Peach Blossom Spring
Fiction
Little, Brown and Company
March 15, 2022
Advance reader copy
400
Free from publisher
"Within every misfortune there is a blessing and within every blessing, the seeds of misfortune, and so it goes, until the end of time."
It is 1938 in China and, as a young wife, Meilin’s future is bright. But with the Japanese army approaching, Meilin and her four year old son, Renshu, are forced to flee their home. Relying on little but their wits and a beautifully illustrated hand scroll, filled with ancient fables that offer solace and wisdom, they must travel through a ravaged country, seeking refuge.
Years later, Renshu has settled in America as Henry Dao. Though his daughter is desperate to understand her heritage, he refuses to talk about his childhood. How can he keep his family safe in this new land when the weight of his history threatens to drag them down? Yet how can Lily learn who she is if she can never know her family’s story?
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 haunting question: What would it mean to finally be home?
My review:
I find this cover so aesthetically pleasing, and the opening connection to my oldest adopted daughter made the story even more impactful. My daughter was in an orphanage very near to where the opening of this book takes place, in fact we did all of our adoption paperwork in Changsha. Meilin and her young son Renshu flee this city when the Japanese invade the territory. They must then make their way west with what they can carry. After some harrowing conditions they eventually make their way to Taiwan. Meilin lives out her life here, while her son heads to America for schooling (under his assumed name of Henry). The writing was exquisite, and the characters in this novel will resonate long after finishing. The book is based on the author's own family, and what she learned about her father and grandmother's lives. I loved that I got to learn about WWII in an entirely different continent other than Europe. It also touches on the cultural revolution and the rise of communism, and how this effects Henry's fear and actions in America. The beautiful bond between Renshu and his mother in the early days was lovingly characterized, and there is a point about 2/3 of the way in that my heart absolutely ached for what plays out for them. While I found parts of Lily's story interesting (she is based on the author), my heart was really in it for Meilin and her fate. This story spans across three generations and many decades, and I was engaged until the very last page (and now I want to plant peach trees!).
An epic depiction of three lives, which includes instances of war, immigrant experience, immigration, parent/child bonds, activism, and more. Based on the author's family, the gorgeous cover of this one is definitely just a prelude to what is inside.
