Two couples - Wenya and Zhiying, Zhenzhen and Lao Gao - meet, marry and become inseparable just as China is shaking off the memory of war, and the brightest of its youth are pledging themselves to building a vibrant new future. Yet for all that their lives embody the ideals of the young republic, they are spared none of the suffering and hardship that are to follow, through years of famine and the terror of the Cultural Revolution. It is the two women who form the most powerful bond, and Wenya's loyalty and Zhenzhen's spirit sustain them both through their darkest hours. And as a new, more affluent China dawns and the struggle for survival gives way to an equally fierce battle to protect the values closest to their hearts, Zhenzhen teaches Wenya an unforgettable lesson about courage.
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'a fine combination of delicacy and steeliness...the yin and yang of marriage, Weyna's barbed relationship with her widowed mother, loyalty misplaced and rediscovered-makes for a warm and understated novel'
(Guardian )'novels set in post-revolutionary China , with the promise of stoicism in the face of political oppression, have an understandable appeal'.
(Telegraph )'epic novel...think fictional Wild Swans'
(Woman and Home )About the Author
Liu Hong was born in
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
As a BA in modern Chinese history, I was drawn to this book, with reviews promising a captivating epic over the first 4 decades of the People's Republic of China. Indeed, the author makes a desperate attempt to weave in as many historical details of the chinese revolution as possible, including the "Great Leap Forward", the cultural revolution, and all the horrors that ensued from Chairman Mao's various follies.
Unfortunately, Liu Hong's efforts to create a historically convincing novel are dampened by her questionable talent as a storyteller. The main character is abominable, making strange inexplicable choices in life. Her emotions and thoughts are described superficially in obscure, cliche statements. The events are so predictable that you begin to question the characters' intelligence for not forseeing their own future. As much as I liked the periodical setting (which was in itself somewhat twisted, but the author does make a disclaimer about it, saying she moved events around to make the story easier to tell...) reading the book was painfully dull and I found it hard to care about the characters enough to give a toss as to what happens to them in the end.
Unfortunately, Liu Hong's efforts to create a historically convincing novel are dampened by her questionable talent as a storyteller. The main character is abominable, making strange inexplicable choices in life. Her emotions and thoughts are described superficially in obscure, cliche statements. The events are so predictable that you begin to question the characters' intelligence for not forseeing their own future. As much as I liked the periodical setting (which was in itself somewhat twisted, but the author does make a disclaimer about it, saying she moved events around to make the story easier to tell...) reading the book was painfully dull and I found it hard to care about the characters enough to give a toss as to what happens to them in the end.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Gina Miller
Format:Paperback
I read this book because it was the monthly selection of my reading group, and my heart sank as soon as I read the synopsis. It seems to be a book writen purely to take advantage of the current popularity of Chinese literature. I found the characters shallow and not at all involving, and the plot was plodding and pedestrian. Having recently read Jung Chang's Wild Swans, however, this book was bound to suffer by comparison for me but it's possibly an option for those who like their history with a light touch and don't want to spend very long on one novel.
By Parvati P.
Format:Paperback
Wives of the East Wind is ambitious but bites off more than it can chew. It has a broad sweep and takes in the Great Leap Forward, the Cultural Revolution and the Post-Mao era of industrialisation when the old certainties are past. However the book jumps too fast from one era to another and the impact of events is often lost. Although readable and with good narrative drive, it often appears hurried and superficial.
It is hard to be drawn to the characters. The "wives" of the title simply appear oddly naïve and emotionally shallow.
I did like the idea of the main characters linked by the East Wind factory which meant this was as much a history of the Chinese economy as it was the story of the two couples, and this made it different from other books about China.
The book blurb invites a comparison with "Wild Swans". While it is more uptodate, it in no way reaches the standard of that epic book and modern China in the 80s and 90s was dealt with only fleetingly in this book. That said, there are occasional awkward flashes of authorial insight. I particularly like the picture Liu Hong draws of the Mao generation towards the end, surrounded by modern China of tall buildings, well-stocked shops, the bicycles replaced by cars, and not really understanding how it all happened and how they fit into the new China. They appear a lost generation with all the old support structures swept away.
It is hard to be drawn to the characters. The "wives" of the title simply appear oddly naïve and emotionally shallow.
I did like the idea of the main characters linked by the East Wind factory which meant this was as much a history of the Chinese economy as it was the story of the two couples, and this made it different from other books about China.
The book blurb invites a comparison with "Wild Swans". While it is more uptodate, it in no way reaches the standard of that epic book and modern China in the 80s and 90s was dealt with only fleetingly in this book. That said, there are occasional awkward flashes of authorial insight. I particularly like the picture Liu Hong draws of the Mao generation towards the end, surrounded by modern China of tall buildings, well-stocked shops, the bicycles replaced by cars, and not really understanding how it all happened and how they fit into the new China. They appear a lost generation with all the old support structures swept away.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
National events on a personal scale
A well paced and plotted novel, Wives of the East Wind covers a turbulent and fascinating time in China - from the 1960s to the 1990s, including famine, the Cultural Revolution,... Read more
Published on 23 July 2008 by BookWorm
5.0 out of 5 stars
A very worthwhile read
Liu Hong writes with such apparent ease. Her characters are so real they could be part of your life. Read more
Published on 27 Mar 2008 by Debbie Sandison
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