What readers think of Peach Blossom Spring, plus links to write your own review.

There is moonlight shining before my bed,
I suspect that there is frost on the ground,
Raising my head, I gaze at the moonlight,
Lowering my head, I think of my home village.
Lin Bai (701-762)

Just like the voice in what is arguably the most famous poem in China, so too the widowed Dao Meilin and her son Renshu are separated from their home village by war. Poems and stories tell of the past, of the present, and of the future. They are strong links between us and those who came before us. Peach Blossom Spring tells us the story of a mother's struggles, hardships, sacrifices, and hopes for her only son as they run for their lives from Changsha to, eventually, Taiwan. It also tells the story of Dao Renshu's immigration from Taiwan to the United States, his complicated transformation from Dao Renshu to Henry Dao and the issues that challenge him. And it tells us the story of his struggles to understand who he is just as his daughter Lily later struggles to understand who she is and who she wants to be. Author Melissa Fu has set an ambitious task for herself and she mostly succeeds. Always in the background is the sweeping history of modern China, little of which is explored in much depth. Readers seeking to learn about this tumultuous time in Chinese history may be disappointed. But they won't be disappointed in the novel as a story. Fu is an excellent story teller and Peach Blossom Spring is an absorbing read.

This three generational novel starts in China 1938 and finishes in 2005. The story involves Meilin (mother) her son Renshiu and his daughter Lily.

Mother and son journey through China and eventually Taiwan. They struggle through the invasion of the Japanese, the Chinese civil war, World War II and the arrival of communism. The experiences of war affecting Renshiu impacts his daughter Lily.

There is a lot to take in, history, politics, interracial marriage, racism and immigration. This is a story of country and family loyalty and how the choices made through adverse conditions affect their lives.

The authors descriptions are very vivid. This is a very memorable novel.

While not really enjoying the 'narrative' style of this novel, I found it impossible to put down. I marveled throughout for the strength of the female characters. I marveled at the resiliency of all in the story. Meanwhile I learned much Chinese/China/Taiwan history that I had never known before.

The turmoil in China from 1938 to 1998 is the background for this family tale. Meilin, a young wife and mother, loses her husband to the Japanese invasion and then must flee with her 4 year-old son when the marauding Japanese attack her family’s village. The book continues with mother and son as World War Two, the communist uprising, the Nationalist movement and other calamities affect them. Renshu, the son, quickly becomes the focal character in this richly descriptive and harrowing tale.
Fu’s character study of Renshu as he progresses through life, first in China and then the United States, education, then marriage and a family of his own, makes the book believable and engrossing. A scroll depicting various folk tales is the link for each episode in his life.
After a slow start the book is compelling reading. The scholarship is impeccable. China comes alive as Renshu and his mother contend with the vicissitudes of life in a country racked by turmoil.
4 of 5 stars

Upon finishing the book, my first inclination was to rate it three out of five stars. However, I rarely rate books until I have lived with the ending for a couple of days. After finishing the book and thinking about the themes and imagery of the book, I kept coming back to the way the author created beautiful landscapes or terrifying events so vivid the reader feels like they are there with the characters. The character development is well done, while the characterization is consistent throughout the book. Some of the events did not play out the way I expected or wanted, but they were appropriate for the character and the time.

The book was well written; it started slow and took a couple of chapters to decide it was a book I wanted to complete. In the end, I enjoyed the book, but I do not believe it is one I would read again.

A wonderful book taking the reader through generations of the family of Dao Hongtse from 1938 to 1997. The story has beautiful images of scrolls that carry tales and history, peach trees, and connections of family. The story also tells of sadness and loss as family is forced apart when Japan invades China. The characters are so complex and the book so well written, I can only recommend that you read it yourself and experience the richness of the time, the people and what they endured.

"Chinese history is sad," the author's father would say, and this fictional version of his life bears testament to that statement. Melissa Fu was determined to flesh out what she knew of her father's early life and eventual immigration to America, and her debut novel accomplishes that. It's a sweeping story of a Chinese family who loses everything due to the advancing Japanese army in 1938, and describes their many harrowing journeys to safety, their struggles to find food and shelter, and ultimately the transition they each make as individuals whether living in America or China. The themes of this book? Love, loss, family, war, survival, with the latter half an examination of the difficulties of assimilating into a new culture while still belonging to the old. A gripping story, well written. For those, like me, who love reading about Asian culture and history. For Lisa See fans or those who enjoyed Qian Julie Wang's recent memoir, Beautiful Country.

"Peach Blossom Spring" spans three countries and several generations of a Chinese family with verve and warmth. I found the characters believable and compelling. The book begins around the time of the Japanese invasion of China and deftly follows the travails of the Dao family through their travels and search for refuge.

Threaded through the tumultuous plot is the idea of the importance of family members sharing their stories. The Dao family rely on a beautiful illustrated scroll to aid their storytelling and help them remember who they are.

Peach Blossom Spring is the story of one family that illustrates the history of modern China. I found it both sweeping in scope and powerful in its storytelling.