This was the first book for me to read by these authors but definitely not my last!! The story and characters are so well developed and the book is beautifully written. This will stick with you long after you finish the book. Highly recommend!!!

This novel was very adventurous attempting a story taking place over multiple decades. Sometimes when so much is compacted into a novel, details are lost and things seem rushed. However I think the author did a great job at not making it seem that way and even though a lot of time had passed, it did not feel rushed.
I really enjoyed this historical fiction as a Chinese person and a historical fiction lover. There were parts of Chinese history I was not familiar with and it was so interesting to be learning, while reading a story at the same time. Definitely sad and heartbreaking (I tried my hardest not to cry because I was reading this during the Lunar New Year and you're not supposed to start the new year off with tears!), but also hopeful.
The story mainly centers Meilin and Renshu/Henry. The first half of the novel I would say is more heavily focused on Meilin, and the second half Renshu. Meilin was such an admirable character as a female and a mother, surviving so much trauma in order to give her son a better life. Renshu was an interesting character and I found him the most fascinating in the story as he got older. There were moments where I didn't like him, moments where I pitied him, and he is unlike other characters I've read in other books. His dynamic with his daughter Lily in particular made things interesting. It was interesting to see how Renshu/Henry was trying to push out his Chinese life and assimilate to America, when his biracial daughter was trying to get closer to her Chinese identity.
There is a lot of grief and trauma in this novel that goes unaddressed for a long time, which is what leads to Renshu/Henry's deterioration. This is definitely a story of intergenerational trauma but also survival through some of the most challenging events in Chinese history.

Outstanding historical fiction. This is a family saga spanning much of the 20th century from China to the United States. The main character is Meilin, a young Chinese wife who loses her husband in the Sino-Japanese war, and has to keep her son Renshu safe as China has decades of tumult (WWII, then the Communist party takeover, with the Nationalist supporters exiled to Taiwan).

Meilin is such an easy character to root for; she is strong and independent, but far from perfect. When she finally breaks down upon discovering the destruction of her family lands and tombstones, after staying so strong for Renshu for so long, I felt sick for her.

Having some background in 20th century history, I was able to fairly clearly follow the events unfolding; however, someone with no information about China in the 1900s may struggle to understand what is happening with the politics, or sides of the various disputes. However, you don't have to really know the ins and outs of the politics, or battles, or various political factions going on in the larger historical backdrop, because this book is a human story. It's the story of a mother and son. The story of survival and overcoming unbelievable hardships.

I loved the continuing thread of the beautiful scroll that Meilin and Renshu treasured, and the stories and tales she would tell him. The Peach Blossom Spring story, and how Meilin chooses to tell the tale to Renshu, is another great touchpoint that comes up throughout the book. I loved the realistic ending where SPOILER Henry does not make it back to Taiwan in time to say goodbye to his mother, but eventually he (and wife Rachel and daughter Lily) find contentment with their lives.

I really enjoyed this exploration of a family from the 1940s up until the present day. The first half features Meilin and her son Renshu, and the terrible things they face during WWII in mainland China. They eventually flee to Taiwan where they make a life. We then follow Renshu into adulthood as he makes his own family in the United States, but he never gets over the trauma of his childhood, and it develops into a strong paranoia that impacts how he raises his biracial daughter, Lily.

This was beautifully written, even if the dialogue during Lily's section was a little bit clunky. I appreciated learning about the history of China during the war, something we don't learn much about in the U.S. I also really valued the different experiences the characters had to China and their identities. The theme of stories and the peach blossom spring fable is really well executed and tied the story together.

Overall, highly recommend. Thanks to the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

“He was no longer Dao Renshu. He was not yet Henry Dao. Hovering somewhere above these two names, he stood on the deck and watched the horizon until the eastern sky began to colour.”

Peach Blossom Spring tells the history of modern China through three generational lenses of the Dao 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?
I absolutely loved this book. Renshu/Henry and Lily were very relatable as characters. As Renshu leaves his ma, China and everything he knows behind to start a new life in America, he is torn between the divide between his two selves – Renshu and Henry. As a 1st generation Asian American, it’s easy to relate to Renshu and his feelings of uncertainty about who he is and where he’s from.

Although Lily experiences similar displacement like her father, what I relate to most with Lily – as a 2nd generation immigrant – is the lack of history of where my family came from and what they had to go through. Funnily enough, there is one scene in the novel where Lily has to create a family tree and while she was able to fill out her mother’s side, her father’s side of the tree is left blank. Back in third grade, I had to go through the same exercise where we build out our family tree, but I couldn’t name past my great-grandparents and, what was probably worse, was when I presented it in front of my class, my teacher couldn’t understand why my family tree was so stunted.

I’m an easy crier but very few novels have been able to make me cry. By the time I got to the last few chapters, I was ugly crying. Thank you so much @melissafuwriter, @littlebrown and @netgalley for providing me the ARC. It was an absolute pleasure reading this.

Gorgeous epic chronicling multiple generations of a family from China to Taiwan to the US. Moving and evocative. These characters will stay with me. Can't wait to read the next book from this author

Storytelling wraps the listener in experiences weaved through carefully chosen words lined in sometimes wayward pathways. These pathways bring one curiously to the doorway of a different time, a different place, and a completely different world. Known to unknown and to known again.

Melissa Fu shares her gift. She brings us to the threshhold of the spoken and the written that began as a pebble thousands of years ago in China. She then chooses the Dao family in the Hunan Province whose story unfolds from over seventy years ago. Although a work of fiction, the footsteps seem to follow the plight of the multitude of Chinese on the brink of war in 1938. Such families were forced to flee from the invasion of the Imperial Japanese Army on the move.

Meilin suffers with the realization that her husband, Xiaowen, may not be returning from his duty in the Chinese Army. Her brother-in-law, Longwei, and his wife are taking her under their care as fire rushes through their village. Meilin and her four year old son, Renshu, must leave everything behind as they try to board the overcrowded boats and trains taking them to an elusive point of safety.

But one thing that Meilin holds dear is the beautiful red-tasseled scroll that she hides in her sewing basket. It will follow them on their dangerous journey. Each night she unrolls it just a bit and shares a story of folklore and legend with her son. It is her well-chosen words of hope that carry them from one danger to the next. And Melissa Fu shares with us the heartwrenching story of deep sacrifice and suffering along the way from mainland China to Taiwan and to America.

Peach Blossom Spring is a reminder that our own personal heritage and origins may have been lost over time with the disconnect of terrible wars, constant mobility, and the inability to keep the threads of familial touch that get knotted along the way. What was once ours, may no longer be in the sharpest sense. But in a more general sense, it may bring solace to cling to customs, the music, and the comfort of storytelling that brings life and light to those darkened corners. Today, we are so much more complicated than in just a single drop of DNA. Even more telling is in our own individual quest of how we define ourselves........our wants, our needs, and the flicker of that internal light.

I received a copy of this novel through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Little, Brown, and Company and to the talented Melissa Fu for the opportunity.

Peach Blossom Spring by Melissa Fu is a debut novel that kept me rapt with attention as the people of China were fleeing from the Japanese army and then years later lived through China’s civil war. I knew so little about this part of history and found this author’s writing was able to teach history as she so fluidly wrapped it around an engaging story.

As a mother myself, I was able to relate to the protective nature of Meilin as she continually did everything to keep Renshu out of harm’s way. She lived a hard life and Fu brought her vividly to life. The stories she told Renshu from her treasured scroll were meaningful and I enjoyed how they came to light more than once in the story. Her half of the book was the most powerful for me.

When Renshu changes his name to Henry and moves to the US, I was schooled in the risks the Chinese students were dealt as they fell under suspicion of being either a communist or a spy. Once again, I learned something new. This is why I LOVE reading. I liked watching him grow but didn’t like how quickly Meilin got lost from the book. That feeling was further cemented when we meet Lily, Henry’s daughter.

I do wish this had a character chart as there were many characters and names that were similar. I do hope that the finished copy (I read the ARC – Advanced Reader Copy) has a character listing.

Peach Blossom Spring is a gorgeously written historical fiction about a Chinese family in the 20th Century. Beginning with the Second Sino-Japanese War, it moves through WWII and the Communist Revolution before heading to America. It follows Meilin and her son, Renshu as they are forced to flee their home in eastern China. It’s a true family saga, as they then move to Taipei and with Renshu to America. It defined the immigrant experience and the loss of one’s home. It was a very different experience for Meilin and Renshu/Henry.
I loved that Fu weaves Chinese fables into the story. It really adds to the sense of place and also provides the main theme of the book - to go or to stay. “I guess the thing about Peach Blossom Spring is that if you are fortunate enough to find it, you are also unfortunate, because then you have to decide what to do. Do you stay, and forego all else? Or do you return home, with the understanding that you’ll never find it again? Is it a blessing? Or is it a curse?”
Once the story moves to America, it’s a reminder of the casual racism of the US against any who weren’t white. I struggled at times, just like Lily, to understand Henry’s reluctance to tell her his story. It was difficult to imagine having such fear. Kudos to Fu for creating such realistic characters that got me so totally invested in their thoughts, fears and actions. The book is not as “exciting” in the second half, but is just as philosophical.
The language here is just gorgeous. I was highlighting numerous passages as I took it all in. It doesn’t read like a debut novel. It was a delight to learn that this is based on Fu's father’s own story.
This would make a great book club selection as there’s lots to ponder and discuss.
My thanks to Netgalley and Little, Brown & Company for an advance copy.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this debut novel.
Spanning 70 years of the Chinese experience, Melissa Fu brings us the struggles, both internal and external, of Chinese people from the Japanese occupation and past the cold war era. Based loosely and in part on her own family, Peach Blossom Spring is a saga spanning generations.
For me, the book was slow in parts and I had trouble grabbing hold in the first half. But when Henry moves to America and the scenes are more relatable, I found that I couldn't put it down until completed.
Overall, I liked the premise and the story quite a bit. I thought perhaps at 400 pages it was too long. I had no trouble visualizing the story as it unfolded even though I have never been to China.
I felt this was an important story to tell and I was RIVITED by the scroll and the stories it told, and how the author related the tales to the story unfolding. For me that was the best part. The scroll was its own character and I so wanted it to be found somehow. The scroll itself lets me give this book a solid 4*

I enjoyed reading this epic generations-long journey of one family, similar to many other families during the same time in China, and learning more about the part of history I wasn't too familiar with. Despite the unfamiliarity, I found things to relate to in each of the characters we followed, and got emotional towards the end. The writing is heavily inspired by the Chinese way of storytelling so the novel reads like it's a translated work, which in second half of the book felt a little unnatural during the America years.

Thanks for the publisher for this ARC! Would definitely recommend the book.

Thank you to Net Galley and Little, Brown and Company for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review,

Peach Blossom Spring starts in China in 1938, right in the throes of the Sino-Japanese war and ends in the year 2000 in the US.
Like so many other stories told during times of war, there is the constant theme of ptsd and survival instincts influencing how humans interact with each other and the world around them. A lot of times this makes us seem less sensitive to the feelings and emotional needs of others when all we are trying to do is live another day.
Because of Renshu’s hard work and his Uncle’s connections, he was given the opportunity to come to America in his early adult life. This is after he and his mother lived through the end of WW2. He was displaced from the only home he had ever known, lost his father, his grandfather, and others close to him, but he had to keep going. This created a hyper awareness and survival instinct that ultimately affected his family life.
Given a new chance to have a normal life that did not consist of bomb shelters, taking cover from air raids, and months long dangerous and exhausting boat trips to foreign places- Renshu’s decided that in America he would start new. He changed his name, he kept his head down, and steered clear of other Chinese people for the most part. He didn’t participate in any of the clubs for Chinese students and avoided any conversations about his past life. Keep in mind that this was during a time that alliances were being made in China and people were either considered a friend or an enemy of the Republic. The reach of political influences was soon strongly felt in the US and the pressure was becoming too much.
As he gets older and had his own family, Henry could never truly communicate to his wife and child exactly why it hurt so much reliving those times, and he like many people never had any kind of therapy to work through it. He didn’t talk about his Chinese heritage and his daughter wanted nothing more but to learn about hers.
I’ve never had to experience living in a war zone nor living under the constant stress of thinking about whether today would be the day that I die or lose another parent to the threat of violence. Living in the USA has given me the privilege of never really having to think about such things, and knowing that there are people on this planet who STILL do is absolutely disturbing.
This novel focuses heavily on family, survival, and things unsaid but not necessarily secrets. It tells a story of fictional characters who lived through actual historic events and how those events ultimately affected them. We all could learn something from this book and many more like them from the human perspective. Even though I’ve never been to China and was born decades after this war, the love and determination that drive Meilin to save not only herself but her son resonates deeply with me. The desire for Renshu to just want to be and not have to keep reliving the worst part of his life does also.
I cannot praise this book enough and I cannot wait to read more by Melissa Fu!

Melissa Fu’s debut novel Peach Blossom Spring takes readers into the tumultuous history of China, from the Japanese invasion to contemporary times, through several generations of a Chinese family. Those unfamiliar with the historic background will find the story illuminating. The trauma of war and the lives of refugees struggling to survive is balanced with stories of people helping each other, becoming a makeshift family. The novel also takes us to America and the difficulties of an immigrant student learning to bridge cultures, fearful of becoming political, which would lead to repercussions for family back in China.

The novel begins in 1938. Meilin’s husband does not return from the war with Japan, but her brother-in-law does and he extends his protection over her and her son, the only male heir in the Dao family. Her sister-in-law resents her presence. Their comfortable life quickly ends when the city is engulfed in flames, and they must flee inland on a treacherous, long journey. Their new home also is not safe for the Japanese planes arrive, and a tragedy forces the family to split.

Meilin will never again return ‘home’ again; she must adopt again and again as she travels across China seeking sanctuary. Her son Renshu grows up knowing the damages of war, but is a bright and studious boy. He attends university and gains entry to an American university, and afterwards, establishes his career in America. He marries an American woman and they have a daughter.

If Meilin’s story is one of survival, trauma, and resilience, her son’s story in America is one of PTSD and identity problems. His uncle had survived by navigating the shifting political sands of China, but he warned Renshu to avoid politics at all costs. It makes Renshu–now Henry in his new country–leery of socializing with other Chinese, uncertain of who might reporting back to the homeland. He represses his Chinese heritage and memories.

And that leads to his daughter Lily’s struggles with identity. She wants to know her heritage, she wants to hear stories of her father’s family and homeland. His reticence is a wedge between them. It also creates emotional distance with his wife.

The author was inspired by her own family history. I especially enjoyed how Fu used traditional Chinese folk stories to illuminate the Chinese cultural background and the challenges facing these characters. Meilin has a valuable scroll and tells the stories in contains to her son. Peach Blossom Spring is a fable about a man who finds a perfect place, but when he leaves he can’t find it again.

I received a free egalley from the publisher through NetGalley. My review is fair and unbiased.

Peach Blossom Spring follows three generations of a Chinese family beginning in 1938, with the Japanese quickly approaching to the Chinese village that Meilin and her 4 year old son call home. Meilin narrates this portion of the story, which I found to be the most captivating. The fear and uncertainty of where to go, who to trust, how best to protect your child is palpitating. Author Melissa Fu's writing surrounds the reader with .scenery, sounds and smells of this time and place - building the world in which her characters live, or more accurately ,survive..
The second section is narrated by her son who has come to the USA for school and is now known as Henry.. His is a voice of self doubt, fear and what we would now call PTSD., He fears being caught up in the politics of of his home country - neither sympathizer nor communist be, He withdrawals of from all things Chinese (something I have seen firsthand with many immigrants to the US). HIs wife is Caucasian and their daughter is obviously mixed race.
Henry's daughter, Lily is the third voice of this story. She is a young girl trying to figure out who she is , who her people are. She has met her paternal grandmother only once, but the memory and bond of that visit has carried her a lifetime. Her father will not discuss his life in China and he expects her to just leave it alone. But Lily needs more.. She deserves more.
When flying we are told that in case of an emergency to put on our oxygen mask before helping our children. We need to be whole and safe in order to help them.. Can Henry manage to get his mask on?
This is a story of love, survival, loyalty, desperation and hope. aka life..

My thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Peach Blossom Spring follows a Chinese family trying to find a place to call home as the world unravels around them. This story focuses on the importance of our familial bonds, history, and culture, even during times of war and strife. Melissa Fu does and excellent job with her debut novel. The writing flows smoothly and vividly brings the chaotic world of the protagonists to life. Each generation of family faces a similar struggle of finding home with unique differences in their reactions to the events around them. I can easily see how the upbringing of one character impacts their world view, as well as how they raise the next generation.

The novel is fast-paced and could have spent more time fleshing out some of the characters. It does; however, do an excellent job of showing the harsh reality of living through certain historical events and how they impacted the people who lived through them.

Storytelling plays an important role in the book as well. We see how ties to traditional values and heritage shape people, as well as the opposite. Melissa Fu does very well showing how important these things are and why we long to have a connection to them.

After such a beautiful and heart-wrenching novel, I look forward to seeing Melissa Fu's future work! Peach Blossom Spring is a promising debut with an important message.

I really wasn’t sure what to expect when I first started ready this book, but WOW! What a great read. In Peach Blossom Spring, it is a story that spans through three generations. Dao Renshu was born in China, and with his mother, Meilin, who fled during the Japanese attacks and then during the communist takeover of mainland China to Taiwan. They traveled with the help of Renshu’s uncle, Dao Longwei and his aunt and cousins. Through their journeys, Meilin tells him stories with the help of a treasured and beautiful antique scroll, given to her by her late husband and Henry’s father who died in the war against Japan. Each story has meaning for how to live life well. Later Renshu was able to travel to America where he stayed as an adult, reinvented as Henry Dao. In America, because of his traumatic childhood in China and then Taiwan, Henry is very cautious and fearful to share about his early life in order to protect his family. His young daughter, Lily, however seeks to discover her heritage and her identify as a Chinese-American, which puts her at odds with her dad. Henry needs to find peace within himself before he can find happiness.

The beautiful stories told by Meilin gives you pause for thought. I especially loved the one about the Pear Tree and also about the Peach Blossom Spring. Given Meilin’s story, one can’t but help to admire her strength and fortitude as she showed courage to protect Renshu and survive in the midst of adversity. While holding on to traditions, she knew that to survive, she needed to look only forward and was a very selfless person. With great character development, you could feel her struggles and her joys. This is a great story to read and one that is hard to put down. Well done for this debut novel.

Many thanks to #netgalley #peachblossomspring #melissafu for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Peach Blossom Spring is one of the best books I’ve read all year. It’s a three-generational story of love and sacrifice, happiness and loss, resilience, survival, and so much more.

Meilin must raise her son, Renshu/Henry, alone despite multiple hardships and challenges after the wartime death of her husband. We then follow Renshu/Henry’s life and his challenges and eventually Lily and her challenges.

There are many location changes and many characters introduced and yet the book feels very personal and not the least bit scattered. I felt I was a part of this story and quickly became emotionally invested.

Two adages I took away from this book are: ‘Regret is a heavy burden to carry’ and ‘Is it a curse? Is it a blessing?’ I have pondered those already, and am sure I will think about them again.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review Peach Blossom Spring. I enjoyed it immensely. Well done, Ms Fu. Well done.

Review to appear in the Historical Novel Society Review in the next issue. Mostly positive; a few matters of constructive criticism.

Thank you Little Brown and Net Galley for the eARC of Peach Blossom Spring by Melissa Fu.

Let's talk about this cover! Amazing! It's beautiful and really captures the essence of this book! It took me a while to get into this story. But once I did, I was hooked! This is a beautiful story about so many things; but most of all a mother's love for her son. This story spans from the 1930's through 2005. I didn't know much about the time period when Japan invaded China and this book shed light on that time period which I appreciated and learned from.

This is a multigenerational story that begins with Meilin and her son Renshu. It tells the tale of how Meilin went to any length to care for her son and how her unselfish love for him existed until her death. Renshu eventually moves to the United States and builds a life, family, and career for himself. He marries and has a daughter; Lily. This is somewhat a coming of age story as well. Lily never really knows where her place is in the world. Her father never talks about his past.and she feels like she doesn't fit in. Lily goes to college and finally finds her path. When Meilin dies, she travels to be with her father and finally understands him and his journey and seems to make peace with him.

Perhaps the final chapter of the book sums this one up the best:

"The story ends when there is nothing more to strive after. There is no more wanting. There is only the fullness of blossom, the caress of a breeze, a sky joyous with blue. This moment. This now This peach blossom
spring."

This is just a beautiful story that will resonate differently with every reader. I highly recommend! This one releases on March 15, 2022!

I enjoyed this! I really enjoyed this first part of the book with Meilin and her son Renshu and their being displaced from China (always love it when I can learn a little history from a novel). Meilin was such a likable character. The second part where Renshu is in college in the US was also interesting. The fear that remained with him from the war was heartbreaking. The third half with Renshu's daughter, Lily, felt a bit rushed, but the overall theme of the pervasive effects of war was obvious in her relationship with her father. And the book ended sweetly. Would recommend!