⭐️3⭐️

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

Peach Blossom Spring is beautifully written with excellent attention to detail. The characterisation is superb; unfortunately, I just found it slow-paced and, if I'm being honest, a little lacklustre.

Sadly, not the book for me.

One I struggled to get into at first, but well worth persevering.

Set in China during the Japanese invasion and subsequent civil war, we follow a family's struggle to flee, adapt and survive. Amidst the horrors, many homes and family members are lost but they live on through the stories we tell.

Renshu is only 4 when they first have to flee, but they will be uprooted many times more during his childhood. As they travel, his mother reads him stories from a beautiful scroll.

Through their hardship, Renshu manages to study hard, catch up on his missed schooling and earns a prestigious place at an American University. Still he is not safe and has to be very careful of who he speaks to and what he says.

He wants to shield his daughter from the political danger so says very little. However, she is still drawn to find out more where ever she can.

It took me a few starts and a while to get into this book but once I did, it reminded me of all the reasons I love historical fiction so much.

Set against the backdrop of China's war with Japan and the Chinese Civil War, the story follows Meilin and her son Renshu across continents and countries.

The story spans three generations and takes the reader on a roller coaster of a ride.

So much positive feedback on this one and excellent rating on StoryGraph, but I just couldn't get into this one for some reason. I quit at 31% because I just didn't feel invested enough. Interesting place and time to be reading about - you don't see it often, but I was clicking with the characters. I know of plenty of people who will love it though and will probably recommend it to them.

Despite promising reviews and a level of hype surrounding this I could not get very far. Other readers may love this but it was not for me.

I’m so glad there have been more narratives about this period of time, as I don’t think it is known, or spoken about enough.

This book is about three generations of a family. I learned so much about Chinas history in this book. It is written so
Beautifully. The ending was so emotional.

Beautiful scene setting from the start, with such an evocative effect that I was absorbed from the start. A strong addition to the Chinese historical fiction genre.

WW2, civil war in China and conflict with Japan is the backdrop for this heartbreaking story of how evil humans can be to each others but also one of extraordinary hope and love in ordinary people.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

I surprised myself by getting in this story quite quickly. It wasn't my usual type of read and I'm quite glad I went out of my comfort zone for it. I wasn't spellbound by it by any means, but I enjoyed the change of pace.

I have a deep appreciation for East Asian literature and this book is the perfect example for that.
Without spoiling anything, I’ll just say that this book tugged at my heart strings like no other.
Give it a try, you won’t be disappointed.

Well, this is certainly different to what I usually read, but in a good way, it's focused on a subject in history that I have, to be honest about and say don't know a lot about but I was thoroughly intrigued and the story kept me engaged throughout.

It's a sweetly tender and moving story, and it's definitely got the emotional pull, I did enjoy it though I didn't love it and I thought at times it was a wee too heavy for my liking and needs time set aside to fully appreciate the story.

Overall, an beautifully told story!

"Peach Blossom Spring" by Melissa Fu is a beautifully written debut novel that explores themes of identity, belonging, and family. Set in both contemporary New York City and China, the story follows the journey of a young Chinese American woman who travels to China to reconnect with her roots and uncover the secrets of her family's past. The rich descriptions of both settings and the nuanced portrayal of cultural differences make for an engaging read. Although the plot may be slow-paced at times, the vivid characters and introspective narrative make "Peach Blossom Spring" a thought-provoking and rewarding read.

Lovely read but long winded.
I read this on and off over a period of months as it is a nice read, but slow and long.

This book was stunning. I absolutely adored it. I felt every part of the sweeping journey through Meilin, Renshu and Lily’s elements of the story and the sense of grief, loss, trauma and identity really shone through. I can’t believe I have left it so long to pick this up.

I adored Meilin and her resilience. She showed so much strength and was such an incredible main character.

I genuinely didn’t know what to expect when starting, but I am blown away. I loved it.

long winded and rather dull I'm afraid. the characters seemed rubbery and unlikeable and the story just seemed strained

Peach Blossom Spring is a literary fiction that follows a Chinese family and their history in the dangerous situations they have to face in the continuously changing China. The story is interspersed with texts and a few historical context (that aren't verified) throughout the book. It is a very emotional story that illustrated familial relationships and how this can be impacted by cultural and societal expectations. I would highly recommend this book to my friends.

Thank you netgalley for the arc!

Peach Blossom Spring is the beautifully told story of three generations of a Chinese family as they experience love, war, migration and their driving need to belong.

Meilin leaves her home in order to protect her son Henry, and find somewhere safe for him to grow up. But without passports or papers to isn’t easy. She relies on her own abilities to survive along with the help she gets from others.

Henry goes to America to study at university and ends up staying on to work. He marries, gets a good job, and tries his best to be a good American. This is at a time of fear and suspicion of communists and everything either Chinese or Russian. Henry is terrified that he’ll draw the wrong kind of attention, and deprives his daughter of learning his language or traditions.

I felt so sorry for Meilin, left behind in Taiwan, so far from her son and unable to join him in America. I also felt for Henry, limited by his fear. But Henry’s daughter provides the bridge for Henry to return to his homeland.

I loved everything about this book - the settings, the history, the characters. And the fact that this is semi-autobiographical was just the icing on the cake.

A wonderful novel.

Initially, I found this quite hard to get into, which disappointed me a bit as I teach many Chinese students and love the premise of this book. I persevered and settled into it after a couple of chapters. Then I got it on Audible and it came even more vividly alive for me at that point and I was captivated, and transported and absolutely engrossed. Peach Blossom Spring is a beautiful beautiful saga spanning major events of recent Chinese history and the story-telling is authentic and compelling. I will read this again. It was absolutely worth sticking with.