From the title, I expected to read about the Tiananmen Square protests and massacre. Instead, I read about an introverted woman who grew up during that period of time, her personal struggles with her family, her challenges to fit in with friends, and her angst over how involved she should be in the protests, cumulating with her reaction to the violence she witnessed and experienced at the hands of her government.

The first part of the book, where we get to know Lai Wen, could have taken place anywhere and at any time. It was the typical coming of age story, a girl trying to figure out who she was, a small group of friends, a dysfunctional family, a strong grandmother who was influential in Lai’s life who died. But there were scenes that made the story unique.

One summer night before they started high school, Lai suggested that the friends break a government imposed curfew, they were attacked by the police, Lai ended up with a dislocated shoulder and her friend Gen took the blame for leading the group and was arrested. This small act of defiance surfaced throughout the story as she got older as a challenge when trying to make decisions.

On another night, Lai got stuck in a storm while heading home and ducked into a building to get out of the rain. It turned out to be a bookstore l. Lai developed a friendship with the old bookseller, who lent her books that opened her mind to possibilities. Authors like Orwell and Hemingway were provocative to her young mind. Shortly before starting at the University Lai was swayed by Gen, who became her boyfriend, to stop going to the bookstore. I was disappointed that she agreed because I loved the relationship she had with the old man. He allowed her to ask questions that she was not comfortable asking anyone else.

Lai’s University story started with breaking up Gen, attending student gatherings to protest a new 10pm curfew and befriending Anna and her small eccentric theatrical group who did not follow social norms. These influenced her getting involved in the Tiananmen Square demonstrations and hunger strike. She lived at home while attending University, and her relationship with her parents was increasingly strained. She seemed to struggle daily as to whether to go back to the protests, which she always did, including on the fateful night of the massacre.

Surprisingly, her friends Gen and Anna, the two people you would have expected to fully support the protests, did not. Gen thought it was too radical and Anna felt it would fail and was not worth her involvement. In a weird twist, the author put Anna there at the end, dressed as a man, as the Tank Man.

Lai’s relationship with herself and her parents changed afterwards, finally accepting who she was. She transferred to the University of Toronto as part of a student exchange program and never returned to live in China.

4.5 rounded to 5

Content Warnings: Self-harm, death of a loved one

"Tiananmen Square" is a moving coming-of-age historical fiction novel about a girl growing up in a working-class family in Beijing during the 1970s, leading up to the Tiananmen Square protests.

I love reading historical fiction from time to time to learn more about a specific time period or event. "Tiananmen Square" definitely scratched my itch to learn more about the Tiananmen Square protests. What I wasn't expecting was a beautiful novel about family, grief, finding your voice, and friendship.

Lai, as the main character, is frustrating at times. She's demure and, at the end of the day, just a girl who has a complicated relationship with her mom. Pushed by her grandmother, who is struggling with dementia, Lai attends Peking University, where she is finally able to explore who she is and form lasting friendships. This is also where Lai gets swept up in the revolutionary spirit of the time. Lai is also a lover of literature, so expect references to the classics. If you haven't read "1984" or "The Old Man and the Sea," the plot will be spoiled for you.

I loved that this story was told through the eyes and experiences of what most people would consider a bystander. Lai is not at the center orchestrating a revolution. She's a teenager who's obsessed with her childhood crush and has no idea what to do with her life. However, the author paints a vivid picture of Lai's life and circumstances that pull you into the setting.

Although she was infuriating at times, I deeply connected with Lai's character. At times, while growing up, she's not able to see outside of herself and her experiences. She hyper-focuses on any scraps of affection thrown at her. It was beautiful to see her find herself.

I'd recommend "Tiananmen Square" to historical fiction readers, readers who love a coming-of-age story set in a historical time, and readers who are looking to read about themes relating to difficult mother/daughter relationships, watching a loved one suffer with dementia, first love, and feeling like you're utterly alone in the world.

Thank you to Spiegel & Grau and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of "Tiananmen Square" in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

An intimate look at a monumental event in world history. The book moves a bit slowly at times, but it is engaging and builds genuine connection with these young people.

Audiobook narrator over-enunciates often, which can be distracting.

This book was very moving and easy to follow. At first, it seemed like we were just following Lai’s life, but in the end, the reader realizes how every event, decision, and person shapes who we are. It’s all connected. I do wish I had a better understanding of how much is fact and how much is fiction. It seems to really be the authors story, yet it’s described as Historical Fiction.

this was . . . something. on one hand, it was a very informative read, and really heartbreakingly written. on another hand, it was very hard for me to get into, and the writing was just filled with so many adjectives that it was so hard to finish. I'm very disappointed that I did not enjoy it.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I loved reading about Lai Wen’s life. This memoir was so moving and heartfelt. I genuinely felt for Lai Wen as she struggled to form her own identity and make some difficult decisions. While I was mostly interested in her involvement in the Tiananmen Square protest; I truly enjoyed reading about her childhood, her relationship with her family members, the bookkeeper who opened her mind, and her friendship with Madam Macaw and her Marvelous Marauders. My heart goes out to all of the students who participated in the protests as well as the citizens who supported them. There is just something about universities that inspire revolution. The last twentyish pages were especially heart wrenching but Lai Wen’s epilogue really helped put everything into perspective.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Tiananmen Square by Lai Wen is a first person-POV historical coming of age novel that draws from the author’s life growing up during the 70s and 80s in China all the way up to the student protests of Tiananmen Square. As a child, Lai Wen spent much of her time either at home or with her group of friends and things change as she and her friends are brought in by the government after a prank goes wrong and her grandmother gets dementia. Everything leads up to the dissatisfaction that led Lai Went to participate in the protests.

It is such a gift that we have a voice from the student protests at Tiananmen Square as not only does it serve as an account of that event, but it helps to show that things haven’t changed. Young people are a large part of political change because they grow up with the results of what the previous generation did. Lai Wen’s father was brought in by the government during the Cultural Revolution and it had a massive impact on him and their family even if very little is known about what exactly happened to him, but we see the shadows of it in how Lai Wen’s parents and grandmother responded to her going to see Mao’s body.

What I really liked was how we got to take our time to see the lead up to the protests and see how little things in Lai Wen’s personal relationships, her family history, the world around her, the people who influenced her, and more impacted her decision to be involved. It’s rarely just one decision that drives someone to political activism; it’s a culmination of things. The passion for books from around the world also felt truly relevant to today as we continue to promote authors from as many backgrounds and walks of life as possible.

The relationship I appreciated the most was Lai Wen and her grandmother’s. It wasn’t always smooth sailing but you could see the genuine love they held for each other as her grandmother attacked a man who made Lai Wen uncomfortable and Lai Wen cared for her grandmother when the dementia got worse. Her grandmother’s influence continues even after her death and it’s so beautiful.

Content warning for depictions of period-typical fatphobia and homophobia, mentions of torture, and brief depictions of sexual content between students.

I would recommend this to readers looking for books from Chinese authors about what happened between the Cultural Revolution and Tiananmen Square, those looking for a work centered on student protestors, and those as eager for a voice from someone who was at Tiananmen Square as I was.

This was a wonderful coming of age story that I really enjoyed. Lai Wen lives with her parents, brother and grandmother in 1970s Beijing. She struggles with many of the same issues most adolescents do- fitting in, understanding her parents, doing well at school. But under all that, you get a sense of the some the unique struggles of the time and place, such as her father alluding to what happened to him during the Cultural Revolution and also Lai getting arrested for a seemingly harmless prank.

When Lai is in high school she has a boyfriend and this relationship was one of the most frustrating things about the book to me. I know it was supposed to be a difficult relationship as first love is never as easy and uncomplicated as we wish it to be. But I found myself getting annoyed with Lai that she didn't see the red flags that were being tossed everywhere. I wanted to reach through the pages and smack her and tell her she deserved better.

Eventually, Lai ends up in the center of the events that took place in Tiananmen Square in 1989. I found this part of the book really interesting and learned a bit about how the events came about and some of the underlying motivations of the students. Some of the earlier parts of the book felt generic at times, meaning I didn't feel like it was China, but these parts had a much better sense of time and place.

Overall, I loved this book and think it was well written and wonderful to read. If you like your historical fiction with a lot of historical detail and an excellent sense of time and place, then this might not be the book for you. This really is one girl's story of growing up, discovering love, navigating family relationships and finding out who she is. The historical part of it is just background.

Thanks @netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

A gritty novel about a girl growing into a woman after the cultural revolution in China, this story was interesting enough to keep me reading, and intimate in a way that breaks the reader’s heart.

It was difficult to watch this young girl grow and become a woman, it’s told as though it were a memoir, which really drew me in. I loved Lai and her blunt way of telling the story. It was warm at times (speaking of her grandmother and younger brother) and disturbing and uncomfortable at others, but I enjoyed it.

My only disappointment was that it is called Tiananmen Square, so I was expecting it to be more about the actual events, which eventually did come, but a small portion was dedicated to it. I see now that the story encompasses the way Tiananmen Square was sort of a touch point for the main character’s life at various stages, and how it represented the governing body’s touch in her life throughout the book in general. It just wasn’t my expectation. But still very good.

CW/TW: realistic sexual encounters in highschool and middle school described; mentions of people tortured or missing by the government; mentions of the deaths at Tiananmen Square;

Lai Wen writes a beautiful first hand account about coming of age during a tumultuous time in China's history. The author does an excellent job and depicting the impact of the Cultural Revolution on her parents and her relationship with them. She also describes the challenges of trying to be a typical teenager while living in an authoritarian state. This book is not a plot driven page turner. It's one of those stories you have to read more slowly and let it sit with you. If you liked Wild Swans by Jung Chang you will probably like this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Thank you to the author and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Tiananmen Square is coming of age novel culminating in the protests at Tiananmen Square. Thank you to Netgalley and publisher Spiegel & Grau for an advance copy of this book. The novel was descriptive, and while reading it, it felt like I was reading a memoir. It was interesting to read about life in China during this time period. The book seemed pretty long, and for me as a reader dragged a bit at times. Overall, I enjoyed the book, but it was a slow read for me and I did not get invested in the characters until the end of the book.

Beautifully, almost poetically written Tiananmen Sqaure had me from the first few pages. A coming of age story, set in the 1970s and 80s, this story swiftly but gently brought me to China and into Lai Wen’s world. My own travels to Beijing were vividly remembered as I was able to personally envision the beautiful backdrop to the student protests on May and June 1989.

As the tale begins, young Lai Wen, is a child playing with a close group of friends. She lives with her family in Beijing. Her father is kind and gentle; her mother angry and difficult. Her grandmother was the nurturing supportive force who always had Lai’s interests at heart., and influenced her the most. An early brush with the police serves as a foreshadowing of what will eventually unfold in a repressive totalitarian regime. Tiananmen Square protests are the very final portion of this book, and yet all that happens before adeptly sets the stage for the ending.

As years go by, Lai’s intellectual gifts are acknowledged and she receives a university education. Involved in an emotionally strained romantic relationship, she finds true acceptance and friendship in a group of thespians who are oddballs and nonconformists. And then come the student protests . Caught between worlds, Lai must make some tough personal decisions as the story hurries to the ending we all know is coming.

Written as a novel , but reading more like a memoir, the plot was difficult to differentiate as truth or fiction. The author uses the pseudonym, Lai Wen, to protect herself , family and friends who may still reside or visit China. It is fitting that the publication date is June 4, 2024- the same date ( but in 1989) the Chinese military put an end to the quest for free speech. I highly recommend this book to readers of historical fiction, lovers of passionate autobiography and anyone interested in taking literary trip to Beijing. Many thanks to NetGalley and publisher Spiegel and Grau for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, Spiegel & Grau and Lai Wen for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Tiananmen Square.
This is an outstanding, epic story of a young Chinese girl growing up in Beijing in the 1970s and 1980s. The writing is beautiful, descriptive and pulls you immediately into the story and I didn't want to leave. Lai tells her story in first person perspective which grabbed my soul and I began to shadow her experience
So much pulled at my heart strings. Family dynamics was especially eye opening. Men in China are so highly respected and superior but it was so mind blowing that these men were empty shells and had very little impact on the well being and growth of their children. I loved Lai's grandmother as she was the rock and glue of the family. Her passing left a huge hole in Lai's life. We travel with Lai through childhood, adolescence and university. Friendships, young love, acceptance and a communist government are just a few of Lai's building blocks to adulthood. Lai ties together small bits of her life beautifully and with such emotion, I couldn't get enough. I laughed, cried, and struggled through Lai's successes and failures while learning about a different culture with similarities and vast differences. This is more that just a story, it's a life to experience and I highly recommend it.

Tiananmen Square tells a story of growing up in a working class neighbourhood in the heart of Beijing in the '70s and '80s. Living in a small apartment with her parents who were deeply impacted by the Cultural Revolution, her younger brother and her elderly grandmother, Lai is a gifted student whose childhood and teen years are haunted by a violent encounter with police that she experienced at a young age. Lai's beloved grandmother has a profound impact on her life as does an elderly bookseller who introduces her to great works of literature.

When Lai is awarded a scholarship to study at Peking University her world view expands as she is exposed to new people and new ideas including idealistic young students who are advocating for a more democratic Chinese state. Lai's new friendships lead to her involvement in the student protest movement that rises that spring. More than half of the book is Lai's life from about the age of 10/11 through her teenage years and the rest of the book is her first year at university in 1988/89 that culminates with the Tiananmen Square student protests and the violent military crackdown.

This debut is a moving coming of age novel about friendships, family, first love and self-discovery set against the backdrop of the Tiananmen Square tragedy. Lai experiences many of the same things as young people anywhere but her story also shows the realities of life in Communist China during that time period. The slow-paced and character driven narrative is a poignant testament to the incredible courage of the students who dared to stand against the Communist regime and make their demands for greater democracy. I was moved to tears as Lai related her experience of the military crackdown as I remember the protests very well since they took place during the months between my university graduation and starting law school and I later met students who had been in Tiananmen Square and then left China for Canada.

Tiananmen Square will be published on June 4, 2024 - the 35th anniversary of the tragedy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Spiegel & Grau for sending a digital ARC of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

In this coming of age story of grief and regret, a young woman deals the death of her beloved grandmother, the trials of relationships, and unexpected connection, culminating in the protests in Tianamen Square in 1989.

Tiananmen Square is a coming-of-age story starting on 1970 and ending with the student protests in 1989. Lai's life growing up under the rules of the Chinese government and following her parents and grandmothers somewhat challenging guidelines, leaves her feeling like she doesn't fit in anywhere. Events that change her life and the friends she meets along the way open her eyes as she slowly becomes the person she is meant to be.
I think Lai does a great job telling this piece if history that we should never forget. Thank you NetGalley for this advance copy.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this novel, however, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I lived in China for four years before the pandemic and I really enjoyed getting to know the people. I know that the people of a nation are not necessarily its government. Lai Wen shows this very clearly from what I read of this novel, but I didn't finish it. I got worn out from the coming of age story before we even got to Tiananmen Square, which is really the bit that I was interested in. I have been reading from the June Fourth Elegies by Liu Xiaobo and was hoping for a novel to go along with it. However, this novel really dragged for me and I found myself skimming. I checked out a few other reviews and found that Tiananmen Square didn't happen until basically the end of the book and I knew that I didn't want to slog through 300 more pages to get there. With this novel being over 500 pages long, if you're not enjoying the characters and the family saga vibes, it's going to be a really long book for you and that's not what I was reading it for.

I think that if you're looking for a coming of age story that slowly builds while also following the history of a family and a nation, this could be for you. I think if you're interested in a novel, that very much reads like a memoir, this could also be for you. But if you're really here to read about Tiananmen Square, then you may never make it to that part. Read it for the main character and her family. Not for the politics.

Tiananmen Square by Lai Wen is a coming of age story of a young woman born in the early 1970's who enters college in Beijing at the eve of the Tiananmen Square massacre. The publication of the book corresponds with the 35th anniversary of this historic event. The author used a pseudonym so one might infer that she was present for this moment in history. The book is realistic and reads like an eyewitness account.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. The character development is very strong. However, at over 500 pages this book is very long. I feel like if this book had been edited to closer to 300 pages it would be a 5 star review. I recommend this book with the stipulation that at times I felt the urge to begin skimming. Nonetheless, Lai Wen documents an important piece of Chinese history.

Thank you to NetGalley and Spiegel & Grau for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

In the 1970s, Lai lives with her parents, younger brother and grandmother. She has no idea what her father endured during the Cultural Revolution. A childish prank leads to an altercation with the police, the memory will stay with her. As she continues her education, she makes friends with students who rebel against China's restrictive policies, leading to the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests.
A coming of age story in the time of post-Mao China.
#TiananmenSquare #Spiegal&Grau #NetGalley

This is more of a coming-of-age book than a book focused on Tiananmen Square, which is fine if that is what you're looking for. It had an autobiographical feel to it and the main character's story came through clearly with all of its pain points and some bright spots as well.
For a reader who wants a good sense of what life was like during this period in modern history, this would be an excellent choice.

Thank you to NetGalley for and advance copy of this book. I felt I was there growing up alongside her.