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).
A country at war. A family searching for home.
China, 1938. Meilin and her four-year-old son, Renshu, flee their burning city as Japanese forces advance. On the perilous journey that follows, across a China transformed by war, they find comfort and wisdom in their most treasured possession, a beautifully illustrated hand scroll filled with ancient fables.
Years later, Renshu has settled in America as Henry Dao. Though his daughter, Lily, is desperate to understand her heritage, he refuses to talk about his childhood in China. How can he tell his story when he's left so much behind?
Spanning continents and generations, Peach Blossom Spring is a bold and moving story about the haunting power of our past, the sacrifices we make to protect our children, and one family's search for a place to call home.
A BOOK OF THE MONTH CLUB PICK AND NOMINEE FOR "BOOK OF THE YEAR"
NOMINATED FOR THE GOODREADS CHOICE "BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR"
"An accomplished first novel." New York Times Book Review
"A stunning achievement . . . I absolutely adored this novel about love and war, migration and belonging. Christy Lefteri, author of The Beekeeper of Aleppo
"I so enjoyed this book." Alisa Chang, NPR's All Things Considered
"Magical and powerful, Peach Blossom Spring brings to life the costs of wars and conflicts while illuminating the spirit of human survival.―Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, author of The Mountains Sing
Expansive, atmospheric, and affecting. Susie Yang, author of White Ivy
Genre: Historical
A country at war. A family searching for home.
China, 1938. Meilin and her four-year-old son, Renshu, flee their burning city as Japanese forces advance. On the perilous journey that follows, across a China transformed by war, they find comfort and wisdom in their most treasured possession, a beautifully illustrated hand scroll filled with ancient fables.
Years later, Renshu has settled in America as Henry Dao. Though his daughter, Lily, is desperate to understand her heritage, he refuses to talk about his childhood in China. How can he tell his story when he's left so much behind?
Spanning continents and generations, Peach Blossom Spring is a bold and moving story about the haunting power of our past, the sacrifices we make to protect our children, and one family's search for a place to call home.
A BOOK OF THE MONTH CLUB PICK AND NOMINEE FOR "BOOK OF THE YEAR"
NOMINATED FOR THE GOODREADS CHOICE "BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR"
"An accomplished first novel." New York Times Book Review
"A stunning achievement . . . I absolutely adored this novel about love and war, migration and belonging. Christy Lefteri, author of The Beekeeper of Aleppo
"I so enjoyed this book." Alisa Chang, NPR's All Things Considered
"Magical and powerful, Peach Blossom Spring brings to life the costs of wars and conflicts while illuminating the spirit of human survival.―Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, author of The Mountains Sing
Expansive, atmospheric, and affecting. Susie Yang, author of White Ivy
Genre: Historical
Praise for this book
"A brilliant multigenerational tale that stretches across the decades from pre-WWII China to post-Cold War America. Fu's novel is full of dynamic characters whose lives fill the pages with beauty and tragedy. . . . It's a timely story of displaced Chinese immigrants searching for home and identity after war and revolution ravage their homeland." - Mary Lynn Bracht
"A rich, sprawling saga straddling continents, decades and fractured histories, Melissa Fu has written a gorgeous book of family love and loss. Fu braids together historical details with characters whose hopes and fears pull you along on every page, and leave you wanting more." - Te-Ping Chen
"A beautifully rendered meditation on the trials and triumphs of a family torn apart by war, Peach Blossom Spring left me pondering how the stories we choose to pass down have the power not only to define us, but to buoy us - to help us persevere through the most challenging of times." - Georgia Hunter
"Melissa Fu chronicles a tumultuous period in Chinese history with stunning grace, while also offering us a fresh and important take on the immigrant story. In Dao Renshu's family journey - fleeing from China during WWII, then finding and refinding himself in America - I recognized so many pieces of my own. Captivating from beginning to end." - Mira T Lee
"I absolutely adored this novel about love and war, migration and belonging. . . . During moments of deep sadness and loss, there is also beauty - the beauty of enduring love, of identity, of hope. Melissa Fu portrays the time, the culture, the place and the struggles of this family so vividly, with nuance and color and life. Her writing is subtle and powerful, it stays with you, it follows you like the smell of the peach blossoms, it evokes emotions and questions and enlightens you. This is such a stunning achievement!" - Christy Lefteri
"Magical, and powerful, Peach Blossom Spring brings to life the costs of wars and conflicts while illuminating the spirit of human survival. Inspired by her father's real-life experiences and her determination to comprehend her family's past, Melissa Fu has gifted us with a timely, moving, and universal novel." - Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai
"Peach Blossom Spring is a sweeping epic that transports the reader from war-torn China, where a mother consoles her son with ancient fables, through to modern-day America, where a little girl searches for her identity and the secrets of her father's history. Melissa Fu effortlessly conjures a world rich in texture, taste and detail in this gentle, heartfelt, and moving story. It's glorious and tender, exquisitely written and beautifully nuanced. I finished it with tears in my eyes and will be recommending it to everyone I know." - Jennifer Saint
"Expansive, atmospheric, and affecting. Peach Blossom Spring shows just how much the human heart can hold, and it left me breathless." - Susie Yang
"A rich, sprawling saga straddling continents, decades and fractured histories, Melissa Fu has written a gorgeous book of family love and loss. Fu braids together historical details with characters whose hopes and fears pull you along on every page, and leave you wanting more." - Te-Ping Chen
"A beautifully rendered meditation on the trials and triumphs of a family torn apart by war, Peach Blossom Spring left me pondering how the stories we choose to pass down have the power not only to define us, but to buoy us - to help us persevere through the most challenging of times." - Georgia Hunter
"Melissa Fu chronicles a tumultuous period in Chinese history with stunning grace, while also offering us a fresh and important take on the immigrant story. In Dao Renshu's family journey - fleeing from China during WWII, then finding and refinding himself in America - I recognized so many pieces of my own. Captivating from beginning to end." - Mira T Lee
"I absolutely adored this novel about love and war, migration and belonging. . . . During moments of deep sadness and loss, there is also beauty - the beauty of enduring love, of identity, of hope. Melissa Fu portrays the time, the culture, the place and the struggles of this family so vividly, with nuance and color and life. Her writing is subtle and powerful, it stays with you, it follows you like the smell of the peach blossoms, it evokes emotions and questions and enlightens you. This is such a stunning achievement!" - Christy Lefteri
"Magical, and powerful, Peach Blossom Spring brings to life the costs of wars and conflicts while illuminating the spirit of human survival. Inspired by her father's real-life experiences and her determination to comprehend her family's past, Melissa Fu has gifted us with a timely, moving, and universal novel." - Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai
"Peach Blossom Spring is a sweeping epic that transports the reader from war-torn China, where a mother consoles her son with ancient fables, through to modern-day America, where a little girl searches for her identity and the secrets of her father's history. Melissa Fu effortlessly conjures a world rich in texture, taste and detail in this gentle, heartfelt, and moving story. It's glorious and tender, exquisitely written and beautifully nuanced. I finished it with tears in my eyes and will be recommending it to everyone I know." - Jennifer Saint
"Expansive, atmospheric, and affecting. Peach Blossom Spring shows just how much the human heart can hold, and it left me breathless." - Susie Yang
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