I was looking forward to reading this debut novel by Melissa Fu about family, migration, loyalty & traditions.
The main characters moved through the years too slowly for me and I struggled with the storyline. I did complete the novel but feel disappointed. I did not engage with the scroll stories Meilin told her son, Renshu as they travelled and moved across the country. I don't feel this book was for me.

I give a 3 star rating.

I WANT TO THANK NETGALLEY FOR THE OPPORTUNITY OF READING AN ADVANCED COPY OF THIS NOVEL IN RETURN FOR AN HONEST REVIEW

Peach Blossom Spring is a masterpiece! Following three generations, this book is the beautiful story of Meilin, Renshu (Henry) and Lily, as they navigate war, being refugees, having a conflicting sense of identity, culture and heritage, and ultimately searching to find 'home'.

Having read very little about 20th century Chinese history, this book was a huge eye-opener for me, and it was so powerful to read the experiences of each character as they faced various challenges over their lifetimes. Whilst I enjoyed Lily's perspective of life as a Chinese-American, I felt particularly drawn to Meilin and Renshu's experiences of wartime China and their move to Taiwan. Melissa Fu does an incredible job of bringing to life these characters, and I felt connected to their every move.

Fu's use of a scroll to tell Chinese folk tales, fables and Meilin and Renshu's personal stories was stunning! I loved the comfort and sage advice it offered the characters, and myself as a reader.

This book has so much to teach us, and is a delight to read.

“We can't imagine how dreadful, how terrifying war is; and how normal it becomes. Can't understand, can't imagine. That's what every soldier, and every journalist and aid worker and independent observer who has put in time under fire, and had the luck to elude the death that struck down others nearby, stubbornly feels. And they are right.”
― Susan Sontag, Regarding the Pain of Others.

Some 14 million Chinese died and up to 100 million became refugees during the eight years of the conflict with Japan from 1937 to 1945. ..

This then is the backdrop for Peach Blossom Spring. Not only was there the conflict with Japan, but there was also the Civil War that continued until 1949. The storyline follows a multi-generational family right up to 21st century.
From a life of love, peace and contentment, Meilin and her 4 year old son Renshu, find themselves fleeing from the advancing Japanese army. Their arduous journey is one of fear and hardship, but Meilin will do anything to protect her son, displaying a resilience that brought tears to my eyes.

Across mainland China, they flee from one place to another in their attempts to flee the Japanese, their homes being bombed by enemy fighter jets, or being strafed by low flying aircraft, only to find later, that the Chinese Civil War was equally as threatening. Their only solace is a precious beautifully illustrated hand scroll, telling of ancient fables, which somehow gives them hope.

From China onto Taiwan, and eventually to the US, this outstanding novel is both terrifying and beautiful. The storyline is completely gripping, revealing how, even though you’ve made a new life in a new country many thousands of miles from China, your past life there, still has the ability to engender deep fear of saying the wrong thing or mixing with the wrong people wherever you are, living in fear of what China would do to you.

The characters are rich and compelling, demonstrating some wonderful qualities. The novel paints a vivid, intimate and heart wrenching picture, that will make it difficult to put this one behind me. Simply wonderful!

I am so grateful I had the chance to read this mesmerising debut novel. The writing style was absolutely enchanting and gave me an insight into part of the world that I have never read about or learned about before. It has certainly encouraged me to look for other fiction set in China and Taiwan.

The story isn’t overly complicated but the characters are what makes it. They are completely believable and I can’t quite believe that they aren’t real!

I would totally recommend this book and I can almost guarantee it will be a hit that everyone will be talking about next year!

A very special thank you to Netgalley/Publisher/Author for allowing me to read an advanced digital copy of this book.

Following Melins journey to protect her on through a war torn China, had me practically sobbing onto my Kindle.

From someone who naively does not know much about the history in China , this book opened my eyes to some of the past events that took place their. Following 4 generations really helps create a background and a great story to be told.

The character development was also incredibly strong and it sometimes was quite difficult to read through Melins story too protect her son, no matter the cost.

I cannot wait till this comes out and will definitely be recommending this to everyone I know.

Thanks NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

I absolutely was captivated by this book, it was so beautifully written. The story followed the incredible journey of Meilin and her struggles to protect her son through a war torn China. It was emotional and powerful, it really made me stop and think about how grateful we should be!

There were a few parts where I found the time jumps a bit difficult to follow and sometimes the characters confused me. Therefore I would give this a solid 4 stars and would definitely recommend!

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Headline for letting me read this wonderful ARC.

I truly cannot believe this is Melissa Fu’s debut novel - what a book! It is so beautifully written and incredibly moving.

I didn’t know much about Chinese history so I felt like I learnt a lot about it from this book. The struggles of a mother, protecting her child through a warn torn China really touched my heart. The story takes place over seventy years and covers four generations of family so you really do feel as though you really get to know and understand the characters.

It took me a couple of chapters to get in to it but I always find that with any historical fiction I read. There are so many characters at the beginning so it can be a little hard to keep up with at times. However, I really enjoyed this one and would recommend if you enjoy historical fiction.

Fu's novel is all about family and how the bond it creates always survives, never mind how much it is tested be it by war, separation, death or deception. The novel spans some 60 years and evolves round the central character, Meilin.
Meilin is a Chinese lady who given birth to just one child before her husband goes off to fight the Japanese in 1938 - a war from which he is destined never to return. Meilin, aided by her brother in law's family, has to flee deep inland to escape the invading army. After years of dreadful hardship she and her son escape to Taiwan where they enjoy a decade of relative stability. Her son gains a scholarship to America where he finds work as an engineer, gets married and starts a family. But although successful he lives in constant fear that the Chinese shall punish him for not returning to help re-build his own country. Also, due to an error in his immigration paperwork, he daren't risk returning to Taiwan to see his mother. Also, in case this error compromises his US citizen status, he refuses to talk about his past life - even with his family - and this drives a wedge between him and his daughter.
His daughter, like a poorly rooted peach tree, can't truly blossom until he tells her his story. What brings this about is both tragic and uplifting.
Beautifully crafted this novel balances the brutality and hardship of war with the gentleness and constancy of maternal love. A book to warm the heart.

Utterly mesmerising.
I absolutely loved this and find it hard to believe that this is the author’s first novel.
I feel absolutely privileged to have received an advanced copy to review as I truly believe this book is going to be one that everyone is speaking about once published.
The story unfolds through China in the 1940s, into the USA in the 70s & 80s and beck to Taiwan. The characters are believable yet complex and the storyline is simple, yet intriguing. What stood out to me was the thread of story telling and fables that weaves it’s way through from start to finish.

This was most enjoyable. I enjoyed the descriptions of China and Taiwan, and learnt more about life there. The descriptions of family life and the struggle to fit in were handled well.

Definitely an enjoyable book, though at times the pacing was a little offputting. I found it at its most compelling in the sections featuring Renshu in the US and Lily exploring her mixed race identity.

It cannot be denied that a debut author who produces an intergenerational family saga takes on an ambitious project, following in the footsteps of famous novelists such as Elizabeth Jane Howard. Melissa Fu succeeds in her ambition, as Peach Blossom Spring is truly a unique work.
The saga starts in the late 1930s in mainland China, when young mother Meilin and her four year old son Renshu flee their home to avoid capture by the Japanese army. As they migrate through a country increasingly torn apart by the second Sino-Japanese War, mother and son draw sustenance from the ancient fables in a beautifully illustrated scroll that Meilin has been able to rescue.
In the second part of the saga, Renshu is an adult and has settled in the USA under the name of Henry Dao. He resists all attempts by his daughter Lily to open up about his childhood. But without confronting his past, will Henry be able to create the warm, harmonious family home that he and Meilin so craved?
Drawing on the ancient Peach Blossom Spring fable written in 421 CE, this is a warm and thoughtful novel that sets out the inner strength, resilience and inventiveness that people draw on in their pursuit of a stable home. Warmly observed and described, Meilin, Henry and Lily are each complex and well-written characters. I cannot recommend this novel highly enough and am already intrigued as to what Melissa Fu will publish next. Thank you to the publishes and to NetGalley for the free ARC of this moving book.

The narrative spans generations and continents and begins in 1938 in China as the Japanese army are invading the country.

Meilin, a young mother and widow will do anything for her son Renshu’s survival. They travel through war torn China and on to Taiwan enduring hunger, bombings, the loss of their home and family. Finally able to put down roots Renshu excels in school and is offered a scholarship in the U.S.
Leaving Meilin behind, Renshu embraces his new American life and becomes Henry Dao. Henry marries and has a daughter, Lily whom he has a turbulent relationship with as he keeps his culture, language and past hidden from her.

This is a beautiful and moving story about motherhood, survival, fatherhood, immigration and culture.

I loved Melissa Fu’s poetic writing style. It was honest, heartbreaking and yet joyous. The stories that Meilin tells Renshu from the scroll were so beautiful and humbling. I didn’t want this book to end! I can’t wait to read more of Melissa’s work in the future.

Highly recommended for fans of Wild Swans, The Joy Luck Club and Eat Drink Man Woman.

This debut novel tells the story of a family from the horrors of the Second World War to the 2000s - from China to the US. This is a story of migration, of identity, prejudice and heritage. Meilin flees China with her son Renshu and members of her family, when the Japanese army invades China. We follow them on their journey to Taiwan and later to the US, where Renshu will have to face racism and the everlasting suspicion of being a communist.

Melissa Fu's writing style makes it very easy to enjoy this story. Her sentences are short and not overly complicated. I fell into the story very soon. Sometimes she takes the easy short cuts, when the story is told by giving short reports about events, before jumping into a scene again. But I recognize the difficulty of telling so much family history in a reasonable length of text.

Her characters are the novel’s strong point. Meilin’s love for her son and the things she is doing to ensure his survival are very moving. Later we see Renshu struggling with his own past and heritage in his relationship with his own daughter. Unable to openly speak about his own history, he forces his daughter to explore her heritage by herself.

“Peach Blossom Spring” is a great debut that deserves widespread attention from readers of all age groups.

A wonderful, lyrical novel which follows the trials of a young family born in China but harried by Japanese invasion of China and forced to flee to Taiwan. The traumatic journey is told with feeling, insight and real humanity. The language used, the pace of the story and the surroundings combine to create a really evocative picture of the time. The characters are very real, the fear palpable and the struggle truly believable.

It is a very long story and the pace drops a little once the principle character is settled in USA and this readers energy lagged at this point a little. Perhaps it could have been edited here but at the same time this pace change and what felt like a lull in he storyline actually is a key part of the story and reflects the character and reveals the true and lasting impact his traumatic childhood had on his life despite being 'free' in America.

Towards the end the pace builds again, particularly when his mother re-enters the story.

A real gem, well worth the investment in reading

We follow the journey of Three Generations of a Chinese family starting in 1938.
The Journey starts in China, then in Taiwan and eventually in America.
We learn about the horrors of war, loss, hunger, love and belonging.

⚠️ There is mention of sexual assault ⚠️

I felt every emotion reading this, the writing was so explicit that at times I felt I was part of the journey.

I love historical fiction can't seem to stay away from them recently! I finished this book in 3 days! What can I say I loved it. If you enjoyed Pachinko and The Mountains Sing then this will be your ideal read!

I don’t know much about Chinese history so I learned a lot from this book. The chapters are short and are like a series of photographs through time, taking you from China in the days after the revolution to America in the present day and tells the story of a family fleeing from danger to the safety of the United States. Although this was not my usual type of book, I enjoyed it.

I have seen a few really positive reviews about peach blossom spring so was so excited when I was approved to read it by @netgalley - the story of a young boy and his mother fleeing across China during the war. The book spans over seventy years and covers four generations of family so you feel as though you really get to know and understand the characters

I can’t lie I found the book hard to start with. There was a lot of characters straight away and it took me a few chapters to fully come to terms with who was who but I was engrossed so quickly!

The book is a fiction book loosely based on true events and it’s honestly so beautifully written. I throughly enjoyed it and feel sad that it is over!

Also just want to add that the cover is absolutely gorgeous and it caught my eye straight away. I would recommend this book to everyone and anyone, just stick out the first few chapters and you’ll become obsessed just as I did!

Having recently read Pachinko and having loved it, I was so excited by this title to transport me back to Asia. This is a great saga that portrays generations of a family as they survive war, poverty and and passions. Beautifully written, it hooked me from the very start. Looking forward to more from this author!

I loved this book maybe because it presents the story of a family through three generations and the feelings and all the things they go trough. It's a sad story because it's about a mother who tries to protect her son in times of war, turmoil but it shows the determination and the resilience of a mother that would anything that's possible for her own child. It's a fiction story but I feel like I learned more about the Chinese people and what they had to go through when Japan invaded China in World War II and after the war when they had to rebuilt themselves.