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For every young Chinese woman in 1930s Shanghai, following the path of duty takes precedence over personal desires
For Feng, that means becoming the bride of a wealthy businessman in a marriage arranged by her parents. In the enclosed world of the Sang household—a place of public ceremony and private cruelty—fulfilling her duty means bearing a male heir.
The life that has been forced on her makes Feng bitter and resentful, and she plots a terrible revenge. But with the passing years comes a reckoning, and Feng must reconcile herself with the sacrifices and terrible choices she has made in order to assure her place in the family and society—even as the violent, relentless tide of revolution engulfs her country.
Both a sweeping historical novel and an intimate portrait of one woman’s struggle against tradition, All the Flowers in Shanghai marks the debut of a sensitive and revelatory writer.
sangreal
Posted January 5, 2012
Despite having finished All the Flowers in Shanghai several weeks ago, I have been finding it difficult to write a review, mostly because I wasn’t quite sure how I felt about the book. I requested this book fully aware that the premise was not a completely new one. Also, while I have read many books set in China, especially dealing with the nature of relationships and the particular conditions experienced by women in that culture, I enjoy the genre and look forward to new stories along the same line. I was hoping, therefore, for a new perspective from Duncan Jepson, possibly replete with the kind of historical detail I particularly love. The main character, Xiao Feng, grows up in a household which includes her parents, sister and grandfather. The men are weak and ineffectual, both of them unable to place any constraint on the behavior of Feng’s mother and sister. Feng spends all of her time in the shadow of her more beautiful sister. Their mother places all her hopes of entering ‘society’ on Sister marrying into one of the most powerful and influential families in Shanghai. When this duty is forced on naïve Feng instead, she blames her parents, especially her mother, for the situation in which she finds herself. She becomes very bitter and her behavior leads her to an action which she comes to regret. One of the biggest difficulties I had with the book was the fact that Feng’s life was so isolated, first by her naivety and then by her absorption into her husband’s household. It meant the history of the time didn’t really come through in the story, because the narrator was woefully unaware of much of it until the end of the book, and even then it was still marginal. Feng herself is not a very sympathetic character, but at the same time, did understand the author’s intention to show that the situation she was forced into caused her to react the way she did. As much as I didn’t particularly like her, I have to admit that a sense of her character has stuck with me. I did enjoy the descriptions of the flowers and the use of that theme in the story. It added an element of beauty that threw the character’s personalities and experiences into stark relief. I can’t say I really enjoyed the book, and it is not likely I would ever re-read it … still, for some reason, I can’t completely dismiss it.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted September 15, 2012
This book had me hooked from the beginning. Very similar to a Lisa See novel but told in the form of a letter. The way Duncan Jepson brings the main character to life is what sucked me in through the book. The only complain is that it seems the ending was a bit rushed as it kind of ends very fast toward the end... could we have a sequel please?
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted May 28, 2012
Heartbreaking and wonderful all rolled into one story!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.BookReflections
Posted March 19, 2012
This beautifully written novel introduces a young innocent woman, Feng, who expects to spend her life walking in her garden and taking care of her parents in their old age. Her parents have not groomed her to do otherwise. However, disaster strikes and Feng finds herself in an arranged marriage and entering an entirely different life with few allies. Feng soon loses her innocence and becomes like the people who have tormented her but soon comes to regret some of her decisions. It is these decisions that define the later parts of her life.
Though the book started off a bit slow to me, I did become engrossed in the story and invested in Feng's life. I quickly found myself almost tearing the pages to find out what would happen next, but I'm not quite sure how I feel about what I found. The ending was a big shift in setting from the rest of the book, taking me by surprise and I never really settled into it. Feng was a very interesting character who changed throughout the novel. However, her shift in character and personality seemed overly dramatic and extreme for the circumstances. She went from being so innocent that I would almost call her simple, to a conniving and manipulative woman who wanted others to suffer, but the transition was quick and reasoning was weak, especially considering the time and culture. It just seemed a bit unbelievable and extreme.
I should note that the story is told in first person point of view (which seems unusual for historical fiction) and I found myself a bit confused at times because I lacked the background to appreciate many of the historical events taking place.
That is not to say that it did not have enjoyable moments. The story was told simply, giving hints at just the right moments to keep the reader intrigued. Read this if you are interested in Chinese culture from the 1930s to the transition into the revolution. It is certainly a quick entertaining read.
Anonymous
Posted January 17, 2012
If you liked Peony in Love, Shanghai Girls, etc. don't miss this one.
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted January 13, 2012
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Anonymous
Posted January 28, 2012
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Overview
For every young Chinese woman in 1930s Shanghai, following the path of duty takes precedence over personal desires
For Feng, that means becoming the bride of a wealthy businessman in a marriage arranged by her parents. In the enclosed world of the Sang household—a place of public ceremony and private cruelty—fulfilling her duty means bearing a male heir.
The life that has been forced on her makes Feng bitter and resentful, and she plots a ...