Fan Wu

While focused on the life of one person as a young man and an elderly man, this novel also describes a sadly neglected piece of history: the vital contribution of Chinese contracted workers to the Allied war effort in the “Great War” of 1914-18, and the dreadful racism they were subjected to. It is extremely moving in places, and only very slightly marred by some occasional weak or clumsy writing by the translator.

February Flowers is a modern novel, set in China, about the friendship between two girls at university. It followed the kind of friendship that I often find portrayed in novels, where one girl of the pair is innocent, shy and academic, while the other girl is glamorous, adventurous and seems to have a much more exciting life. So I didn’t think February Flowers was particularly original in this respect, but it did have an unusual setting (for me) which made it more appealing. It seemed to show more be deliberately written for a Western readership who wouldn’t know much about China, which created a rather strange effect at times, but I found it interesting to read about the experience of being at university in China in the 1990s. Somehow I didn’t completely connect with this novel, although it had a nice melancholic atmosphere and explored experiences of friendship, growing up and sexuality in a realistic way. [2012] show less

Very interesting story. I liked the cultural aspect because it was so different from what I know and am used to. Only slightly disappointed with the ending, but I did see it coming. Would definitely read this again. Looking forward to reading Fan Wu's other works.

Beautiful as Yesterday chronicles the lives of three Chinese women Genglan, Mary and Ingrid. Fenglan is the mother of two girls, Mary and Ingrid who have since immigrated to the US. Mary is a successful professional working at a fortune 500 company while Ingrid is a tour guide/translator/aspiring writer who lives a very transient lifestyle. The story starts just before Fenglan is coming to America for a visit. The sisters are somewhat estranged from each other due to their varying views on show more culture, responsibility and duty to one's family. Mary views her sister Ingrid as flighty and lacking in focus while Ingrid sees Mary's life as a wife and mother as boring and staid. As the women interact with each other, we are made privy to their lives both past and present. Through their life experiences we get a window into many important moments in China's history from Mao's regime, the cultural revolution and the Tienanmen square student protests.

There was something that I could not connect with when I first started reading this book. I cannot quite put my finger on it but there was just something that seemed to make the first 60 or so pages seem somewhat tedious. It could be because the book first focuses on Mary and at that point in the story she is not very interesting. Whatever it is, I just found it hard to get through the beginning of the book. But as I continued reading, I did get to some very touching moments between Mary and her mother in a relationship that had always been formal and stiff. As the women slowly inch toward intimacy, they discover some tough revelations and insights that made the book more alive. The women discuss misconceptions that each has harbored toward the other and Mary begins to realize that her parents were not the cold and austere people she always believed them. Each woman grapples with the struggle of assimilation in a new land and the age old questions that trouble foreigners. Fenglan ponders where Chinese life and culture fits in the lives of her daughters who seem so American in their outlook right down to the fact that they have dropped their Chinese names for American names. Mary worries that her son will not have any affinity towards China growing up in America and having a father who is Chinese in name only. Ingrid on the other hand reminisces upon the idealistic notions she once had about China, the father she once scorned and her growing interest in a return to her home land.

But after a certain point, I was again thrown back into awkward writing. Personally, I think that the author may have benefited from less details as sometimes the descriptions of various happenings just made reading tedious. By the end there was just something that was a bit too predictable about the book and I did not come away feeling like I had experienced something new. But I did enjoy the emotions that this book had the capacity to evoke. The relationship between siblings, parents, friends and the changing times, all were experienced and felt in a meaningful way. show less