✨ Review ✨Peach Blossom Spring by Melissa Fu, Narrated by Eugenia Low

I've been excited to read this work of historical fiction but I admit I needed to be in the right mindset for one this long and sprawling through time. The story follows three generations of family, beginning with Meilin, who starts the story as a young mother in China in 1938 to 4-year-old Renshu, fleeing the city as the Japanese armies attack. The story follows Meilin and Renshu through a series of migrations through China and to Taipei, and then Renshu as an adult to the U.S. for graduate school and beyond. As the family becomes divided by continents and cultures, the author explores histories of assimilation and identity, fear and politics, and love and family.

This was beautifully written and inspired a lot of thinking about these histories that Fu details here. It pushed me to think more about assimilation and distancing from one's culture due to fear of retribution or being recalled home. The pacing of the book was a little off for me, and I'm not sure all of the storylines really came full circle in the end. It's definitely long historical fiction, but one that offers a lot to the reader. In particular, the initial flight with a scroll reminded me of Library of Legends and there were a lot of echoes in the text about this story of migration.

In the end, it's a story of fulfillment but also of longing, of incompletes and imperfects and making the best of things. It's a story of love and pain that stretch across generations and continents, and it works beautifully with metaphors about cultivation and fruit trees (e.g. peach blossoms in the title). I learned a lot from this book, albeit, I'm not sure that I'd say I enjoyed the book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: historical fiction 1930s - 1990s
Location: China, Taipei, U.S.
Reminds me of: Library of Legends

Thanks to Little, Brown, and Company, Hachette Audio, and #netgalley for advanced e-copies of this book!

I had very high hopes for this as a followup to Beasts of a Little Land, this didn't quite hit the notes I wanted, but it was fine. Solid addition to collections with strong historical fiction circulation,

A great piece of historical fiction. I would recommend this book as it is a well written family saga that will appeal to fans of the genre. Unfortunately I couldn’t relate to the characters of writing style.

This is a book that will stick with me for a long, long time. I learned so much about Asian culture and it was a fascinating, moving read. I can't believe this was a debut because the writing was phenomenal. It was a multi-generational story, with vivid characters, and an atmosphere that you wouldn't believe. I loved the story, the details, and the lessons it taught me.

This is a jewel of a book for historical fiction lovers. I describe this story as epic as it is decade-spanning, and a multi-generational story. The writing is top notch and the journey is harrowing. Readers will experience blessings and misfortunes and the deep bonds of family.

The points of view move between mother, son and granddaughter. Meilin in the beginning, Renshu in the middle and Lily in the end. spanning from the Second Sino-Japanese war to Cold War era America.

The story is a bit slow but worth sticking with. You will experience many characters with unfamiliar names, so this reader had to pay close attention to this aspect of the book.

Similar to Pachinko in tone and time period, Peach Blossom Spring tells the epic story of Meilin and her son, Renshu, and how they navigated the tumultuous period during WWII when the Japanese invaded China. They must flee numerous times, endure grueling conditions, and seek shelter from bombs during this turbulent time period.

Because Meilin's husband dies early on in the story, she must rely on her brother-in-law and his connections to find safety from the chaos, while also enduring his wife's wrath towards Meilin and her son. Throughout their journey, Meilin keeps an antique scroll with her, one that contains beautiful illustrations, which she uses to share stories and lessons with her son. As the Japanese and Communists advance, Meilin flees to Taiwan with Renshu, losing track of her in-laws and forming a new family with Peiwen, whom she met on the boat.

Eventually, Renshu is offered an opportunity to study in America, the ultimate dream. His experience in a foreign place was very similar to the one my father had when he came to America in the early 1990s; exciting but very lonely. He establishes a life here, forming his own family, but still affected by his traumatic childhood in China. This epic tale is heart-wrenching, beautifully written, and completely immersive. It gave me a better understanding of what people endured during this period of wartime and political unrest, as well as the obstacles Chinese immigrants faced in America. This book is an absolute treasure.

This story was beautiful. It reminded me a lot of Pachinko by Min Jin Lee. It flowed so well and followed the characters in time very well. Stories like this are such an honorable reminder of what immigrant parents went through and sacrificed for their children.

I highly recommend reading this book.

Peach Blossom Spring surprised me. It is an impressively expansive historical and psychological dissection of war, family, and modern Chinese history. 
The blurb peaked my interest as if rich enticing aromas of a street food stall had wafted into my vicinity, but when I sat down, I experienced a full smorgasbord like I hadn’t imagined. It opened my eyes to the history of China. I tasted the sorrow and the turmoil and the unbearable losses. I savoured the bond between mother and son, in Meilin and Renshu, and later father and daughter, in Henry and Lily. Sounds, sights, smells of war, refuge, and home come to life with Melissa Fu’s eloquent writing. I was totally immersed in this touching story.

Adorable vignettes drawn from a treasured silk scroll help to break up the sorrow. They are as uplifting and educating to the reader as they are to the eager young boy who listens intently while his mother strives to provide distraction and hope. This story is absolutely beautiful! It will be one of my favourites of the year. I loved the writing, the experience and the insight.

This historical fiction begins in 1938 China. I confess that I know practically nothing about the history of China, so this was all new to me.

Spanning multiple generations we start with Meilin, a young mother in China, who must flee with her young son Renshu as Japan is attacking. She sets off on a harrowing journey. She keeps hope alive in her young son, by sharing stories from a beautiful scroll that belonged to her husband. Her resilience and strength keep her and her son alive.

Thanks to his mother, Renshu is finally able to make it to America and reinvents himself as Henry Dao. But he can never feel safe as long as his mother is still overseas. How he acts in America can impact her safety there.

I admit that I didn’t understand a lot of the political implications and who was attacking who. But that didn’t stop me from enjoying the story. The sheer strength of people to survive contrasted with the desire for governments to spread and gain control of as much land as they can with no regard to citizens. I received an ARC of the book from Netgalley.

I absolutely loved this family saga, during which I learned a great deal about the history of the land and the struggles faced by immigrants. This book as inspired me to read more stories set in Asia. This debut is stunning, and I look forward to more from this author.

Peach Blossom Spring is a beautifully written historical fiction novel about the Dao family, spanning three generations starting in World War II China. The historic context is integrated into the novel, so the story is enjoyable even if you are unfamiliar with the history. As the book progresses, the characters move from experiencing the conflict of war to more internal conflicts of identity.

While the parts of the book set in Taiwan and China were slower, I thought it made sense for the story. It was difficult to continue reading in those slower parts. I would have liked to see more from Lily’s character in adulthood, to understand more of the Chinese American experience.

Thanks to Little, Brown and Company and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Little, Brown and Company, Melissa Fu, and NetGalley for a chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Peach Blossom Spring is a beautiful family saga of a Chinese family spanning from the Second Sino-Japanese war to Cold War era America. From our initial protagonist, Meilin who loses her husband to war and, not too long after, the home she shared with him and their son, we travel along as she must flee everything she knows while protecting her son. Then we shift to the son's, Renshu, perspective as he raises his own family in America while trying to keep his traumatic past sheltered from his wife and daughter. This is a story of resilience, independence, migration, cross-cultural love, and identity.

I am a sucker for historical fiction and for any novel set in China, so I was already positioned to enjoy this, and I did enjoy it very much. Melissa Fu's writing drew me in and I couldn't look away. I loved Meilin fiercely and sympathized heavily with Renshu's crisis of identity and complicated feelings about his homeland.

Absolutely recommend.

Peach Blossom Spring is a book that delivers more than just a story in its pages. It is a historical fiction that tells the story of three generations spanning the Sino-Japanese war in 1930’s China to the present-day US. Family dynamics, migration, love, and loss are some of the many themes that feature in this satisfying read.

What is to like
The story is beautiful and causes one to reflect on life and how we move through it with time. The author writes about human emotions beautifully. Her characters are real. The life of a mother, a son, and a daughter through generations is intricately described.
The backdrop of war and civil conflict is informative for those who might not know much about Chinese history, and, like any historical fiction, it helps to imagine its consequences for the people affected by it.

What is not to like
As the story across generations grows it feels like the pace picks up considerably as compared with the first 1/3rd of the book.

Rating: 4.5/5 (stars are rounded)

I requested Peach Blossom Spring for background reading for a First Impressions Program booked by Charlotte Morrison. It proved a great success with our readers so, in addition to the coverage on BookBrowse and in newsletters as part of the native ad program, we also ran it as a "Today's Top Pick" for a week across all BookBrowse pages.

Peach Blossom Spring by Melissa Fu

This is a debut book about 3 generations of Chinese family trying to survive war and finding a place to call home. The story follows this family through China then Taiwan and then landing in the United States.

I thought the story started off strong with the Story of Meilin and Renshu. I really liked Meilin character she was strong and dealing with so much in her life trying to escape war with Japan and saving her family. She was the central character of the beginning of the book. It was interesting to see the story of japan's war with China during WW2 and its impact on China during that time.

The author's writing is very lyrical and is detailed oriented. Sometimes for me it was to much detail and I lost focus while reading some of the book. It felt after awhile it was to much detail and I lost some interest in the story. I was frustrated with Henry Dao and the way he dismissed his heritage and would not share his history with his daughter Lily it was so irritating to me. I can understand why he wouldn't but it still caused ire for me. Lily just wanted some connection to her Chinese heritage and he would not even acknowledge that with her.

I know war can do this to families and I know how strict things are being done in today's China how control and fear keeps most Chinese in place. So I can understand the fear that Henry had he was worried about being identified as a communist or any relation to China.

I also thought about what war does to families and its long term impact on generations of families.

WW2 is my thing for historical fiction so I was really excited about this story for that reason. I did like that I learned a little bit more about the impact China dealt with Japan during this time period. I also liked the historical impact with China and Taiwan since WW2 through generations and its impact on these countries and China trying to take control of Taiwan and Hong Kong.

The story lost me a bit with interest after Henry made it to the US the story became boring to me. Then at this point the story started to drag for me and filled me with ire and frustration. I know this is not the typical opinion of the book it was a story that needed to be told but it was so heavy with detail at some points that it did not need to be which made the story drag out longer then it needed to be.

I would still recommend this book it was still educational in explaining the time period of ww2 China with being at war with Japan. When talking about this time period this part of it has been washed away and glad to see the stories being told. This is also a history lesson within a family story trying to survive war and complex political issues.

Thank you to Netgalley and Little Brown and Company for a free copy of the book for an honest review. This is a 3.5 star review for me.

This is why I like this book as you can pick this book up and be transported to a different time and catch a glimpse of different cultures and places. This is a story of family bonds, traditions, pain, separation and hope. It is raw with emotion and so eye opening.

Peach Blossom Spring is a beautifully written and ambitious debut. The lyrical writing and well developed characters, particularly Meilin, were a delight. I enjoyed learning more about the Japanese War of Aggression and Chinese Civil War, as these tend to be topics that are unfortunately ignored by western Historical Fiction. The book was ambitious in scope - covering three generations and 70 years and at times I felt like I was missing out or glossing over key times in characters lives, particularly in the first half of the book.

Wow. Wow. Wow.

This is the book I have been waiting to read! This was seriously one of the best books I've ever read about the struggles of the people of China over the years and during war times. The love and endurance and bravery of a mother trying to protect her son was both brave and heart wrenching. I have read many books about the struggles the peoples of different nations went through over time and this was one of the best. I very rarely cry while reading a book, but parts of this one brought me to tears. I usually pass on my books to family and friends, but I am keeping this one to read again.

Thank you to the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

"To know a story is to stroke the silken surfaces of loss, to feel the weight of beauty in his hands. To know a story is to carry it always, etched in his bones, even if dormant for decades."

Peach Blossom Spring was a masterpiece of a multigenerational story of loss, family, and new beginnings. Inspired by her own father and his orchard, Melissa Fu spins a captivating tale about what it takes to survive and begin again. The book follows a family starting during Japan's invasion of China in 1938 and spans to life in America in 2005 as an immigrant. The story follows Meilin, a strong matriarch who is willing to do what it takes to survive alongside her son Renshu through their various moves from the countryside to Shanghai to Taiwan. Eventually, Renshu (now Henry) moves to America, but he finds himself distrustful of the Chinese community there and instead isolates himself until he finds his American wife Rachel. Together, the two have their daughter Lily, a girl who is desperate to find her heritage as she experiences exclusion from both sides of her mixed race.

This book does a great job exploring how trauma can be passed down through the generations and the different ways that can manifest, even in ostensible security. Fu also described the complicated history of China very well. Ultimately, I did find the book a little too slow at parts, but fans of Pachinko would do well to pick up this book.

"To have an orchard is to honor the generations that came before and will come after."

Spanning 70 years, Peach Blossom Spring follows three generations of a Chinese family that show the strength of family bonds as they survive a war, separated by continents, and try to hold parts of their past as they hope for a better future.

What I Loved:
✨Beautifully written - lyrical prose
✨Sweeping display of generational trauma that broke my heart.
✨Character development of Melin and Renshu showcases their resilience.
✨Chinese fables that provide whimsical history but also a more significant theme of what it means to be home.
✨Chinese history, starting in 1938 and spanning several decades.

My advise:
✨The audio was a little confusing initially because of the vast number of characters. I recommend starting with the physical book to get a good grasp of the story. But if you can balance the reading with the audiobook, you’ll thoroughly enjoy Eugenia Low, the narrator, as she pours love into the fable re-tellings.