This is a fascinating look at the devastations wrought by the Chinese Civil War in the 1940s and 1950s and made even more powerful by the fact that it is loosely based on the author's own family history.

When the Communists prevailed against the Nationalists, wealthy landowners fled for fear of reprisal. The Ang family was among those leaving with the exception of Hai, her mother and two sisters. Hai's mother had given birth to all girls, who were deemed unworthy since only males could be heirs. Hai's mother was treated as a servant by her mother-in-law and scorned for only having daughters. Hai's father apparently had no problem with leaving his wife and daughters behind while he left for safety.

What follows is a harrowing account of the life led by Hai, her sisters and mother as they struggle to stay alive. They live quite literally on scraps of food and find shelter whenever possible. Hai is brutally tortured as the eldest child of the Ang family in place of her father.

The girls and their mother make their way on foot to the city where the Angs sought refuge. Their journey is arduous and dangerous, and they find that the Angs have departed for the safety of Taiwan. They head to Hong Kong where they are without shelter and begging for food. Lan, the youngest sister, becomes disabled after a bout with tuberculosis, so now their struggles are amplified. Through a series of miraculous interventions, they make their way to Taiwan and a lukewarm reception by their family. Once again, they are relegated to second-class citizens due to their gender.

Their lives do eventually improve due to a devotion to academics and the belief that their gender does not make them inferior, although Hai's mother still believes in the old traditions.

This is a compelling glimpse into traumatizing events of the Chinese civil war by an author whose family lived through these events. ( )

What a powerful, gripping novel! The author writes like a seasoned veteran. It's hard to believe this is her debut novel.

The story takes place in China in the 1940's and 1950's, the Chinese Civil War that left millions of victims in its wake, as the Nationalists were defeated by the Communists. Hai is a young girl from an elite landowning clan, but in her household she and her sisters and mother are treated very poorly. Girls were considered useless mouths to feed in the Chinese culture. Hai's mother was treated no better than a servant, as the matriarch of the family held her in scorn for producing only girls and wanted to rid her son of this millstone around his, and the Ang family clan's neck.

When the Communists prevail against the Nationalists in the ongoing Civil War, the wealthy landowners are forced to flee for their lives. The Angs were no exception. The vile, villanous matriarch, Nai Nai commands that Hai's mother stay at the family home ostensibly to try to protect the remaining belongings and land from the Communists. Hai and her sister Di, stay with their mother and baby sister Lan. In essence, they were abandoned with very little food and no form of transportation to get away themselves.

The three quickly fall into a tortuous life of starvation and living literally in an animal stable full of dung. Young Hai is tortured in place of her runaway father, but though gravely brutalized and traumatized, her life is spared. Soon after, they leave, using forged documents painstakingly created with the artistic penmanship of Hai. They have only a small supply of food, a very few belongings and a wheelbarrow, and take turns carrying Hai's baby sister. Hunger becomes a way of life for them for the next few years.

After an extremely long and excruciating trek, they arrive in the city which their family fled to only to find that the family had gone to Taiwan, and completely abandoning them. Hai's mother finds her brother in the city and they arrange to stay with him, sharing a small room. He has tuberculosis and is unable to work and the family have no income. Hai and Di become street urchins, swiping anything they can find from the garbage, etc. and figuring out any way they can to get scraps of food or change. Hai's mother eventually finds a job folding matchboxes and they meagerly survive. However Lan contracts tuberculosis and their mom must sell one of the only items of value she was able to bring with them for the medical care and medicine to treat her. Lan survives, but is crippled and is only able to drag herself along the floor. She is also severely malnourished. The life they live is harsh and starvation is a part of their existence.

After another traumatic series of events leads to them receiving documents allowing them to go to Taiwan to rejoin their family, they set off on their way to Hong Kong. In Hong Kong, they are truly homeless, living on the street and scrabbling for crumbs. Existence is extremely difficult. They are rounded up into a detention center for the masses that arriving from the exodus from China. This gives them a room to sleep in, crammed with many others, and food vouchers for a small amount of food daily. They discover that it is nearly impossible to get paperwork to go to Taiwan, but eventually the proper strings are pulled by Hai's uncle and they finally rejoin the family unit in Taiwan. Hai's father has been told to break off the relationship he was having (he nearly married a nurse, believing he would never hear from Hai's mom again). Her grandmother, Nai Nai is even more hateful that ever and the abuse that Hai's mother, herself and sisters endure is horrific. Finally, when it becomes apparent that they can't stay under the same roof with the abusive matriarch any longer, Hai's father announces he has received a promotion teaching in the city and they will move out of the family compound.

From that point, Hai and her sisters and mother begin to heal and improve their lives. Hai and Di attend school and are able to plan for a future. They do not have an abundance, but they have nearly enough to eat and school uniforms. Hai's mother sells her prized last piece of jewelry, a family heirloom, to allow Hai to take the entrance exams to the teaching college. Di is able to go to nursing school in the following year. From that point the girls' paths separate forever, as Di becomes pregnant and is jilted by her lover, marries on the rebound and leaves the family for good. Hai marries and raises her daughter in the knowledge that she is cherished, loved and not inferior to anyone. Through their trials and tribulations, they have endured and succeeded through the coming generations.

The story is loosely based on the author's own family history and similar horrific events her grandmother endured. It is an amazing work of love. ( )

historical fiction. Begins in 1947 rural Shandong, China and follows a mother and her daughters, abandoned by the father and paternal matriarch in the face of the Land Reform and the years of famine and hardship to follow. They survive and make their way from the small town of Zhucheng to the big city of Qingdao, and from there flee to Hong Kong and again to Taipei. Author is a Taiwanese American human rights lawyer focusing on gender equality.

I am not usually a big reader of historical fiction, but found this story very readable and interesting, particularly because so many of our elders who lived through this horrific time period refuse to talk about it and it's hard to know what happened. Though this story and its characters are completely fictional, the author did as much research as she could in order to create a realistic, plausible story.

See also: The Secret Listener (nonfiction memoir from a former Cadre under Mao) ( )

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. ( )

This is a historical fiction set in China during the Chinese Revolution. The wealthy Ang family flees their home when the revolutionaries seize it. However, the grandparents and the father leave the mother and her daughters behind. Since she hasn't produced a male heir, the grandmother looks down upon her daughter-in-law, and her granddaughters, deeming them less than worthy of her financial assistance. The mother and her daughters make a difficult journey across China, trying to reunite with the father. Sadly, the grandmother's hatred spews forth again and she tells her daughter-in-law not to come because her son will marry another.
I didn't know of the troubles that people had in China once the revolution took place. The internal politics and the cruelty among its citizens, especially females was heartbreaking. The kindness of a few good people restored my faith.
A very interesting story of hope and perseverance. ( )