A Hundred Flowers

A Hundred Flowers

Book Description

 

A powerful new novel about an ordinary family facing extraordinary times at the start of the Chinese Cultural Revolution.

China, 1957. Chairman Mao has declared a new openness in society: “Let a hundred flowers bloom; let a hundred schools of thought contend.” Many intellectuals fear it is only a trick, and Kai Ying’s husband, Sheng, a teacher, has promised not to jeopardize their safety or that of their young son, Tao. But one July morning, just before his sixth birthday, Tao watches helplessly as Sheng is dragged away for writing a letter criticizing the Communist Party and sent to a labor camp for “reeducation.”

A year later, still missing his father desperately, Tao climbs to the top of the hundred-year-old kapok tree in front of their home, wanting to see the mountain peaks in the distance. But Tao slips and tumbles thirty feet to the courtyard below, badly breaking his leg.

As Kai Ying struggles to hold her small family together in the face of this shattering reminder of her husband’s absence, other members of the household must face their own guilty secrets and strive to find peace in a world where the old sense of order is falling. Once again, Tsukiyama brings us a powerfully moving story of ordinary people facing extraordinary circumstances with grace and courage.

 

Book Review

 

I received the audio book version of this novel. As with any audio book, make sure you get the unabridged version.  You don’t want to miss out on anything.

Simon Vance did a superb job of bringing the story to life.  When he was doing conversations between the characters, it was definitely easy to distinguish which character was which by his voice.

The story itself transports you to another place and another time.  It truly brought China in the late 1950s to life.

I was truly horrified as poor Tao’s father was being dragged away from his house for voicing his opinions.  We really take it for granted our freedom of speech.  This story may be fictional, but some of the situations truly did happen in China during that time.

In conjunction with the Wakela’s World Disclosure Statement, I received a product in order to enable my review. No other compensation has been received. My statements are an honest account of my experience with the brand. The opinions stated here are mine alone.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Review–Mana Potion

Image
Product Description   Mana Energy Potion Each tiny shot is loaded with 160mg of caffeine and tons of other energy boosters. As much caffeine as two cans of Red Bull® Provides 5-8 hours of smooth energy. No sugar, so no aftercrash. Each six pack contains 6 (duh) 1.69oz bottles   Product Review   The bottles are really cute and I love the labels.  I was a little disappointed though that the Mana Energy Drink logo was printed on the plastic wrapper instead of the bottle.  However, I love the shapes of the bottles. So here I was in the middle of a raid that seemed to be lasting longer then it should have.  We had already wiped a few times and decided to try again.  I was running out of energy though.  So instead of yelling OOM in the raid chat, I decided to take a Mana Potion.  There is no sugar whatsoever in this drink.  It contains tons of vitamins to help get you going.  And of course the all so wonderful caffeine.  I was expecting something bitte
Read more

Arnicare–Review & Giveaway

Image
  Product Review   Because of various health issues, I am always on the lookout for over the counter pain relief.  I HATE take pills.  So I tend to look for something topical.  I don’t want to be like my mom and smell horribly of some of the other formulas that are on the market. So that limits me greatly on what I can use.  I was just recently sent a 2.6 ounce tube of Arnicare.  It is all natural pain relief that comes in a gel.  They also have creams and pills as well. First off, I liked that it has a very pleasant mild scent.  So its definitely something that I am not embarrassed putting on and going out somewhere. Plus, it helped stop the pain rather quickly.  I was completely blown away with how fast my legs stopped hurting.  It’s a very rare day that I go without pain.  It was so nice to be able to find something that actually takes the pain away.  And not only did it take the pain away, it also relieved some of the swelling that I get in my legs.  I also loved th
Read more

Book Tour–The Priest’s Graveyard

Image
Book Description   The last thing Renee Gilmore remembers is being rescued by a pair of unknown arms after her drug-dealer boyfriend attempts to murder her. She wakes up in a beautiful glass house surrounded by doctors and the man that saved her life, Lamont Myers. Lamont offers her protection, if she abides by his rules. Among these; she must not leave the house, making her the bird in his gilded cage. Danny Hansen is a Bosnian immigrant who came to America to escape the bloodshed of his country and the memories of his own involvement. Danny is a priest who lives by a strict moral code, one which values the loving of others above all else. It is those that pretend to abide by religious and legal law but intentionally harm others that incense Danny. And he believes it is duty to show them the error of their ways. Those few that admit and renounce their behavior are forgiven and set free, but never without a severe reminder of their wrongdoings. Those that refuse to admit to the
Read more