A review by winyeemichelle
Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang
5.0
Wild Swans by Jung Chang was the May/June non-fiction choice in Jess’ Patreon book club and so I finally got round to reading this tome. A global phenomenon, this memoir traces back three generations of Chang women in Maoist China. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and found it both valuable and entertaining – although that seems like a strange word in this context!
Jung Chang has a lovely lyrical way with words throughout this book. It makes for a smooth reading experience and, as a reader, you feel drawn into almost every scenario. Chang’s grandmother and mother went through some undoubtedly harrowing experiences and it is a credit to Jung that their stories could be so graciously shared and in such minute detail. It is these details that piece the story together in such a perfect way.
This is a big tome, so I was worried about whether my attention would be properly captivated throughout the duration of the book but I needn’t have worried. Like I said, Chang does have a lyrical way with words in telling her family’s stories. At times, it felt stunted and there were a few sentences set up in the same way that I always find sounds funny. I suppose this added to the feeling of mundanity, repetitiveness and oppression of the time. The scope and execution of Wild Swans is just incredible. It's hard to put into words: I feel enriched for having read about Chang's family, and learning about Communist China under Mao in this medium. It's persistent and unflinching. One I'll savour forever, and certainly dip back into again.
Jung Chang has a lovely lyrical way with words throughout this book. It makes for a smooth reading experience and, as a reader, you feel drawn into almost every scenario. Chang’s grandmother and mother went through some undoubtedly harrowing experiences and it is a credit to Jung that their stories could be so graciously shared and in such minute detail. It is these details that piece the story together in such a perfect way.
This is a big tome, so I was worried about whether my attention would be properly captivated throughout the duration of the book but I needn’t have worried. Like I said, Chang does have a lyrical way with words in telling her family’s stories. At times, it felt stunted and there were a few sentences set up in the same way that I always find sounds funny. I suppose this added to the feeling of mundanity, repetitiveness and oppression of the time. The scope and execution of Wild Swans is just incredible. It's hard to put into words: I feel enriched for having read about Chang's family, and learning about Communist China under Mao in this medium. It's persistent and unflinching. One I'll savour forever, and certainly dip back into again.