Human rights lawyer Eve J. Chung draws inspiration from her family’s history to tell the story of Hai, one of the eponymous Daughters of Shandong. Hai is one of four sisters born to the wealthy Ang family. Although the family is privileged, Hai’s life—and the lives of her mother and sisters—is a miserable one of hard work and regular humiliation at the hands of their grandmother. Things get even worse when the Chinese Civil War rips through the country and the Angs abandon Hai, her mother, and her other sisters to keep an eye on the family home until “things blow over.” This novel is difficult to read as the female Angs face violence, hunger, illness, bureaucracy, and relentless sexism.

Hai is the oldest daughter of the Angs and is the kind of child who bears witness to the world around her while she does her chores, studies, and wonders about her future. Her circumscribed life consists of the Ang family. At the head are the repellent Nai Nai, her grandmother, and her grandfather, Yei Yei. Nai Nai and Yei Yei’s will are law. Because Hai’s mother has only had girls, Nai Nai heaps scorn and punishment on Chiang-Yue. It’s almost a relief when the Nationalist Army abandons Shandong and the Communists take over because Nai Nai and the other Angs take everything of value and flee, leaving Chiang-Yue, Hai, and her sisters. Unfortunately, as the only remaining Angs in the area, they are subject to the rough “justice” of the Communists because they’re the only landowners the Communists can get their hands on. Things get increasingly difficult and dangerous after the small family is forced out of the Ang home. They only manage to survive their first encounter with the Communists because of Chiang-Yue’s years of kindness to the family’s tenants.

When life becomes untenable in Shandong Province, Chiang-Yue decides to take her daughters to Qingdao, where the Angs fled. In the first of many disappointments, they find that the Angs followed the Nationalist forces to Taiwan. Chiang-Yue and the girls do their best to keep themselves fed and free while they figure out their next move. Chung says in her afterword that she struggled to find historical documentation from the perspective of Chinese people fleeing the Communists and mainland China in the wake of the civil war; she had to rely on Western accounts for some of what might have happened to the discarded Angs. I found Hai’s descriptions of how she and her younger sister, Li-Di, scammed and scrounged for money and food; the cold, dirty rooms they lived in; and the struggle to get the necessary documents to follow the rest of the Angs so detailed and realistic that I felt like I was trudging along the roads or huddling in their temporary housing with her.

Along with questions about food, housing, and documents, Hai and her family have to wrestle with the more existential question of whether or not they should rejoin the rest of the Angs. On the one hand, there will be safety and sustenance with them. On the other, these are the people who left them to die in mainland China. They know that Nai Nai hates them and Chiang-Yue’s husband—Hai’s father—said nothing when his wife and daughters were deliberately left behind. Hai and her sister Di wonder if their father even wants them, and if it might be better for them to start over on their own in Hong Kong. Life would be more dangerous but they wouldn’t have to deal with Nai Nai’s humiliations.

I was engrossed by Daughters of Shandong, although several parts made me want to shout at people on Hai and Chiang-Yue’s behalf. I loved the rich historical detail of this book and the deep characterization of the main characters. This is an amazing work of historical fiction.

When civil war threatens the Chinese countryside, the Ang patriarch leaves his wife and daughters behind on their farm. Hai, the eldest of the daughters, often fights with her sister Di, who is headstrong and willing to abandon the traditional beliefs of their family. When the Communist army finds the women left behind, they take Hai to a public denunciation in her father’s place, nearly beating her to death. Knowing that they must escape, the women gather their resources and flee. Along the way they are subject to starvation, disease, and unsafe conditions.

This was a well written and engaging book. The author is a great storyteller. The story itself was heartbreaking. I felt for Hai and her family and cheered for them as they endured one thing after another. I would love to read more from this author. Overall, highly recommended.

Daughters of Shangdong
by Eve J. Chung
Pub Date: May 7, 2024
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion.
* Historical fiction
A propulsive, extraordinary novel about a mother and her daughters’ harrowing escape to Taiwan as the Communist revolution sweeps through China, by debut author Eve J. Chung, based on her family story. Told in assured, evocative prose, with impeccably drawn characters, Daughters of Shandong is a hopeful, powerful story about the resilience of women in war; the enduring love between mothers, daughters, and sisters; and the sacrifices made to lift up future generations.
This book may be a work of fiction, but it was inspired by true events, was carefully researched, and the many social issues and hardships that the characters faced rang true to me. It's a book that I will probably never stop thinking about and would recommend to everyone, but most especially to women of Chinese descent. I couldn't believe it was written by a debut author.
5 stars

I absolutely loved this story! I was so connected to this family and felt like I was with them every step of their journey. As hard as it was to read of the atrocities that happened in China, I couldn't put it down. Daughters of Shandong is a book about a mother's love and the struggles she goes through to secure her daughters' futures. Excellent job Eve J. Chung! I hope to read more of your work in the future.

Daughters of Shandong is a well written debut novel about a mother and her three daughters during the Communist Revolution, based on Chung’s own family. Chung does an excellent job of putting you in the time and place.
Hai is the eldest child of the Ang family, wealthy farming landlords. But as a daughter, she is worthless. When the Communist revolutionaries come to Shandong, her father, grandmother and the rest of the family flee, leaving Hai, her mother and two younger sisters to “guard” the family home. Only because of their mother’s kindness to the workers are they spared by the Cadres. Soon, it becomes obvious they must flee the area.
The reader is witness to the lawlessness of the revolution. Most landowners are killed. In the cities, poverty is everywhere and brutality reigns. Later, when the family makes it to Hong Kong, there are overwhelmed refuge centers. It’s not until they finally make it to Taiwan that they have a chance to do more than merely survive.
Chung uses the second daughter Di as a contrast to obedient Hai. In the beginning, Di is selfish and headstrong. But most importantly she adapts. But as the book progresses, we witness the switch between the two daughters and which flourishes.
I enjoyed learning about this period of time and the book was obviously well researched. There was a constant contest of wills between the two sisters, with the overriding theme of maternal love and sacrifice. But most importantly, the book highlights the Chinese tradition of belittling women. As Chung writes in her Author’s Note, “ Sexism was, and still is, so ingrained in our culture that many women consider it part of fate.”
My thanks to Netgalley and Berkley for an advance copy of this book.

Well written and historically based highlighting experiences and viewpoints of generations of women during a difficult period in China.

This is an extraordinary story of perseverance. It takes place in China starting with the Chinese revolution. A family man abandons his wife and daughters to flee the communists with his mother and other male relatives. The mom finds a way to survive with her daughters under harrowing conditions. Eventually they must also flee to Taiwan to try to find a better life. Mom is resourceful, hardworking and will do anything to keep her daughters alive and safe. They fight the Chinese tradition that only sons matter. The story is propulsive. This is a beautiful debut novel that is a tribute to the author’s grandmother. I highly recommend it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkeley for the advanced reader copy!

Daughters of Shandong by Eve J. Chung is an amazing historical fiction that I really enjoyed.

This is such a stunning novel that introduces me to a whole new world. I usually do not delve into novels that include China, but ai sure am glad I did with this one.

Ms. Chung really brought out every emotion from within as she crafts a story of pain, heartbreak, loss, fear, and abandonment. What also shines are the characters themselves, strong women that have forged bonds and have determination, heart, courage, and tenacity despite all of the cultural, political, and familial obstacles and battles. What we are left with is a story of hope and promise despite all of the difficulties that these women were handed during the civil war within China during the 20th century.

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Berkley Publishing for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 5/7/24.

I enjoyed this story of a girl becoming a woman in China during the revolution. It was a tough read at time but certainly worthy and well told incorporating history through a compelling story. It also highlights the the difference between the ways in which males and females were (are) treated in China.

Eve Chung has written a powerful historical fiction account of the Chinese Civil War. Hai, the eldest daughter of a landowner father, her sisters, and her mother are abandoned behind by their family (because they are women- they are considered worthless) as their father and the rest of his family flee to Taiwan. When the Communists arrive and find the Ang family has left- the mother and daughters are mistreated and punished. They end up escaping and through many hardships and years past, Hai, Di, and Mom find their way back to the Ang family in Taiwan. It is a fascinating story of the resourcefulness and strength of women in a time when women were considered second-class. Thank you, NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for an advanced reading copy. My opinions are my own.

This is one of those addictive read books that you have to stop everything to read and find out what happens next. I breathed in this book from the moment I started it because it was so powerful right from the start. Chung weaves a wonderful, heart-wrenching story that will satisfy those who are looking for the next best historical fiction book. I will be absolutely recommending this often and whenever I can.

Daughters of Shandong shed light on a piece of history and perspectives that we are so rarely shown. I loved learning about this history through the eyes of the women and girls that Chung crafted.

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I have to say, that I delighted in reading this novel in one day. Set in the countryside of 1948 China, the Ang family are wealthy land owners, The mother is daily abused by her mother in law for failing to produce a male heir. There are three living daughters. Di is head strong, independent, and rises up against traditional Chinese familial cultural traditions. Hai is the oldest and a caretaker for her sisters and beacon of support for her mother. As the communists army approaches, the Ang family leaves the girls and their mother since they are useless mouths to feed. The Ang women embark on a journey of homelessness and starvation to reunite with their family. This novel is beautifully written and the themes of resilience, bonds between mother and daughters, and breaking free of tradition, are so beautifully developed that you feel like you have made the journey as well.

Daughters of Shandong is an immersive experience into the Communist Revolution in China beginning in 1948. I found myself reading deep into the night with tears rolling down my cheeks as Hai, her mother, and sisters struggled to survive the journey to Taiwan in order to be reunited with their family. They were deliberately left behind while the rest of the family escaped. After all, according to the family matriarch, they were females - just extra mouths to feed. The four females struggled for two years to reach their destination.

Based on the author’s grandmother’s story, this unique book reaches deep into the soul. It is an unforgettable story that I will be purchasing for my high school library and recommending to my historical fiction loving friends.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this arc in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Daughters of Shandong emphasizes the importance of belief of strict adherence to family customs as seen in the culture of a people. Hai along with her mother and sisters are punished and neglected because they are female. Amidst war and family turbulence they try to survive in conditions that are intolerable and so unnecessary. This book is an eye-opener to the travesty of abandonment and discrimination because of gender and one I recommend everyone read.

In 1948, the Communist Army is closing in on Shandong. The wealthy Ang family flees, leaving behind Hai, her mother, and her three sisters, whose only crime is being women. Even the girls' father abandons them. The hard life lived by Hai's mother is difficult to read about, as she is mocked, abused, and tortured by her mother-in-law for the crime of not producing a male heir. Left to fend for themselves, the abandoned women begin a journey back to the family that cast them aside. It is a sad, heart-breaking true story.

The situation of Hai's mother is so powerfully written, as she is abused so often that it appears she cannot overcome it. The story is well told and the characters will touch your heart.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

Daughters of Shandong follows the eldest daughter of the wealthy Ang family as the Chinese Civil War slowly ravages China. Author Eve Chung does a beautiful job illustrating the struggles of women in China during this time, how abandonment and war truly affect those without power, and the fight of the individual and family to adapt and grow through all the doubt, fear, and pain when you no longer recognize the world in which you live.

This was truly a wonderful book that I struggled to put down! The three principal characters are well-developed, unique, and intriguing to follow on this harrowing flight from the Chinese communist regime. Hai, the main character, is a wonderful snapshot into the mind of a young woman growing up during this time. Through her, we get to see the way a culture can change in just one generation through the perseverance and hope of its (young) people.

I was especially intrigued by the way Ms. Chung shows the generational divide in the mindset of the Ang women - from the grandmother to the mother and her daughters, it is an interesting look at how women are shaped by society, their upbringing, and the strength of their own will. Whenever all three of these generations were together on the page, the tension was almost unbearable!

The author also manages to showcase the horrifying position of women during this time without condemning "men" or "society" as a whole by showing both the good and bad side of each both sex. She merely presents the (seemingly obvious) conclusion that women shouldn't be treated as second-class humans who only exist to produce male children.

While at times a difficult read because of the horrifying subject matter and the author's ability to bring it to life, it is truly a well-written and well-researched book. I will definitely be suggesting it to my friends and family!

Do you ever finish a book and just sit there overwhelmed with gratitude to the author for writing it? That was me after finishing Daughters of Shandong, a debut historical fiction novel inspired by the story of the author's own grandmother and her harrowing escape to Taiwan during the communist revolution.

Narrator Hai is the eldest of four daughters, witnessing her mother suffer abuse for her failure to produce a male heir. As the communist army approaches their town, the rest of their wealthy family flees, leaving mother and daughters behind. With no males left at home, Hai is put on trial and tortured for her family's perceived crimes. Mother and daughters realize they must flee to survive; they forge travel permits and set off on a thousand mile journey in hopes of finding the family that abandoned them.

This is such a beautifully crafted tale of survival amid the trauma of being refugees and the ever-present sexism of 1948 China. The characters are drawn so sharply; I found myself unable to put the book down in hopes of them reaching a place of safety. The resiliency and strength of the characters was so inspiring and moving. I loved how the author presented education as the most valuable asset a girl could have to achieve a place of security and freedom; it gave such an overwhelming feeling of hope.

Thank you so much to Berkley and Netgalley for this book to review.

Eve Chung's "Daughters of Shandong" is a poignant and emotionally charged historical fiction novel that weaves a captivating story set against the backdrop of one of China's most turbulent periods - the Communist revolution.
The story follows the plight of Hai, her mother and sisters as they are left behind when the rest of the family flees Mainland China. The women are left penniless and made to pay for crimes the rest of their family committed according to the Communists. What follows is their story of courage and survival as they navigate their way across China to Taiwan.
Chung's prose is evocative and vivid, painting a rich tapestry of the women’s experiences against the tumultuous historical events of the time. The characters are beautifully crafted, and their development throughout the story is a testament to Chung's skill as a storyteller. The author's attention to detail and her ability to convey the emotional weight of the characters' decisions and struggles are commendable. The novel is particularly effective in shedding light on the roles of women in a society undergoing rapid change and the sacrifices they made for their families and their principles.
Make sure you read the Author’s note at the end. The fact that this story is based on the actual experiences of the author’s grandmother and great-grandmother makes this novel that much more compelling.
Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

As civil war closes in on Shandong, the wealthy Ang family worries more about their lack of heirs. Hai is the eldest of four girls and stays with her mother when the family flees the communist army moving in.

This may be my first novel of 2024, but I will be thinking of it for a while. It was very entertaining and hard to put down. I loved the main character and how she grew with her struggles. It exemplified the embedded sexism in ancient Chinese culture that stuck with tradition as times went on, as well as the trauma from war. I learned about the growth of communism in mainland China as well.

“Our world was broken by the war, but perhaps that meant that we could piece it together in a different way.”

Daughters of Shandong comes out 5/7.