This book starts in 1938 when the Japanese are advancing in to China.

It is a really heartbreaking look at how young people had to flee their burning cities.

They can’t take much, but have to travel miles to escape.
The treasured possession - a beautifully illustrated hand scroll- offers comfort and wisdom as they escape.

Once settled in America the family are keen to understand there heritage, but the heartache makes it hard to talk about.

Peach Blossom Spring is a very moving book. The Hope for a better future, is all any parent wants for their family. Their search for a place to call home is a gripping read.

I enjoyed this book as it was reminiscent of a fictional 'Wild Swans' (which does get a mention in the text). As it was written from the perspective of a family who supported the Kuomintang rather than the Communist party, it gave an alternative viewpoint. I have been lucky enough to visit China and so am aware of the turbulent history and complicated relationship between different regions such as Communist mainland China with the island of Taiwan. This novel explores this time has only deepened my interest.

I found the characters to be believable, in particular the father's reluctance to discuss the war with his daughter reminded me of my late grandfather who refused to describe his military service beyond a few brief anecdotes. My initial reaction was to wonder why someone who spent so much time in a library did not do more reading around for herself but it is easy to forget how much access we have to information today than in the 80s and 90s when she was growing up. (For instance Wild Swans wasn't published until 1991).

An interesting read that I would certainly recommend.

The story of Peach Blossom Spring was really moving - Melissa Fu painted an evocative picture of the turmoil of early 20th century China, and how the effects of this turmoil have been passed on through the generations.

It reminded me a little of Wild Swans, however I personally preferred Wild Swans over Peach Blossom Spring as I found the writing in the former easier to connect to. This leads me to my main issue with Peach Blossom Spring: the writing. For whatever reason, I found it difficult to connect to the author's writing style, so I struggled to empathise with the characters, which somewhat lessened my enjoyment of the novel.

EPIC .  POETIC . TRAUMATIC .  BEAUTIFUL .  HOPEFUL . GUT-WRENCHING . THOUGHT PROVOKING

“𝐈 𝐠𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐏𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐦 𝐒𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐭, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐮𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞, 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨. 𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐨 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞? 𝐎𝐫 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞, 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧? 𝐈𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐚 𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠? 𝐈𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐚 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞?”

I absolutely devoured the first half of this book! It's odd because although it's only around 400 pages, it feels like an epic saga! Unfortunately, the second half of the book, once we left mainland China and the surrounding regions (once Renshu moved to the States and became Henry), was lost on me. There was so much detail and world building of their culture in the beginning, and soooo much to overcome, that it reads like an entire book in itself.

"She begins to feel the qualms of daring to look forward, to dream. In some ways, she's not sure which is more frightening"

I fell in love with Meilin's determination, strength, vulnerability and heart and loved the relationship that she cultivated for herself and her son Renshu. I also love that she doesn't try to shield him from life experiences, but tries her best to always enhance those experiences and push him to see his potential and the possibility that something good could form from what is.
 "All she wants is enough peace and stability for her boy to grow, to understand that the world is not always at war, that loss and flight are not life's primary experiences"

Sadly, once Renshu (now Henry), gets to the states, the change in pace made it harder for me to be invested.His relationship with Lily was... not what I expected but that's not entirely a bad thing.

I am an absolute sucker for intergenerational stories and I think this is an incredible example of a successful debut novel! Beautifully, thoughtfully and evocatively written.
A solid 3.5 stars

This book tells the story of a Chinese family's struggles over a century. From their escape from China to Taiwan and then on to America. An interesting book that seemed rushed in places. The Chinese history at the beginning was especially interesting but the book petered out towards the end as each characters story was not completed. It is almost as though it could have been written as a series, with each book concentrating on one person.
Thank you to NetGalley and Headline for the advance copy of this book.

3.99 stars I’d say; not *quite* 4. This should have felt a lot more beautiful than it did, and I think that’s because it was so rushed. It should have been an 800 page epic, but at less than half of that, I found it hard to feel as emotionally invested in the characters as I know I could have done. Things move way too quickly, ie. in almost a single sentence a character seems to go through puberty, finish school, think about university and graduate. Just like that. Had things been dwelled upon a bit more, the richness this story deserves would have tasted so much sweeter.

Peach Blossom Spring is a multi-generaltional novel from Melissa Fu, spanning a 70 year period starting from the Second Sino-Japanese War right up to the 21st century.
The story begins with our main protagonist Meilin having to flee her family home with her young son Renshu a few possessions as their city is under attack from the Japanese. The book brings us on a perilous journey across Mainland China and into Taiwan as they seek safety and a new place to call home. As they flee the invading army, the one connection to their roots is a beautiful hand scroll called Peach Blossom Spring that her husband had gifted her to build their future lives together. Meilin uses the scroll the retell traditional childhood stories to her son as he grows up and I absolutely loved her retelling of ancient Chinese stories and the life messages that she imparted when sharing these fables.
The story effortlessly glides through time as Renshu grows up and emigrates to the US and builds his life in a new country but brings the ghosts and fears of his childhood across as he marries and starts his own family and refuses to talk about the past and his heritage The story then really focuses on the generational trauma of immigration with his daughter Lily wanting to know more about her Chinese heritage and a desire to have more of a bond with her grandmother.
This is a wonderful debut novel and would really appeal to fans for historical fiction novels such as Pachinko or Wild Swans and my favourite part was the theme of resilience with a young mother trying to make a better life for her child in devasting circumstances.
Huge thank you to @netgalley and @headlinebooks for my ARC

I thought that this was a lovely and moving piece of work. It was evocative of the struggles faced by my own grandparents who also left China at that time and movingly described the struggles of leaving home and trying to find a new one.

I also loved the bonds that the author depicted between Renshun and his daughter.which felt incredibly poignant,

A must-read recommendation to anyone.

A beautiful love story that spans decades bringing with it a generations tragedies, thought to be based on a family member of the author, this lovely book becomes a piece of historical fiction.

Though beautiful, it was a very sad and slow paced book and it took me a bit of too-ing and fro-ing to get going on the book, that said it's a very touching piece of work and I think I'd recommend it to anyone despite it being historical fiction in genre. The story shows hardships especially through the years it is set in and I think the era makes the book a worth while read.

I thank Netgalley for this FREE ARC in return of my review. Many thanks!

A beautiful multi-generational story that spans several decades. Full of intriguing characters and tragedy.

I'd like to first say I appreciate this evocative story. Although fiction, it is based on the stories of the author's father. It is beautifully written.

But for me personally, it was too slow and too sad. I didn't connect to characters.

I did prefer the second half of the book though set in America, and the conflicts Renshu/Henry had to face. And the relationship with his daughter as she also doesn't know where she belongs as he won't tell her anything about her heritage.

Thank you to the publisher for an arc of this book, released March 2022.
3.5 stars

What a beautiful piece of historical fiction. This is not my genre of choice but I was engrossed and read this very quickly. Would recommend this even if its not your typical read

This is a novel that you really have to read. Its epic. Inspired by the story of the author's father and their family, we follow a family through war, migration and trying to survive. There's not much to say other than it is a novel begging to be read and which deserves to be celebrated. That cover is just wonderful too!

Peach Blossom Spring is about a Chinese family in 1938 who escape from China to Taiwan and then arrive to the USA. The story spans over 70 years.This story is steeped in history and family traditions and the struggles that Melin and her son Renshu endured as a refugee. It is beautifully written tale.
At I struggled at first with this story even though I did enjoy the first half of the story but as soon as Renshu arrived in the USA for me I thought the tale lost a bit of its magic. 3 .5 stars from me.

This is very much one of the most anticipated releases from @headlinebooks for next year. A gem of a novel, it spans from China 1938 right up to America 2005. Although a work of fiction, debut author Melissa Fu, draws on her own father’s complex story, of growing up in war torn China and then emigrating to the US. Strong themes of emigration, loss, heartache as well as love and hope are predominant throughout and really bring the reader on a journey.

In ‘Peach Blossom Spring’, we are first introduced to Meilin. Newly widowed and with a baby boy Renshu, Meilin must make a tough decision- to be consumed by the war or to flee from their home and make a better life for themselves. The novel takes us from Chongqing to Shanghai to Taiwan, where we then follow Renshu’s story to the USA. Full of hope, longing and heartbreak, this novel educates you.. not just on the plight of the poor working class in China, but also of the aches and pains of being an immigrant in a country where the culture and language are completely different. We also get a glimpse of the types of attitudes that mixed race children deal with as Lily, Renshu’s daughter, grows up in the US. The importance of family is a huge theme throughout the novel as you begin to realise that even though miles apart, a connection to home is always present.

I really liked this novel. Spanning decades, continents and important historical events, Melissa Fu did an amazing job of writing such a vast story. The author doesn’t bog you down with historical facts which I liked and really gave a good insight into what it felt like to live through war, but also the paranoia that stays with you when you come from a communist country. Interspersed with Chinese folk tales and descriptions of life in China and Taiwan it made me want to travel. Always a good sign.

If you are a fan of historical fiction, then this is a must read for you. One that brings all the emotions, keep the box of Kleenex handy at the end.

4⭐️ from me.

Outstanding. A period of history I know little about but after reading this book I feel compelled to find out more. As I was reading something triggered memories of Tiananmen Square being mentioned when I was a child but knew nothing about why it had happened. Nor did I know about the devastation caused by the Japanese in China during WW2. We have now dug out several documentaries on the events to watch.

The characters were all likeable and relatable too. I initially struggled with the names and remembering who was who but I think that was as I am not used to reading books about Chinese people. Even they taught me something and how names were switched around.

The storyline was very strong and kept the reader gripped right until the very last page. Parts made me appreciate how hard it was in earlier years growing up mixed race, something thankfully that is far more common and accepted now. I don't want to spoil the story for others but I probably enjoyed the parts in China and Taiwan the most and learnt the most from them. Lily's university years did seem to be somewhat skipped over but I appreciate the author probably thought the book was long enough!

I would have no hesitation in recommending this book to others and hope the author writes more. Thank you for such a brilliant read and congratulations on your first novel.

A beautiful tale describing the heritage of a whole set of people, woven through China, Taiwan and the United States. The storytelling is sublime, even the passages that describe difficult and harrowing times are absorbing, engaging and quietly descriptive. The author weaves the generations together, the 20th century history of China providing the backdrop to the story. It feels that it has been researched excellently with a depth of knowledge that shines through despite the apparent simplicity of the narrative. Interesting characters - I really wanted to know more about each and every one of them, even those that made others’ lives difficult. The power of relationships and family (whether by birth, marriage or circumstance) underpin this brilliant and interesting story.

Took a while to read, worth savouring and definitely worth 5*. Can’t stop thinking about it, even a few days later. A talented writer - I look forward to her next novel.

I received an early copy of this book for my independent honest review. Wow where to start with a review for this book. There is so much to praise.
It is a multi generational story about the lives of Meilin, the mother,her Son Renshu and his daughter Lily Dao. It starts in 1938 China where Meilin lives with her husband, young Son Renshu and her husband's extended family. It is a beautifully written,thought provoking,emotional read. It catalogues the troubles between Japan and China with such detail,that I felt like I was actually there too. These were dangerous times and Meilin becomes widowed and she has to flee their home with a young Renshu and brother in law's family. She migrated from place to place selling what few possessions she managed to grab and by sewing for richer families. Whatever Meilin has to do to keep her young Son safe. As a mother myself I could feel her anguish,her protectiveness and how she tried to shield him from atrocities that no human should encounter never mind a young child.
To keep up his moral and hope for the future, she tells stories from a scroll full of fable and peach blossom trees. The characters are so well developed that there is a sense you know them and travelling with them.
Eventually they have to flee China to Taiwan in fear of their lives.
Renshu studies hard and moves to America to attend University there. Meilin does everything in her power to give him a better life full of opportunities and he marries,settles in the USA and has a daughter Lily. Renshu never really feels like he belongs in America,he constantly lives with the images and fear from his childhood. The sacrifices Meilin has made to give him a better life weighs heavy on his mind as she lived so far away in Taiwan.
His Daughter Lily having been raised in the States by an American Mother and Chinese Father has to deal with a different generation of problems and doesn't feel like she belongs either. She constantly searches for her place in the world and who she really is. Lily cannot understand her Father's fears and reluctance to follow Chinese culture like other American mixed race families. She hasn't lived through what he has.
This wonderful book expertly portrays,loss,fear,pride,tradition,the extent ofmotherly love and how the human spirit can overcome adversity in the face of the most difficult of times.
I highly recommend you read this book. It is one you will not stop thinking about long after.
It is exquisite.

I went into reading this book with no expectations. I'm not a massive reader of historical fiction but the draw of the Chinese history and cultural representation peaked my interest... And I found that there were a few things within that really resonated with me and were so alike to my own experiences as a half-Chinese person.

At it's heart this is a story about the power of stories, and human will and determination against adversity. Meilin is such a heartwarming character throughout such an arduous and at times heartbreaking story.

I really loved this book and the way Melissa has interwoven history throughout this story with such a richness. She has struck a really nice balance between history and storytelling! I loved the journey that I was taken on and found myself really rooting for Meilin, Dao Renshu and Longwei to find their small slice of happiness in an ever changing and challenging landscape.

A rare 5/5 read for me. I loved it!

Peach Blossom Spring by Melissa Fu ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book is as beautiful on the inside as it is on the outside!

It follows three generations, starting in 1938 China with Meilin, a young widow who has to flee the advancing Japanese army with her young son Renshu, eventually settling in Taiwan.

Years later Renshu has settled in America and started his own family, his daughter Lily is eager to find out more about her Chinese heritage but Renshu (now known as Henry) is reluctant to relive his turbulent childhood.

The book is brilliantly researched with beautiful descriptions and I learnt so much by reading it.
I loved the bond between mother and son at the beginning of the book (which reminded me a bit of the one found in American Dirt) and the sacrifices Meilin made.

It’s not out until next year but know it’s going to be a huge success 🌸