Member Review
Review by
Kate S, Reviewer
Oh wow. I have always categorised memoirs of living under Mao’s regime as ‘Wild Swans’ and ‘Not Wild Swans’ Anhua has changed all that. An incredible story that has joined my long time favourite on the top spot.
Anhua’s Story is told with such candour and yet always this spirit of knowing that something better is waiting for her. How anyone could cope with losing her parents is one thing, to then add blow after blow to one woman’s life and it is amazing that she carried on and still trusted other people.
This book really brought home to me that this was happening in my lifetime, a modern lifetime if you will, and how primitive life in China was when so much of the world was prospering, especially during the boom times of the 1980s.
I have only only a few small things that weren’t perfect for me. I felt the last 5 years rushed past so quickly and it felt a bit glossed over compared to all the day to day detail of the first 3/4 of the book. And the other thing was that there was no epilogue so that we could get a glimpse of her life at the edge of the sky. I am praying that this means a follow up book is planned. Please Anhua?
Anhua’s Story is told with such candour and yet always this spirit of knowing that something better is waiting for her. How anyone could cope with losing her parents is one thing, to then add blow after blow to one woman’s life and it is amazing that she carried on and still trusted other people.
This book really brought home to me that this was happening in my lifetime, a modern lifetime if you will, and how primitive life in China was when so much of the world was prospering, especially during the boom times of the 1980s.
I have only only a few small things that weren’t perfect for me. I felt the last 5 years rushed past so quickly and it felt a bit glossed over compared to all the day to day detail of the first 3/4 of the book. And the other thing was that there was no epilogue so that we could get a glimpse of her life at the edge of the sky. I am praying that this means a follow up book is planned. Please Anhua?
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