Peach Blossom Spring
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- Create Date：2022-05-11 06:53:05
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Melissa Fu
- ISBN：0316286737
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Summary
A "beautifully rendered" novel about war， migration， and the power of telling our stories， Peach Blossom Spring follows three generations of a Chinese family on their search for a place to call home （Georgia Hunter， New York Times bestselling author）。
"Within every misfortune there is a blessing and within every blessing， the seeds of misfortune， and so it goes， until the end of time。"
It is 1938 in China and， as a young wife， Meilin’s future is bright。 But with the Japanese army approaching， Meilin and her four year old son， Renshu， are forced to flee their home。 Relying on little but their wits and a beautifully illustrated hand scroll， filled with ancient fables that offer solace and wisdom， they must travel through a ravaged country， seeking refuge。
Years later， Renshu has settled in America as Henry Dao。 Though his daughter is desperate to understand her heritage， he refuses to talk about his childhood。 How can he keep his family safe in this new land when the weight of his history threatens to drag them down？ Yet how can Lily learn who she is if she can never know her family’s story？
Spanning continents and generations， Peach Blossom Spring is a bold and moving look at the history of modern China， told through the story of one 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？
"Within every misfortune there is a blessing and within every blessing， the seeds of misfortune， and so it goes， until the end of time。"
It is 1938 in China and， as a young wife， Meilin’s future is bright。 But with the Japanese army approaching， Meilin and her four year old son， Renshu， are forced to flee their home。 Relying on little but their wits and a beautifully illustrated hand scroll， filled with ancient fables that offer solace and wisdom， they must travel through a ravaged country， seeking refuge。
Years later， Renshu has settled in America as Henry Dao。 Though his daughter is desperate to understand her heritage， he refuses to talk about his childhood。 How can he keep his family safe in this new land when the weight of his history threatens to drag them down？ Yet how can Lily learn who she is if she can never know her family’s story？
Spanning continents and generations， Peach Blossom Spring is a bold and moving look at the history of modern China， told through the story of one 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？
Reviews
Sara Downing
，
Beautifully gentle multifunctional story following the life of Meilin， Gandhi and Lily。 Meilin flees a Japanese invasion from WW2， with a young Renshu， theirs is a tale of grit and survival moving across China to find safety。 The story spans 70years to Taiwan and then to Renshu becoming Henry settling into life in US and starting his own family。 Lily brings as innocence to the story which is beautiful， she has a naivety which remains until the end of the book。
Erin
，
This was a little hard to get into at first， but overall I really enjoyed this multi-generational story。
Rene
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This book tells the story of three generations of a Chinese family from 1938-2005。 In the beginning， Meilin is living a contented and traditional life as a young wife and mother， helping her father-in-law in his antique shop and tending to their 4 year old son， Renshu， the only male grandchild。 Sadly， the Japanese invasion upends her happy life。 Her beloved husband is killed in battle and Meilin and Renshu are forced to flee on foot with her brother-in-law and his family with only what they can This book tells the story of three generations of a Chinese family from 1938-2005。 In the beginning， Meilin is living a contented and traditional life as a young wife and mother， helping her father-in-law in his antique shop and tending to their 4 year old son， Renshu， the only male grandchild。 Sadly， the Japanese invasion upends her happy life。 Her beloved husband is killed in battle and Meilin and Renshu are forced to flee on foot with her brother-in-law and his family with only what they can carry。 One of the things Meilin takes is a beautiful painted scroll that she uses to tell Renshu and his little cousins stories that often have a moral lesson。 One of these stories is Peach Blossom Spring， about a man who finds a magical land but then must decide if he should stay there and enjoy its beauty and peace or go back to his struggling family。 The book follows Meilin and Renshu as they journey across China， often on foot。 Meilin's resiliency and determination to take care of her son is remarkable and uplifting。 They survive the Japanese war but are then caught up in the internal struggle as the Communists seek to gain control of China。 Meilin and Renshu move to Taiwan for safety。 Meilin's gift for languages and her natural kindness and hard work enable her to support the two of them after they part from their extended family following the death of their young daughter。 Meilin sees that Renshu is educated and he receives an offer to study in America。 His uncle， who is highly placed in the Communist party， pays the fees and produces the papers that allow him to go。 Renshu changes his name to Henry， falls in love with an American woman， and has a daughter。 He works for the US government at Los Alamos on highly secret projects。 He writes to his mother often and wants to bring her to America， but finds that his uncle falsified Henry's documents and therefore， he can only bring Meilin for a visit。 Henry carries many scars from his traumatic childhood， which he never talks about。 Therefore， his daughter， Lily， who has only known a prosperous life in America， doesn't understand him and often resents him。 She does face some prejudice because she is bi-racial and struggles with finding out who she is。 Henry and Lily return to China， missing Meilin's death by just a few hours。 They are heartbroken but this finally opens the door for Henry to share stories of his childhood and family with Lily， mending many fences。 。。。more
Jocelyn
，
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 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。" 。。。more
Rebecca
，
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 t 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。 。。。more
Joni
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This beautiful novel follows the lives of a Chinese family from pre WWII to the 21st century。 Renshu is a much loved son of his family。 When war breaks out， he and his mother flee and face many dangers， perils and sorrow to find safety。 After so much displacement， they find a reprieve as Renshu dreams of a new life and country。 The power of story and a mother's resilience and love are at the heart of this magnificent book。 This beautiful novel follows the lives of a Chinese family from pre WWII to the 21st century。 Renshu is a much loved son of his family。 When war breaks out， he and his mother flee and face many dangers， perils and sorrow to find safety。 After so much displacement， they find a reprieve as Renshu dreams of a new life and country。 The power of story and a mother's resilience and love are at the heart of this magnificent book。 。。。more
Desiree
，
This is an incredibly beautiful and moving story。 I can't wait to read it again。 To have all the perspectives of one one family with such a history。 It was lovely。 This is an incredibly beautiful and moving story。 I can't wait to read it again。 To have all the perspectives of one one family with such a history。 It was lovely。 。。。more
Jerry Nolen
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3^Kind of rambling until near the end。 But some insight into mixed Chinese -American societies。
James
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I thought this book kind of fell for me in the end。 and I had a hard time figuring out who the book was about。
Kathryn
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Beautifully told story。 I had a hard time putting it down。 I came to deeply care about the characters。
Patty
，
I absolutely loved this book。 Thank you Melissa Fu for sharing this wonderful story。
Kaylee
，
4。5
Molly
，
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫"Your mother must be amazing to have kept you safe through all of that。" I present to you the perfect book and quote for Mother's Day。 🤗 Peach Blossom Spring is a sweeping and tender historical fiction novel that snuck up on me with how much I ended up loving it。 I've been reading a lot of fast-paced books lately， so this slower， expansive novel took me a minute to adjust to。 But once I settled into the pace and let myself enjoy the rich period details， I was totally drawn into this bea ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫"Your mother must be amazing to have kept you safe through all of that。" I present to you the perfect book and quote for Mother's Day。 🤗 Peach Blossom Spring is a sweeping and tender historical fiction novel that snuck up on me with how much I ended up loving it。 I've been reading a lot of fast-paced books lately， so this slower， expansive novel took me a minute to adjust to。 But once I settled into the pace and let myself enjoy the rich period details， I was totally drawn into this beautiful story。 I loved the Chinese folklore woven in and the thread of the meaning of 'Peach Blossom Spring' that evolves throughout the novel。 The author also delicately handles the topics of war， trauma， immigration， and belonging。 I highly recommend this novel to those who:🌸 Love a compelling multigenerational family saga involving immigration 🌸 Enjoy smart， reflective books with characters whose interiors are deeply developed 🌸 Need a reminder about the strength and resilience of mothers 。。。more
Jenna hall
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This was a chonky boi but I enjoyed the historical nature and viewing the turmoil in China as it went through various iterations， and not just the cultural revolution。 I thought Meilin’s story didn’t need the other two to round it out but I didn’t dislike them either。
Sally Ladyman
，
This is a great story about a Chinese father。 It tells history about his life in China and continues through his life in the U S。 This is an excellent read。
maddie fels
，
one of the best books ever… so moving and it makes you want to write down the stories of everyone in your family
Kris
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Powerful historical fiction with sensitively written insights on generational trauma and ethnic and racial identity issues。
Emma-Caroline Avery
，
This book is so beautifully written and I thoroughly enjoyed every part of it。 It spans three generations and tells the story of love， loss， and family in the most beautiful way。 I highly recommend it to anyone as it has taught me a lot about not only the history of a culture I was not entirely familiar with but also about the struggles of war and being a family。
SB Blomstrand
，
I loved this book。 It was heartrending and earnest and hopeful， all at once。 Although my partner's story is different， reading this book helped give language to some of the trials I worry about for us， and has led to enriched conversations about his own history and experiences coming from Mainland China。 Definitely one of the most nuanced books I've read in a long time。 The prose was beautiful， and took me a while to get through because I wanted to savor it even as the subject matter could be re I loved this book。 It was heartrending and earnest and hopeful， all at once。 Although my partner's story is different， reading this book helped give language to some of the trials I worry about for us， and has led to enriched conversations about his own history and experiences coming from Mainland China。 Definitely one of the most nuanced books I've read in a long time。 The prose was beautiful， and took me a while to get through because I wanted to savor it even as the subject matter could be really heavy。 If you're interested in reading about Chinese and Taiwanese history during the war with Japan， and deep family dynamics in diaspora and immigration spanning generations， I would highly recommend this book。 。。。more
Janine
，
I chose this book as part of a May 2022 book theme for Asian-Pacific Heritage month to read books by an Asian author。 This book was also a February 2022 BOTM selection。 Henry Dao was able to make it to America due to the sacrifices of his mother， Meilin。 As a boy in mainland China in 1938 when the Japanese were invading the mainland， Renshu （Henry’s Chinese name）， he forced to leave his home ahead of the gaining Japanese。 His father had been killed at a battle， so his uncle helps Meilin and Rens I chose this book as part of a May 2022 book theme for Asian-Pacific Heritage month to read books by an Asian author。 This book was also a February 2022 BOTM selection。 Henry Dao was able to make it to America due to the sacrifices of his mother， Meilin。 As a boy in mainland China in 1938 when the Japanese were invading the mainland， Renshu （Henry’s Chinese name）， he forced to leave his home ahead of the gaining Japanese。 His father had been killed at a battle， so his uncle helps Meilin and Renshu find safety along with his uncle’s family。 After the world war ends， nationalist and communistic Chinese are fighting to gain control of mainland China forcing Renshu and his mother to have to flee to Taiwan。 Along the way， Meilin sustains her son with her stories （and her fierce determination to forge a life for her son）， one of which is the story of a farmer who finds the land of the Peach Blossom Spring where a fisherman finds joy and happiness。 Only the version of the story she tells Renshu is different from the actual story which Henry （his American name） learns when studying。 As Henry assimilates into American life， marrying a white woman and fathering Lily， he grows almost paranoid with fear that if he has strong ties to the Chinese community， he may lose his citizenship。 So he keeps his daughter from learning of her heritage which frustrates Lily greatly。 As the years go by， Lily， now a teacher， comes across the Peach Blossom Spring story and shares it with her father only to finally learn of her Chinese roots。 The story’s two versions offer insight into choices people make and sometimes when you find something worthwhile there is no need to want further。 Bittersweet story with a fine moral。 。。。more
Amy Riccio
，
I don't know what it is with the books I'm choosing lately， but a lot of them seem to be these generational sagas that really emphasize connecting an individual to their past and future ancestry。 I love it， of course， because ancestry interests me so much。 This book was a great debut novel and also a lesson in Chinese history， of sorts。 It really makes me wish I had more time on my hands to continue delving into my own history。 Great read。 I don't know what it is with the books I'm choosing lately， but a lot of them seem to be these generational sagas that really emphasize connecting an individual to their past and future ancestry。 I love it， of course， because ancestry interests me so much。 This book was a great debut novel and also a lesson in Chinese history， of sorts。 It really makes me wish I had more time on my hands to continue delving into my own history。 Great read。 。。。more
Katie
，
A slightly more critical read would probably rate this book 4 stars， but this novel was engrossing， evocative， and right in my wheelhouse， so 5 stars it is。 Will I find myself in a book hangover， or will this reading experience result in the devouring of the remaining books on my May TBR？
Hannah。w
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4。5 stars
Anschen Conradie
，
#peachblossomspring – Melissa Fu#wildfire#jonathanball‘Tell us， they say， tell us where you’re from。He is from walking and walking and walking。 He is from staying each night in a different place， sometimes city， sometimes country。 From roads that wrap around mountains and dip through valleys。 From waterways shrouded in fog and mist。 He is from walking across China。’ （1）In 1938 a young widow， Meilin， flees her burning home in China。 With her is her four-year-old son， Renshu。 Behind her the advanc #peachblossomspring – Melissa Fu#wildfire#jonathanball‘Tell us， they say， tell us where you’re from。He is from walking and walking and walking。 He is from staying each night in a different place， sometimes city， sometimes country。 From roads that wrap around mountains and dip through valleys。 From waterways shrouded in fog and mist。 He is from walking across China。’ （1）In 1938 a young widow， Meilin， flees her burning home in China。 With her is her four-year-old son， Renshu。 Behind her the advancing Japanese armies。 During their epic journey across China their most prized possession is a beautiful， illustrated scroll; the ancient fables contained therein often the only source of solace in their ravaged lives; constantly reminding them ‘With every misfortune there is a blessing and within every blessing the seeds of misfortune， and so it goes， until the end of time。’ Years later Henry Dao is a brilliant engineer in America， happily married to Rachel， with a beautiful daughter， Lily。 But he remembers that he was once Dao Renshu。 This novel is his story。 Although a work of fiction， the author confirms that the origin of the novel can be found in her own father’s history。 She has used stories told by him as inspiration for this fictionalized history of a family and how they were shaped by the actual 20th century history of China。 It is an epic saga of love and loss， pride and humiliation， stories and history， opening in Changsha， China， in 1938， and closing in Albuquerque， New Mexico， in 2005。 The novel is in its entirety a breath-taking work of delicate prose， but Meilin’s parting thoughts when Renshu left for America， is one of my favourite parts: ‘When she sees Renshu again， if she sees him again， he will be filled with a home she doesn’t know。 He will speak a language she doesn’t understand; he will have eaten foods she has never tasted and seen sights beyond her imagining…。 She feels like she is breaking apart – whether from joy or sorrow， she can’t say，’ （176）The title refers to an ancient poem of Tao Qian （365-427） titled ‘Peach Blossom Spring’ that used to be one of Renshu’s favourite fables on their beloved scroll， telling of choices to be made and the responsibility that comes therewith。 Some novels leave you breathless， gasping for air， almost battle weary。 This novel has the exact opposite effect; it leaves you feeling as if being softly touched by delicate wings; the memory thereof， gentle as it is， as unforgettable as a haunting melody from the past。 It is worthy of 5 stars – and worthy to be recommended and remembered。⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️#UitdieperdsebekJonathan Ball Publishers 。。。more
Dwight Davis
，
Extremely good for a debut novel， but it’s still definitely a debut novel。 The main thing that didn’t work for was the pacing。 70 years of incredibly tumultuous history is difficult to cover without also having to balance character and plot。 It’s clear that the task was too daunting as we lose a lot of character development in some massive time jumps。 I’ve noticed a lot of authors lately using this convention of trying to tell a story spanning multiple generations in a short amount of pages and Extremely good for a debut novel， but it’s still definitely a debut novel。 The main thing that didn’t work for was the pacing。 70 years of incredibly tumultuous history is difficult to cover without also having to balance character and plot。 It’s clear that the task was too daunting as we lose a lot of character development in some massive time jumps。 I’ve noticed a lot of authors lately using this convention of trying to tell a story spanning multiple generations in a short amount of pages and really dropping the ball on pacing， at times taking multiple chapters to cover a few days and then skipping through a whole decade in one chapter。 It’s weak storytelling and I wish that it would have slowed down significantly here to give the characters room to breathe。 。。。more
Kimberly
，
Peach Blossom Spring is an epic family saga spanning three generations of a family uprooted by war and political conflict。 Most of Dao Renshu's life is spent as a refugee due to violence in China。 I appreciated the structure of the story and I'm always a fan of anything that is some kind of epic family story。 I'm also always fascinated by the experience of people immigrate and how they choose to assimilate。 I also find stories about the generational gap in immigrant families to be fascinating。 W Peach Blossom Spring is an epic family saga spanning three generations of a family uprooted by war and political conflict。 Most of Dao Renshu's life is spent as a refugee due to violence in China。 I appreciated the structure of the story and I'm always a fan of anything that is some kind of epic family story。 I'm also always fascinated by the experience of people immigrate and how they choose to assimilate。 I also find stories about the generational gap in immigrant families to be fascinating。 While the author says that this is a fiction story， it seems very likely to be own family story and her own experiences。 So it's a shame that there wasn't a little more emotion in the last section of the story more focused on Lily especially because I imagine the author's life experience was probably pretty similar。 My biggest qualm with the book was that the writing seemed pretty simplistic at times。 At the end I noticed that almost every sentence had a very basic subject-verb sentence structure and it was so noticeable that it became distracting。 。。。more
Mendy
，
Interesting read about China’s history and how immigrants struggle。
Rebecca
，
While the writing and characters were very good， the pacing felt off to me。 So much happened too quickly。 I really struggled with the first half but enjoyed the second half。
McKenzie
，
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for providing me with an eARC of this novel， however， all thoughts and opinions are my own。 I’ll be honest I almost DNF’d this book in the first 30%。 I was pretty bored and not at all invested until after the 40%。 I think it is because I lived in China， I was familiar with the places and the history being discussed， and I had read books that did it better。 The writing is more tell than show and as a result I was kept at an arms length from the characters Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for providing me with an eARC of this novel， however， all thoughts and opinions are my own。 I’ll be honest I almost DNF’d this book in the first 30%。 I was pretty bored and not at all invested until after the 40%。 I think it is because I lived in China， I was familiar with the places and the history being discussed， and I had read books that did it better。 The writing is more tell than show and as a result I was kept at an arms length from the characters and therefore feelings。 However， as it progressed， and when the characters moved from China to Taiwan， I was onboard。 I really enjoyed the last 60%。 I know that puts me in the minority of readers， but I’m pretty used to that by now。Honestly， what probably made me appreciate the second half more is that it is closer to the author’s actual experience。 She says it isn’t memoir or biography， but that a lot of the characters took similar paths to those of her father’s family。 She doesn’t go into exact details into the similarities and differences， but for me at least more feelings were generated in the second half。Generally speaking， this is a compelling debut novel。 It’s fairly well written and plotted， the characters are complex and the pacing is good。 However， for me， there was too much telling and not enough showing for most of the book。 I felt like an observer for the entire book and not a part of it。 We are told a lot about what the characters are doing and things that are happening to them， but not in a way that awakens the senses。 However， some of the time that is probably a blessing because there are some truly horrible experiences in this book。Overall， I would recommend this for fans of family sagas like Pachinko or Homegoing。 Readers interested in Chinese and Taiwanese history may find some parts of this interesting， also readers looking for some insight into the Chinese immigrant experience， as well as first generation experience。 While it may not be my favorite book of all time， I think that certain aspects of it will stay with me for awhile。 。。。more
Kim
，
This novel had some elements that tied the story together nicely。 It read a little more like a family history than a novel - meandering without much of a climax， but it wasn't unenjoyable。 The history between China and Taiwan was an interesting backdrop to the story。 This novel had some elements that tied the story together nicely。 It read a little more like a family history than a novel - meandering without much of a climax， but it wasn't unenjoyable。 The history between China and Taiwan was an interesting backdrop to the story。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Peach Blossom Spring
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Peach Blossom Spring&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Peach Blossom Spring&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0