This huge, sweeping debut novel by Cambridge-based author Melissa Fu started life as nothing more than a short piece of writing about her father’s fruit trees, and ended up a multigenerational tale spanning 70 years, unpicking China’s tumultuous 20th century.

The story opens quietly in Changsha, in 1938, in the home of Dao Hongtse and his three wives (whose ‘names are not important’) plus his sons, Dao Longwei and Dao Xiaowen, who are both far from home ‘protecting the future of the Republic’. Shui Meilin, the wife of Dao Xiaowen, is diligently at work in her husband’s family antiques business. Her three-year-old son Renshu and his young cousin Liling charge around her feet, screaming with laughter, before Dao Longwei’s fearsome wife Wenling crossly retrieves her daughter from the room, and the youngest generation are begrudgingly put to bed. The gentle domesticity of the scene is offset by the knowledge that the Japanese are advancing and, later in 1938, the Changsha fire would see 30,000 people lose their lives. It’s that tragedy which forces Meilin to flee with Renshu and begin her huge journey to safety, wherever that might be. The family takes comfort from a small, illustrated hand scroll containing ancient fables and stories, given by Xiaowen to Meilin. Huddled on boat decks or in the back of wagons, they read it for guidance – Meilin deliberately altering the ending of the harder stories to give her young son hope – while waiting to see what fate might deal them next.

The book follows their escape to Taiwan and the terrifying choices they have to make en route – then Renshu’s eventual journey through education to America, and a new life (and new name) studying engineering even further from home. But even in this new, safer land, unforeseen challenges arise. Although fiction, this makes a fascinating overview of China’s recent history and – on a smaller scale – is a beautiful tale of love, loss and just how far a parent will go for their child. Perfect winter reading on darker evenings.

Featured in Book Club in the November 2021 issue of Cambridge Edition magazine

I loved this book! It grabs you from the beginning and you’re hooked until the end. It’s has a lot of parallels with Pachinko, though it’s about the Japan-China wars rather than Japan-Korea, and it’s way less sad and depressing than Pachinko. A much subtler read, spanning several generations and really insightful when it comes to migration within and beyond China. Some really beautiful writing, I was sometimes lost in the political background to the story but I didn’t feel I had to engage with that aspect to really enjoy the book. Really lovely!

This story follows a multigenerational family, spanning 70 years. A story of love, loss and hope.

We start in 1938 in war-torn China, about a family of refugees fleeing their country. It focuses mainly on Meilin and her son in their tiring journey through China and Taiwan. And then on Renshu's life in America and finally about his daughter. I loved this book so much. Meilin's resilience, her love for her son and her will to protect him, it was beautiful and saddening to read about. Their life was surely one of hardship and how Meilin did anything and everything to make sure her son was able to grow up well was truly an act of motherhood.

Finally, when Renshu gets an opportunity to go to America for his higher studies, it seemed as if he could leave this life behind but even in a country that's miles away from his home, he has to be wary of who he is because his past could still put him and his mother back home in danger. This is turn affects his daughter's life because he doesn't let her embrace her identity as an Asian American in fear of what China would do to them.

The plot was very gripping but heart-wrenching, the characters were beautifully developed throughout the story and the writing was poetic and gentle. I read historical fiction after so long and it did not disappoint. This was highly impressive for a debut novel and it makes me sad that I cannot immediately read any more of Melissa Fu's works.

a beautiful story spanning 70 years, full of hope, loss, longing, belonging, loving.

the writing was soft, honest, and straightforward, and i felt every emotion intensely because of this. i connected with the characters and it felt like i was with them at every stage of their lives. i was immersed in the storytelling and found myself so invested in their lives. i got goosebumps several times while reading and even teared up a little towards the end. their simple joys, hardships, journey, conversations, etc. resonated with me. i am impressed with Fu's skill to deliver such an amazing heartfelt story for a debut novel. fans of historical fiction must read this!

DNF'ed @ 20%.
I don't really want to class this as a DNF because I know I'll come back to it eventually. I'm just struggling with it at the moment, being a mood reader. The writing is gorgeous and the plot is intriguing, it's my own fault that I'm not connecting with it. I can't wait to come back to it in the future and fall in love with the writing.

Thanks to Netgalley, Melissa Fu and the publisher for a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

I have recently got into historical fiction, and this one kept me interested in the genre. I loved this book and read it within a couple of days.

It was emotional and heartbreaking and, although I had little to no knowledge of Chinese history, I was engaged in this book and the characters.

I devoured this beautiful novel so quickly I may have set myself a new personal best. This was one of my most anticipated releases for next year and it didn’t disappoint in any way, I can’t wait to receive my finished copy so that I can relive the story all over again. If you haven’t already preordered this one, I encourage you to seriously do so, do not sleep on this book!

This novel is about a Chinese family trying to find safety as a Civil War across the mainland and a deadly conflict with Japan see them flee from Japanese bombers, and the equally terrifying Chinese Civil War. Throughout all of their fleeing, they managed to keep hold of an illustrated scroll containing ancient fables from their world and they read them to keep their hope and faith that they will get through this turmoil. Having Meilin read through the fables on there was captivating.

I was gripped from start to finish and I just couldn’t put this one down, it was hauntingly beautiful while simultaneously being utterly terrifying to read. The characters were relatable and real, in a lot of novels that are based around war you can feel like the characters just aren’t real and their actions to their circumstances aren’t believable, but this is not the case in this book. My heart bled for these characters, and I can’t count the amount of tears I shed for them while they were just trying to find a safe place to call home, all the while staying loyal to themselves and their familial bonds.

Melissa Fu has managed to provide us with a novel that shows us the history of a very fragmented nation at a time where so many things were going wrong in the world. She writes with such a gentle grace that although you are affected by what you’re reading, you know she’s protecting you from the harshness of the reality that this novel is based on. This may seem like a novel about the harsh consequences of war, but at it’s core it’s about the struggles of loyalty to both family and country while knowing when it’s time to cut ties and put roots down somewhere else, whilst you know, trying to stay alive in a world gone wrong.

Thank you to Headline for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Meilin lives with her husband and his family, they have a young son Renshu . As WWII starts her husband and his brother join the KK... sadly only the brother comes home.

The story is about their life, the struggles during WWII , the civil war and their later rush to leave Shanghai to Tawain.

Renshu works hard at school and is eventually offered a graduate course until the USA. Renshu westernises his name to Henry. Henry works hard, marries Rachel and they have a daughter Lily. Henry tries to ignore most of his life before America, with the exception of his mother who continues to live in Tawain.

I felt a lot of the story was rushed ... probably trying to cram near 70 years on one book...an interesting read nonetheless .

Really beautifully written! I loved this book. I thought it was incredibly beautiful, emotional and so innate. A beautiful piece of historical fiction.

What's the book about?

It's 1938, Meilin and her four-year-old son, Renshu, are forced to flee their home in China in search of refuge. They can only rely only on their wits and a beautifully illustrated hand scroll filled with ancient fables that offers solace and wisdom.

Years later, Renshu settles in America as Henry Dao. His daughter is eager to learn about her ancestors but Henry refuses to discuss the past. Lily must dig into the family's history to discover who she is.


My thoughts:
A fantastically moving and heartbreaking story. I absolutely loved the journey this book took me on. Such a touching and compelling story. The characters are beautifully written and I connected with them right from the get go.

I really enjoyed reading this debut historical fiction novel by Melissa Fu! Before reading Peach Blossom Spring, I had limited knowledge of Chinese history during the 20th Century and I feel I learnt so much through this beautiful story of 3 generations. Melissa's writing is so engaging and you felt completely captivated by Meilin, Henry and Lily's journey from China to Taiwan to America.

A very interesting read that I would definitely recommend.

This is not my usual kind of book but I was keen to read a different genre and a debut novel. All about family, migration, loyalty and traditions and this intrigued me. It was a well written, enjoyable read and emotions all over the place. I enjoyed learning about the Chinese tradition and family.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion

Eye-catchingly described as 'Spanning continents and generations, Peach Blossom Spring is a bold and moving look at the history of modern China, told through the story of one family. It's about the power of our past, the hope for a better future, and the search for a place to call home', Peach Blossom Spring is a novel that sure lived up to its wonderous reviews and promise of plot. This is a tenderly written novel that follows three generations of a Chinese family before and long after the japanese invasion of China. The POV is introduced in China in 1938 and carries on until the present day with different characters leading the narrative and contributing along to make this a grand story.. While It was at times harrowing, there was still hope shining like that light at the end of a dark tunnel. For a debut novel this was incredibly impressive. Overall enjoyed it.

This is the story of a family whose history is disrupted and broken by the wars in China, first the Japanese invasion in the second world war and then the civil and cultural wars. It stretches over a lifetime, but also the poetry and folk tales of China play a big part in relaying a changing culture, where friendship and love triumph over the devastation of dislocation and mistrust.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the characters in a world of which I was quite ignorant. China’s modern history was quite confusing to me, but I learnt a lot from this work of fiction/fact. The political limbo of expats in America was quite eye opening, and made me appreciate how difficult it must have been to keep a sense of cultural identity. The writing is wonderfully evocative of time and place, and quite beautiful.

I loved this book!!! I found it hard to believe that it is a debut novel. Telling the story of three generations of a family, the reader is taken from China during the 2nd World War and Civil War in the 30's and 40's, to the mass migration of families to Taiwan to escape the Japanese and then the rise of communism, to building a new life in the US for Renshu. The descriptions of China and Taiwan are wonderful and you really are transported by visions, smells and situations. I had little knowledge of the plight of the people of China during this time and the continuing problems for Taiwan today. It is impossible to understand unless you have been through it yourself but a book like this gives you some insight into the horrors that people all over the world are subjected to. The inhumanity is hard to fathom.
A very powerful story of great hardship, grief, loss and hope.

The story of a Chinese family looking to find a new home.
I found this story too slow for me and the characters hard to relate to.
I did enjoy reading about the family’s heritage and traditions.
Thank you to NetGalley and Headline for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

This novel spans three generations starting in China and ending in America. The heart of the story is on Meilin the grandmother, Renshu/Henry the son and Lily the granddaughter. I found this really hard to get into at first as it just didn't grip me like other novels. In many ways it reminds me of Wild Swans such as the story lines and the settings but the writing isn't as  evocative in my opinion. It is quite a sad story with it focusing a lot on loss and constantly being on the look out for danger or being on the move. Overall it is a pleasant book but cannot compare to Wild Swans.

I loved this book, the writing was poetic, lyrical and very well done. I would highly recommend this one.

I didn't really know much about the history of modern China, but that didn't detract from my enjoyment of this book at all. Fu doesn't presume knowledge of the history, the book focusses more on the characters and the relationship to their heritage. I loved the characters of Renshu/Henry and Meilin, Meilin's strength and desire to do anything for her child is inspiring and heartbreaking. Henry's questioning of his heritage after his move and his transition into fatherhood is believable. It is a sweeping historical novel which incorporates family dynamics and relationships, the history of modern China and the immigrant experience.

I will definitely be purchasing Melissa Fu's next book!

Beautiful

I have so few words to describe how incredible this book is! Everything from the raw emotion and feeling throughout to the character development through the timeline.

The feeling of knowing that certain sad things are going to happen but you’re really just hoping that it won’t and it will all be happiness and sunshine and little ducks but oh no. Crying time 👍

This book is dense and long and difficult and perfect in every way because of this. You’re living Renshu’s life alongside him, feeling everything.

Read this and cry x

Have you ever read a book that is so good that when you start reading it, it’s like you belong there with the characters’ story or better yet, that story feels like it’s your own, and when you’re reading it, it’s all so familiar that you forget that the people you are reading about are just ink on paper and not your real family members? Then next thing after the book ends, you’re like a whole new person and you can see the characters have grown up with you through the journey? And, then this book becomes a part of your personality because you literally can’t stop recommending it to people?

If not, then this one might do the trick for you.

I got the free ARC of this book from Netgalley in return of an honest review. It’s actually one of the firsts on my Netgalley shelf that got approved so I was happy beyond words! When I first saw this book it was a beautiful artwork of a cover, a lovely title and a blurb that tells me it’s a historical fiction blended with folktales thrown here and there around the edges? I was like, sign me up! and I hit the request button. Next thing I know it’s sitting on my shelf. I never felt so alive.

Peach Blossom Spring is a story about knowing one’s history and how it defines and develops them. The story begins with Meilin getting the news that her husband, Xiowen who had gone to war will now never come back home and that with the Japanese army approaching, Meilin and her four year old son, Renshu will have to flee from everything that they call their own. Set in 1938 in China, Meilin and Renshu have nothing left but courage to look for better days and a beautifully illustrated hand scroll that promises them just that. This story spans the duration of several years beginning from the second Sino-Japanese war in 1938 to the bleak days of cold war to the modern days in 2005 and reflects on how what happened so far back in history still affects today’s generation. It’s told through a multi-generational point of view which means that we get to see how three different generations of a single family gets affected by their common past that got lost along the way.

When I started reading this book, I got immediately sucked into the world. The language and the narration throughout the story is so natural and easy to understand. The diction was beautiful and poetic but still simplistic in a way that is to say, not too wordy either. It just flows smoothly throughout the story. The description and the pacing was immaculate itself. There were times where the pacing slowed down a little bit but it was all nicely timed. Not too slow but not too rushed either. Just enough to keep you interested and so it was un-put-down-able. Although I HAD TO put it aside a few times because apparently I have a life outside books but otherwise I was very much on it.

Can you guess what my favourite part was? Obviously, the stories! (I have a thing for stories with moral/hidden messages, you see) Meilin invariably narrates many folktales with moral messages and hidden meanings throughout the novel. Some of these I had already known but were my favourite, so I didn’t mind reading them all over again as a grown up now. In fact, what moved me to read this book after reading the blurb, seconds before requesting this book was the fact that it had stories. When I got approved, I was counting on them and you bet it was worth it.

Apart from stories, there was another thing that I loved about this book, and it was that this is a book about many things. I can read it whichever way I want. There are many feminist themes here which I could follow with Meilin’s persistent belief of being independent and providing for Renshu and herself on her own. There was a theme about being Asian which I loved and could accurately relate to, being an Asian myself. There was a theme about having the courage to face your fears and your past and then there was a theme about being a misfit. My literature loving heart was fascinated with how naturally all of these complimented each other, despite the fact that there was an overarching theme of knowing your past that drove the whole plot. None of these subplots took the spotlight. In fact, there was no spotlight. Like I said, it is a book of many things and the inner critic in me was living for it.

I loved the characters as well. You couldn’t quite predict them because there were many layers to uncover but also you would have some vague idea, like yeah, only this character could do/say such a thing, and that just shows how human and real they felt. All of them so morally grey and so, so human. My favourite though other than Meilin was Lily. I loved her so much and could relate so much with her. Funny, daring, sarcastic and driven with a perpetual fear of being a misfit.

I must also share that there is a brief mention about non-consensual sexual assault. It’s not that explicit as I’ve read previously with other books but still to be on the safer side, consider it before you go all in if you don’t feel comfortable reading about sexual assault.

The rest is unquestionably amazing. My many thanks to Netgalley and and Headline, Wildfire for giving me the opportunity to read this lovely, lovely book. It’s a book that I know will stick with me forever and the fact that this is a debut novel of the author is just surprising and makes me question my own ability to write good books. Overall, I give this book a….(wait for it)…5 out of 5 stars! My first five star rating in such a long time and so well deserved. Highly, highly recommend.

This book comes out on March 15th, 2022 and I beg you, don’t miss it! Or else, you’ll be sorry.

Thank you so much for reading this review. I hope you enjoy this book just as much as I did.