February Flowers

by Fan Wu

Set in modern China, February Flowers tells the stories of two young women's journeys to self-discovery and reconciliation with the past.

Seventeen-year-old Ming and twenty-four-year-old Yan have very little in common other than studying at the same college. Ming, idealistic and preoccupied, lives in her own world of books, music, and imagination. Yan, by contrast, is sexy but cynical, beautiful but wild, with no sense of home. When the two meet and become friends, Ming's world is forever changed. But their differences in upbringing and ideology ultimately drive them apart, leaving each to face her dark secret alone.

Insightful, sophisticated, and rich with complex characters, February Flowers captures a society torn between tradition and modernity, dogma and freedom. It is a meditation on friendship, family, love, loss, and redemption and how a background shapes a life.

Genres: Fiction, China, Asia, Historical Fiction, Asian Literature, Queer, Cultural

242 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

The youngest of the five children, Fan Wu grew up on a state-run farm in southern China, where her parents were exiled during the Cultural Revolution. Her debut novel, February Flowers, has been translated into 8 languages. Her second novel Beautiful as Yesterday was praised by Amy Tan as "a story with intelligence, insight and heart." Her short fiction, besides being anthologized and nominated for the Pushcart Prize, has appeared in Granta, The Missouri Review, Ploughshares, Asia Literary Review, Redivider, Hyphen, and elsewhere. She has reviewed books for the San Francisco Chronicle and blogged for Ploughshares.

Wu's been published by Simon & Schuster, Doubleday & Picador UK.

Wu holds a B.A. in Chinese Language and Literature from Sun Yat-sen University (Zhongshan University) and an M.A. in Mass Media Studies from Stanford University. After graduating from Stanford University, she worked as a market research analyst at Yahoo! for quite a few years. She currently lives in northern California with her husband and two young children.

Wu's new novel, I Can Hear the Daisies Grow, is nearly completed after five years of researching, writing and editing. The book focuses on the historical and psychological impact of a tumultuous past on individuals and families and is a mediation on themes that are still relevant in our contemporary world. It is ultimately about people, their fears and hopes, their secrets and desires, and how they reconcile with their past and move forward.

Inspired by her children, Wu's recently started writing stories for children. She wishes she could draw, but the truth is that her 6-year-old daughter is a far better artist than she is.

Wu loves to read, travel, and spend time with family and friends. Running, yoga and pilates help her stay healthy. When she is running, she likes to listen to the old episodes of NPR's Car Talk and "This American Life."

Excerpts from her novels:

February Flowers
http://www.amazon.com/February-Flower...

Beautiful As Yesterday
http://www.amazon.com/Beautiful-as-Ye...

Her short stories:

The Guest
http://www.hyphenmagazine.com/magazin...

Jade
http://muse.jhu.edu/login?auth=0&...

Her book reviews:

On Bi Feiyu's "Three Sisters"
http://www.sfgate.com/books/article/T...

On Ha Jin's "A Good Fall"
http://www.sfgate.com/books/article/A...

On Yiyun Li's "Gold Boy, Emerald Girl"
http://www.sfgate.com/books/article/G...

On Anchee Min's "Pearl of China"
http://www.sfgate.com/books/article/P...

On Yang Xianhui's "Woman from Shanghai"
http://www.sfgate.com/books/article/F...

Reviews

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author captured quite well China of the early 90s, that particular time when certain cities like Guangzhou were experiencing an economic boom, and young people had an unprecedented amount of freedom and exposure to new ideas. Themes not only included sexual expression, but also social commentary on issues such as China's hukou system, which, at that time, severely limited those from rural areas. The character Miao Yan, who came from "backward" Yunnan province (where I myself spent six years), was desperate and would go to any lengths, even morally questionable ones, to secure her place in the big city. Although China's hukou system is considerably less restrictive these days, I feel like I have met many Miao Yans during my time in China, women who view sex and marriage as a way up the social ladder.

I do wonder about Fan Wu's decision to write Miao Yan as a minority, rather than just making her hail from some impoverished part of China. I suppose she is supposed to be exotic, but I wonder if Fan Wu's (who I'm assuming is Han Chinese?) own stereotypes about minorities didn't play into this a bit. In the Han world minorities are seen as exotic bird. They love dancing and singing, and the girls are supposed to be not quite as "morally upright" as good Han girls. So I was a little bit disappointed to see a classic stereotype of a minority played out in this book, but at the same time, I can see Fan Wu's reasoning. To the young, innocent Chen Ming, Miao Yan's minority status adds to her mystique, adds yet another layer of inaccesability, allows Chen Ming to create her own mythology surrounding Miao Yan's background. Miao Yan's categorical rejection of her background is juxtaposed against Chen Ming's naive eagerness to embrace Yunnan and the Miao culture on Miao Yan's behalf.

All in all I think February flowers is a book about China that we don't see all that often. It portrays a time and a place that was unique in Chinese history, as well as universal themes of love and friendship. My only complaint is that the "love" scenes were not as fleshed out as they could have been, and I had a hard time buying the final climax with Chen Ming and Du Sheng. Likewise I had a hard time reconciling the young Chen Ming with the adult Chen Ming, the two seemed almost like entirely different people, and I'm not really sure that's what Fan Wu was going for. The fault may lie with the simple fact that adult Chen Ming occupied barely a handful of pages, simply not enough space to fully develop her character. Her trip to the gay bar seemed random and out of place. One other minor bone of contention is the lesbian storyline itself, which seemed somehow forced. To me, it would have been enough to leave Chen Ming's confusion over her feelings for Miao Yan as just that, adolescent confusion over an intensely passionate friendship. It seems like adult Chen Ming would have recognized this long before it got to the point of visiting a gay bar and having an awkward encounter with her ex-roomate's ex-lover. Fan Wu's constantly toyed with the idea of Chen Ming being a lesbian, but never resolved the issue in a satisfactory way. Without the scene in the gay bar I would have been satisfied with Chen Ming's feelings as being those of a confused teenage girl who had never before experienced an intense friendship, but with the inclusion of that scene, I felt like the reader is left wanting an answer, feeling as if Chen Ming is on the verge of making some discovery but not quite there yet.

I'd certainly recommend February Flowers, the writing is solid, the topic is fresh, and the author handles some tough issues quite well. I look forward to reading more of Fan Wu's work.

[Jeanette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok characterizations and decent progressions for two girls (and other associates in their dorm situations) during their young womanhood years. This entire occurs within China in a college level environment of study and maturing towards their undecided futures. The story is rather sad and yet there are aspects of economy, class or family base district locale, reactive emotional development- all within the modern Chinese (1990's) wide dichotomies and sometimes quickly changing realities. I thought the two main females that were so different and yet befriended each other were well done. But the entire novel was rather depressing. Maybe a probe into personality reactions to female role ambivalence or expectations in relationships and within workplace ambitions?

[Mia˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would EAT as a coming of age movie

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ming is only sixteen in 1991 when she starts university in affluent Guangzhou in desirable Guangdong province, having skipped two years due to academic excellence. Her parents are teachers, and during the Cultural Revolution of the 60s were made to live and work on a farm with the peasants. Ming has fond memories of the time, but her parents don't. She studies hard and lives quietly, plays the violin and avoids boys: the direct opposite of Yan.

At twenty-four, Yan still hasn't finished university. From one of the poorest provinces, Yan is part of a program to help poor provincials go to university, but in order to stay in Guangdong she would have to find a permanent job there or marry a local. She doesn't study, doesn't read books. She flirts with boys and sleeps with men, works in bars and buys nice suits to lend out to her roommates in exchange for homework favours.

They are the unlikeliest of friends, but become close. Still, there are things Yan isn't telling Ming, while Ming is confused by yearnings to kiss beautiful Yan. Having grown up in complete ignorance of sex and pleasure, but with the cultural understanding that same-sex desire is a sickness, she suppresses her own growing maturity and sensuality, while hoping to catch up to Yan and learn what it is to be a woman.

I had thought for a while there that this book might have an LGBT theme, but it doesn't. It's primarily about growing into womanhood, maturing, in modern China. The blurb on the back sums it up: "it is a meditation on friendship, family, love, loss, and redemption..." It juxtaposes an old-world China and a modern one, with people moving almost helplessly between the two.

It seems like books set in contemporary, or modern, China aren't as common as historical fiction set there. Or maybe I just never come across them. February Flowers has been on my shelf for a few years - one of those books I bought on a whim because it sounded good - and I was pleased to have it to read for the World Party Reading Challenge. I was even more pleased that it was such a delightful book to read. I read it in a day, but only because I had a day to read it in, but it's certainly very readable. For a debut novel, it has none of those over-the-top, trying-too-hard literary quirks of some new authors (this is especially fresh in my mind after finishing The Rehearsal just before it). It focuses on the characters, on Ming and Yan and other girls Ming encounters - notably her three roommates.

There's a lot that's familiar about modern China, but shadowing the world of Ming and Yan, and occasionally intruding upon it, are politics and traditions that remind you of a larger context, one which is both alien and familiar. It's a story that could just as easily have been set here, though Ming's ignorance of sex would be hard to explain in a western country, but that doesn't diminish its freshness. (I am reduced to clichés in my attempt to grasp what I mean.) It's refreshing to visit a country you haven't been to, and learn about it, experience it in a way you never could as a tourist, a visitor. It humanises a country, books like this. My three years in Japan helped me visualise it better, but Wu's prose anchored it best.

It is a story that meanders along like a quietly tinkling stream, not rushing ahead like a larger river with important places to go to. Yet it never became sluggish; even though there's no heavy action, no overly-dramatic scenes, it keeps momentum and sweeps you along. Ming is a character I've read before, but she blocks out the others: I can only see her, hear her. She might not be original, but she is universal and solid and real and sympathetic. Yan, too, is familiar - perhaps she is closer to a western norm, but her predicament is understandable. There's no confusion or cultural alienation here.

In contrast to the almost lazy pacing of the main story, the present - Ming is reflecting back in time from some dozen years in the future, now divorced and more experienced in life - seems almost rushed. I liked the open ending, the wealth of possibilities, but was slightly disappointed her post-university life was so little expanded on. It makes sense, since the story is about her late-teen years and becoming a woman, but I can't help being curious! I guess I'll just have to find more books set in modern China, by Chinese writers, won't I?

[Bree T · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ming, barely 17 is a first year student at University in the rich and prosperous city of Guangzhou. She is studious, with an avid interest in literature. Her parents were scholars, teachers but were exiled to a farm to work as peasants. They lived an unfulfilled life, particularly in the case of her father, and it seems that they are hopeful for Ming to have many opprtunities to learn and study. She is intelligent, having skipped several grades in school, which is how she comes to be so young at University.

By contrast, Yan is 24. She came to university late, at about 21, through a program that allows rural and ‘minority’ students to come to cities like Guangzhou and get their degrees. However they must return to their hometowns unless they secure a permanent job, or get someone with residency in the city to marry them.

Ming sees Yan several times, but the two meet quite by chance on the roof of their dormitory building. It is clear Ming has had a conservative, sheltered upbringing whereas Yan is much more worldly, even progressive for the time and place. Ming sees herself as a girl – but Yan is a ‘woman’. She dresses differently, she has many and varied man friends, she knows things. She knows what it is to be a woman and Ming desperately wants to know.

The two form a very close and unlikely friendship. Their differences are glaringly obvious in every conversation they have. Ming hungers for the experiences Yan can give her, and her knowledge. Even though at times, Yan treats her carelessly, even nastily, she cannot walk away. Yan on the other hand, can and does, several times, although she always comes back. They disagree, they make up, they love each other, they grow closer.

I have to admit, I spent a great deal of the book disliking Yan. I found her frustrating, disliked her treatment of the much more naïve Ming. She seemed to be using her, for ego and for academic gain but she redeemed herself for me in the end. I found I understood her much more by the end of the book and with that understanding, I could like her, accept her for who she was.

I have never studied China in any capacity at all – not in school, not even through my political and social university courses. I know very little about it and this book was quite the eye opener. I found it hard to remember at times that it was set from 1992 onwards, when seventeen year old girls don’t know what sex is, or how a woman gets pregnant. It was like reading something from a time far more in the past. One shining example of this is a conversation that Ming and her room mates have about sexuality after seeing two girls kissing and caressing in a pornographic magazine that one of the room mates obtained on the ‘black market’. Another room mate states that she has ‘heard of homosexuals and that it is a mental disease – they {the girls} must be American”. When another room mate points out the women are Asian, the first responds that they must be Japanese as homsexuals only exist in capitalist countries. It’s hard, as a girl who grew up in a Western country where children as young as five are aware, in great detail, where babies come from, and where gay teenagers regularly come out in high school (the first I knew of was a friend of mine in my year 10 geography class in 1997) to imagine a world where University students are so innocent. Where everything they know and learn is controlled by the government and that propaganda like that exists.

For me personally, I found the pacing of this novel a bit lacking. The novel starts in the present, some 10 years after Ming last saw Yan, and then travels back to when they met and the time they spent together. After Ming and Yan part, it returns to the present. The huge bulk of the book is spent back in the past, and that section for me, meanders very slowly. It wasn’t unenjoyable, I did keep reading, and finished the book quite quickly, so it was very easy to read. But in comparison, the time spent with adult Ming was very short and clipped. We learn nothing really of the ‘woman’ she has become, and considering her wanting to become a woman was a big part of the novel, I found that a bit disappointing. I wanted more of how Yan’s departure affected her and how she grew as a person after that. More on her university life and then her graduation. All we get are a few sentences that don’t really tell us all that much – other than ‘I did this, then I did this, and this happened’. All telling, no showing. I didn’t get a feel for adult Ming at all, and after the length of time and greatness of detail dedicated to adolescent Ming, I would’ve liked that chance.

[Fadillah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes I had felt that becoming successful was not just about me, it was about fulfilling their own unrealised dreams, especially my father's. My mother once told me that when she met my father he was about to publish two books on ancient Chinese literature. But in the mid sixties, when the Cultural Revolution started, the book deals were quashed and my father was condemned for his 'feudalist research and confined to the farm. For a few years he lived with pigs and ducks. These days, he only wrote student lec-tures. Once I overheard him telling my mother that he had lost his passion for academic writing. As for my mother, she was a biologist before she was sent to the farm. After the Cultural Revolution, when my father was offered a teaching job in Nanchang on the condition that my mother also taught in the same school, she gave up her beloved biology and became a maths teacher.
- February Flowers by Fan Wu
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Do you root for this friendship to stay as it is or do you want it to evolve to something more? Thematically the book dealt with the complexity of female friendships and throughout the book, LGBTQIA+ theme becomes more apparent especially when Chen Ming felt that her feelings toward Miao Yan could be more than what traditional friendship could offer. The book also explored the shift of girlhood to womanhood when both Chen Ming and Miao Yan classified themselves differently. Chen Ming never wanted to evolve into women as she felt grossed by it. Miao Yan looked down on girl and labelled Chen Ming’s friend as girl or little girl to show how far apart she is with them. None of them realised that both identities cannot exist without one another. I personally dislike Miao Yan as a character and if given a chance, i will never befriended her in the first place. Chen Ming, on the other hands, will strongly disagree with me. Not only she is infatuated with Miao Yan, she loves her for who she is - despite her flaws, despite her disappearance, despite the obvious taking advantage on Miao Yan’s side - the needs for companion and the dissertation part itself. Sure, at some part, it can be sweet but the power dynamics is too different. On one side, we have Miao Yan, 24 years old girl that was bold, carefree and provocative and on another side, we have Chen Ming, 17 years old girl that was studious, innocent and so impressionable. They both first met on the rooftop nearby their university - one wanted to forget her breakup pain and another one just wanted to play violin away from people. Their friendship remains odd to others because how different both of their personalities , characters and appearances. The backdrop used by the author is China in the early 90s. You will see a-lot of descriptions on developing cities like Guangzhou and Shenzhen. You will also see the depiction of cultural revolution impact faced by both Chen Ming and Miao Yan’s Parents. After all, the author herself were in the same predicament when her parents were exiled during China’s cultural revolution. Another interesting points that were weaved together in the story is the Miao Yan’s Ethnic Identity that largely from Yunnan Province. Overall, an engaging story. The ending surprises me but i was okay with it. I would have given this 5 stars if I was not that frustrated with Miao Yan nonchalant attitude.

[Luci · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a young and naive girl's journey to womanhood, aided by a more mature and provocative girl from her university dormitory. The book spells the complexities of not just youth and innocence but also of ethnic minorities and rural citizens in modern-day China as more and more of them escape their hometowns and enter the cities with the goal to stay. This story is also unique because it takes place in Guangzhou, a large city in Southern China. The culture there is different and unique in many respects to that of Beijing or Shanghai.

I enjoyed this book very much and highly recommend it for anyone who is interested in learning more about women in China or women in general. I must warn, however, that there are a number of explicit sexual themes in this story. This one's not for the kids.

[Sarah]

Nenia rec

[Sara Booklover · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I fiori di febbraio" è un romanzo di formazione ambientato in Cina in una università durante gli anni novanta, ed è a mio avviso una lettura piacevole e validissima per varie ragioni.
Da un punto di vista strettamente antropologico e sociale l'ho trovato un libro interessantissimo perché mostra le caratteristiche di una Cina in bilico tra tradizione e sviluppo, mostra le grandi contraddizioni tra i fulminei processi di modernizzazione delle città e i non altrettanto veloci processi di emancipazione mentale che devono scontrarsi con le ancora rigide tradizioni locali. Poi, oltre ad averlo trovato un libro dai contenuti interessanti e di ambientazione diversa e quindi originale rispetto a ciò che sono solita leggere, l'ho trovato anche un libro ben scritto, scorrevole al punto da finirlo in appena due giorni e con una storia appassionante e coinvolgente, una storia dolcissima (ma assolutamente non sdolcinata) di amicizia ed affetto (e forse altro) in grado di catturare in pieno il lettore. Di questo libro mi è piaciuta anche l'atmosfera velatamente malinconica e riflessiva, che non so spiegare il motivo ma secondo me rispecchia molto l'ambientazione cinese e permette una totale immedesimazione nelle pagine. Di contro posso solo dire che il finale aperto mi ha leggermente delusa, ma soltanto perché siccome ero particolarmente coinvolta nella storia mi sarebbe davvero piaciuto sapere di più su come andrà a finire per la protagonista e la sua amica. Il non sapere, il dover soltanto immaginare, in questo caso è stato frustrante.

[Tensy Gesteira estevez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Con una forma de escribir exquisita que recuerda mucho a Murakami y a otros autores japoneses, Fan Wu, natural de China y residente en Estados Unidos, nos describe dos tipos de mujeres: aquellas que se resignan ante las circunstancias y lo que el mundo demanda de ellas, y aquellas otras que pujan por ser independientes, lo que no deja de acarrearles ciertos problemas. A través de estas dos amigas, Ming y Yan, la autora opone modernidad y tradición y nos hace debatirnos y tomar parte.

Reseña completa aquí: https://lecturafilia.com/2017/02/24/f...

[Tanya · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was my "car book". Car book is a book I keep in the car to read during rush hour, long lights and doing breaks at work. The book was about asian woman's life and friend at an university in China. It opens with her being older and divoiced. Then turns to her being 17 at the college university. The last part of the book returns to present day and she is older.

The book was a quick read and not very entertaining to me.

[Jo Guasque · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reread it and this book never fails to bring out my passion for literature. What I love about it is the way it was written. I so LOVE Fan Wu for this book and I definitely love her for this. The book clearly describes culture and friendship in a very good way. And there's this twist that everyone would be thinking hard. I would love to read this again and again.<3

[Brian Griffith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a real pleasure to read, and a powerful tribute to passionate friendship. The interplay of innocence, integrity, shyness, and high spirits is too good to be untrue. It's a great first novel for Fan Wu, and a solid addition to the folklore of Guangzhou city.

[Carmela Isabelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

The pain after reading this book was a smack in the face, punch in the kokoro.

Everything hurts ;-;

[Adelaide · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a good book, well written but it's not my cup of tea. Nothing really happens for half of it, the main character has some major relationship issues, I'd enjoyed something deeper rather than just listing her behaviours as if they were normal. I like books with more depth but if you like easy book, it's a great one, I did enjoy it and I would recommend it as a light read.

[Alan Shaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very finely crafted novel full of beautifully observed detail of a life just beginning to be lived, of a studious good girl learning that there is more to it than books and exams and getting on, but yet she does it without breaking any major rules or doing anything totally uncharacteristic, it all very very gently unfolds and at its end left me extremely satisfied at having spent a couple of days living with Ming and her best friend Miao and some of her, at times, hilarious dorm mates.

Set a quarter of a century ago in a China just beginning to finds its "freedom" amongst a rigid "totalitarianism" it tells its story of friendship and love amidst a university lifestyle that is utterly alien and at odds with anything in the West even half a century ago. But Fan Wu brings it all alive and everything that happens seems to me so real and vital and honest in its telling.

The vast bulk of the story is set in 1991/2 deftly sandwiched between a prelude and postlude some 12 years or so later. Nothing about Fan Wu's style is heavy handed or laboured and the book finishes as I really hoped it would in a gentle and heartfelt upbeat manner.

Lovely.

[cas · Rating 4 out of 5]

A poignant exploration of identity, sexuality, and what it means (or takes) to grow up into a woman.

[Sophia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in China furing the 1990s, February Flowers is the story of a young girl's coming of age and her unlikely friendship with someone more experienced than herself.


The story is told in the first person by Ming, who is seventeen and away from home for the first time at university. She's a bookish and innocent girl who loves studying and her violin, but she doesn't have many friends. Then she meets Miao Yan, an older student who captivates Ming with her exhuberant nature, her experience and her beauty. Life suddenly becomes more interesting for Ming, as Miao Yan introduces her to people and places she would never have dared visit on her own.


So, what did I think? Well, I loved the setting and enjoyed all the references to Chinese culture and everyday life. It's not a country I know much about so it was very interesting to get an idea of what life is like for the people who live there. I thought the book was very well written and descriptive, although there were a few moments when I thought the translation wasn't quite right and upset the flow a little.


The author did a good job of exploring Ming's personality and feelings, though I did find her extreme innocence a bit tiresome at times. This is largely a story of sexual awakening, and Ming's knowledge in that area is absolutely zero. Miao Yan was kind of a difficult character to get a handle on, though I suppose that's what the author was aiming for as it mirrors Ming's own situation.


I'm finding this a tricky review to write because I'm not really sure why this book never quite grabbed me. It's light on plot, but there are plenty of other books where nothing much happens that are captivating just the same. This one just missed the mark somehow and I found myself looking forward to finishing it and moving on to something else. It's not bad, it just didn't do it for me.

[Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting insight into the life of university girls in China, who live in the student accommodation. Their desperation to succeed is understandable and Fan Wu conveys this well. Their explorations of intimate relationships din't come across as well for me- I wondered how many relationships the author had experienced herself. As with many girls in Australia, most of the Chinese girls had little idea what this education meant for their future lives as they had no exposure to the sorts of jobs it could lead to. The world of work and city family life was lost on them as they spent their time struggling with their studies, peers, teachers and inner selves. It suggested to me that university students often need placements in different types of work environments and even in families, to begin to understand how 'the big picture' works. It may be easy for comparatively well off city dwellers who went to private schools, but I know from being a country girl, that city life during and after university is a totally different world to being a dependent child. This book would make any girl at uni have a good think.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I decided to read a book each month with that month in the title and February Flowers was my book for, uh, February - obviously! (January Colours by Curtis Adler was my first one of the year.)

And it wasn't bad - perhaps a bit of an improvement on January, in fact. I've just read The Bonesetter's Daughter by Amy Tan but apart from the Chinese settings, these books are nothing alike. However, now my head is full of 1990s Guangzhou and remote mountain villages in the 1920s.

This is probably a three-and-a-third stars from me. I really did like how it flowed and I liked all the quiet lesbian undertones in the novel. It's a quiet novel told by a quiet girl and apart from maybe two small moments, there isn't really any drama. But I quite like that.

[James Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book takes place in China. Ming is 17, and Yan is 24; both students at a Chinese college. The entire book deals with the relationship that the two develop at college and Ming's personal examination of any sexual feelings she has towards Yan.


The whole thing is set in China, of course, in the modern time, and there is a lot of pressure against any semblance of homosexuality.


The book is good in two different ways. First, it deals a lot with Chinese culture and how China is the same, and different, than the United States. For example, movement of people through the country is much more restricted than in the U.S. On the other hand, at least in the more developed cities, life is lived very much like people live in Western countries (except, of course, for the language), complete with dance halls, cigarettes, the problem of abortion, etc.


The second way the book is good is how it brings the two main characters to life and how their relationship grows and changes over time.


The book also does not try for a contrived ending; it has an ending that is much more realistic and probable. Definitely worth reading.

[Nao · Rating 4 out of 5]

Je viens de le finir et je l'ai dévoré. La quatrième de couverture parlait d'une histoire homosexuelle entre deux jeunes chinoises à l'université de Canton, mais c'est finalement assez exagéré. En tout cas, ce résumé semblait impliquer une relation consciente, consentante, mutuelle. Il m'a semblé qu'il était surtout question de l'amour de l'héroïne pour sa meilleure amie, une fille charmante et manipulatrice, forte et fragile à la fois. Mais pas "d'exploration" de l'homosexualité ici. Si on sent bien que l'héroïne est amoureuse de son amie (sans vraiment se l'avouer, même dans une scène à la fin du livre où, dix ans plus tard, elle se rend dans un bar gay et est interrogée par une lesbienne sur sa relation avec son amie), cet amour n'est pas révélé, sauf peut-être au moment de leur séparation (moment très fort mais beaucoup de choses restent tues). Quoi qu'il en soit, ce petit malentendu n'empêche pas un très bon moment de lecture ; on reste accrochés. La fin, laissée en suspens, donne envie d'avoir une suite, mais c'est finalement sûrement mieux ainsi.

[Michelle Yoon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Narrated by Chen Ming, February Flowers is a story of her memories as she recalls her brief but meaningful relationship with Miao Yan during her years at university. Ming, a serious 17-year-old student befriends the vivacious and outgoing 24-year-old Miao Yan through a series of coincidences. Ming would have never imagined herself to be so attached to anyone, much less a woman so different from herself. But as much as opposites attract, their differences create a friction that at once pulls them together, and pushes them further apart.

In a nutshell, February Flowers is a story about youth, about growing up, and about discovering one’s self. As all of us grow up, we experience a process that no one else can, no one else but ourselves. It’s about that individual path we take, the small choices and decisions we make, the abundance of emotions that we feel and go through every minute of the day.

[Maldischiena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Letto in meno di una notte. Storia di crescita, e di un innamoramento che, come dice Lezpop, non conosce poiane.
Una storia dolce, che a me è piaciuta tanto. E che consiglio a tutti.
La scrittura è liscia, lineare.
L'ambientazione ci porta in un clima anni 90 universitario dove, le ragazze, per la prima volta, si trovano a dover fare i conti con un mondo (sessualità, omosessualità, pornografia, masturbazione, gravidanza) di cui sapevano poco o nulla.
Una Cina ancora troppo bigotta, dove le giovani donne sono escluse da certi argomenti, pubblicamente.
Due personaggi diversi: uno più giovane, calmo, inesperto. L'altro più esuberante, spregiudicato, tremendamente solo.
Ma il primo personaggio si innamora senza misure del secondo. E, forse, anche per il secondo, in fin dei conti, è uguale. Anzi, sicuramente. Sì, dal primo momento.
E il primo personaggio rimarrà per sempre legato al ricordo dell'altro.

Assolutamente consigliato.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book intriguing, especially when it came to the quiet obsession that Ming had with Yan. Although it was clear that Ming was quite different from Yan, their interactions with one another were intimate, almost suggesting a relationship which bordered on romantic. There were many cases in which I hated Yan, especially when she asked Ming to write her dissertation. However, there were some cases in which I praised Yan as she tried to help Ming in accepting the beauties of womanhood, especially when it came to the eve before Ming's 18th birthday. I was saddened to hear that Ming and Yan grew apart however, in the end, it seemed to all work out for the best. The morale of the story points to Ming growing into the mature woman that she is introduced as in the beginning, with Yan to thank.

[Tricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a strange tale. Two girls meet at university in China. Despite being complete opposites (Ming is studious and innocent, Yan is a rebel and not so innocent) they become friends. Told from Ming's perspective, she finds herself both confused by her feelings for Ming and shocked by the things she does.

It was an interesting book and it raised a lot of issues about modern China that I was not aware of. I had to look up hukou as I was unsure as to it's meaning. I was surprised that this is still a policy in modern China. I can understand why Yan acted the way she did to live the life she wanted, although this caused friction with Ming.

Although I liked the book I felt it lacked something. The last part seemed rushed and it was no real closure. Yishu's friend was an interesting twist.

I would recommend this book, particularly if you like Amy Tan's books.

[Kiku · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd give this one three and a half if I could...it's a little bit Joy Luck Club crossed with the vague lesbian undertones of Fried Green Tomatoes, but it really only starts to pick up about halfway in. Even then, a lot of things seem to be left unanswered in the pursuit of the feel-good ending, but luckily it wasn't hackneyed enough to make me throw the book across the room. Maybe a 'not bad', in terms of Struggles of Chinese-American Women: The animated series Novels.

[Lisa Dyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

A light holiday read about two college students in Guangzhou China and the way their cultural backgrounds impact on their relationships. While not much detail is given about the cultural revolution or minority groups such as the Miao people, it was interesting to see how the characters developed into adults with varying values and beliefs. I enjoyed reading a book about 'modern' chinese youth rather than the multitude of historical novels available. A quick read while lying on a sunlounge at the beach!

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

anybody who gets a thumbs up from Amy Tan is ok in my book.

by the end of this book I was ready to go look for the friend too in San Francisco, just a couple minutes away.

I enjoyed this book, just love to read what's going on on the other side of the earth. I just borrowed her other book from the library and will start it tonight. She's very thoughtful and steadfast. I wonder if she would consider herself stubborn.

I just finished rereading it this morning August 5, 2013. I liked it even more the second time through.

And again this weekend in 2016, 3rd time!

[Rich Gamble · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has a lot of charm. I really admire how the author manages to maintain a subtle level of romantic tension that you just don’t see in many books these days. The conflict between traditional Chinese and modern Western values is a staple theme of a lot of Chinese literature but February Flowers manages to be fresh and engaging despite the well trodden ground it covers. Sure it’s a first novel and there are a few imperfections but that just makes me like it more.