped her head with his bamboo chopsticks, and said, “You don’t believe me? Well, people eat dogs, dogs eat shit, and tea leaves eat fog. Look at all the good tea leaves around the world and tell me, which does not come from a misty mountain?”
"Time is a miraculous thing. It can wear down the thorns of emotion, gradually eroding them to dust, and from this dust, a new sprout grows."
"The sunflowers were full and solid, each golden face looking like a woman who knows how to flirt, free of bashfulness, turned to look at the sky. Everything was golden that day—the rows of finely scattered clouds on the horizon, the bees buzzing on the open flowers, the butterflies flitting through the forest, and the dew clinging to each leaf. I closed my eyes, imprinting the golden memory on my mind as I breathed in the golden breeze. When I opened my eyes again, I suddenly noticed a figure wearing a golden straw hat in the heart of the sunflower forest. "
mugglemom's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent storytelling! The English translation is superior. The sprinkling of woo-woo was a bit different but by the end of the story, it was just a delivery method.
The best advice is to get the audiobook with full cast narrators. They nailed the cadence and provided exceptional context. I got the free ebook from Amazon but I am so glad I purchased the accompanying audiobook.
I got emotionally invested with every single character especially Ah Yan/Swallow/Stella/Wendy and the ending was as satisfying as it should have been. Nobody gets out unscathed in the story or in the real life - FACT! The historical aspects were grisly and accurate, and that alone was worth the hours spent listening to the audiobook. The author created a realistic atmosphere throughout the novel and I loathed any interruptions and finished the book as fast as I could.
Definitely recommend.
The best advice is to get the audiobook with full cast narrators. They nailed the cadence and provided exceptional context. I got the free ebook from Amazon but I am so glad I purchased the accompanying audiobook.
I got emotionally invested with every single character especially Ah Yan/Swallow/Stella/Wendy and the ending was as satisfying as it should have been. Nobody gets out unscathed in the story or in the real life - FACT! The historical aspects were grisly and accurate, and that alone was worth the hours spent listening to the audiobook. The author created a realistic atmosphere throughout the novel and I loathed any interruptions and finished the book as fast as I could.
Definitely recommend.
gooders's review against another edition
4.0
This book has taken me almost two weeks to read! I’m generally a quick reader, but my kindle kept telling me that the chapters were 40 minutes long! So I could usually only read a chapter a night, sometimes not even that!
A Single Swallow is set during the Anti-Japanese War (WWII - what a shock, I am a bit obsessed). The story is told by three ghosts. The ghosts were once men, all involved in the war, and who, after war was declared to be over, celebrated together and made a pact to return to the same place on the same date every year once they were dead, as they knew they’d never see each other again after that night.
They each explain what happened in their life, with the central person for each of them being Ah Yan, translated as Swallow. She is known by a different name to each man.
Their lives tell the story of her life. The horror and trauma, alongside the hope and love.
An interesting story, with a factual backdrop.
I debated between 3 or 4 stars for this for two main reasons.
1. A story told by ghosts is not really my cup of tea.
2. One entire chapter is two ghosts dogs talking to each other.
A Single Swallow is set during the Anti-Japanese War (WWII - what a shock, I am a bit obsessed). The story is told by three ghosts. The ghosts were once men, all involved in the war, and who, after war was declared to be over, celebrated together and made a pact to return to the same place on the same date every year once they were dead, as they knew they’d never see each other again after that night.
They each explain what happened in their life, with the central person for each of them being Ah Yan, translated as Swallow. She is known by a different name to each man.
Their lives tell the story of her life. The horror and trauma, alongside the hope and love.
An interesting story, with a factual backdrop.
I debated between 3 or 4 stars for this for two main reasons.
1. A story told by ghosts is not really my cup of tea.
2. One entire chapter is two ghosts dogs talking to each other.
jess_84's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
slow-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
trisha_thomas's review against another edition
3.0
This was a very well told, fascinating story about the effect of war on people and on love. I liked the characters and the way the story is told. It was a heartbreaking but also showed the redemption or other side of war and perseverance. Although a few parts felt a little repetitive and there were a few slow parts, I really liked this one!
bags_and_bookz's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you Netgalley, Amazon Crossing and Zhang Ling for free e-ARC in return of my honest review.
This is a story of a young Chinese girl through the eyes of three men who loved her. Three men - Pastor Billy, brash gunner’s mate Ian Ferguson, and local soldier Liu Zhaohu - agreed that their souls would meet in a Chinese village of their youth each year on the anniversary of the Japanese emperor surrender in 1945 after death. Seventy years later, the pledge is fulfilled and they exchange stories about the girl.
I found approach to tell her story through men eyes very interesting. The story line is not linear which gives the novel a special charm. I think all main characters are well developed throughout the story. The only thing I wished for is the girl’s, Swallow, perspective on the events of her life. I wish I could see deeper into her own story without middlemen.
This is a story of a young Chinese girl through the eyes of three men who loved her. Three men - Pastor Billy, brash gunner’s mate Ian Ferguson, and local soldier Liu Zhaohu - agreed that their souls would meet in a Chinese village of their youth each year on the anniversary of the Japanese emperor surrender in 1945 after death. Seventy years later, the pledge is fulfilled and they exchange stories about the girl.
I found approach to tell her story through men eyes very interesting. The story line is not linear which gives the novel a special charm. I think all main characters are well developed throughout the story. The only thing I wished for is the girl’s, Swallow, perspective on the events of her life. I wish I could see deeper into her own story without middlemen.