Daughters of Shandong

by Eve J. Chung

Daughters are the Ang family’s curse.

In 1948, civil war ravages the Chinese countryside, but in rural Shandong, the wealthy, landowning Angs are more concerned with their lack of an heir. Hai is the eldest of four girls and spends her days looking after her sisters. Headstrong Di, who is just a year younger, learns to hide in plain sight, and their mother—abused by the family for failing to birth a boy—finds her own small acts of rebellion in the kitchen. As the Communist army closes in on their town, the rest of the prosperous household flees, leaving behind the girls and their mother because they view them as useless mouths to feed.

Without an Ang male to punish, the land-seizing cadres choose Hai, as the eldest child, to stand trial for her family’s crimes. She barely survives their brutality. Realizing the worst is yet to come, the women plan their escape. Starving and penniless but resourceful, they forge travel permits and embark on a thousand-mile journey to confront the family that abandoned them.

From the countryside to the bustling city of Qingdao, and onward to British Hong Kong and eventually Taiwan, they witness the changing tide of a nation and the plight of multitudes caught in the wake of revolution. But with the loss of their home and the life they’ve known also comes new freedom—to take hold of their fate, to shake free of the bonds of their gender, and to claim their own story.

Told in assured, evocative prose, with impeccably drawn characters, Daughters of Shandong is a hopeful, powerful story about the resilience of women in war; the enduring love between mothers, daughters, and sisters; and the sacrifices made to lift up future generations.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, China, Historical, Asia, Book Club, Audiobook

386 pages, Paperback

First published May 7, 2024

About the author

Eve J. Chung is the nationally bestselling and award-winning author of DAUGHTERS OF SHANDONG and THE YOUNG WILL REMEMBER. She is also a Taiwanese American lawyer and women's human rights specialist. Her writing is inspired by social justice movements, and the continued struggle for equality and fundamental freedoms worldwide. She currently lives in New York with her husband, two children, and two dogs.

Reviews

[Yun · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was no longer a child. I didn’t have the luxury to be one—that had been taken . . . by hunger, by exhaustion, and by the constant fight for survival.

A riveting and harrowing tale set during the Communist Revolution, Daughters of Shandong gives an intimate look into the perilous journey a mother and her daughters must embark on to escape Communist persecution after being abandoned by their family for not having produced a male heir.

I think this is one of those stories you can immediately tell is inspired by true events close to the author. It is too raw and too heartfelt to be mistaken for anything else. Eve J. Chung must have done so much meticulous research in order to piece together her personal family history as well as historical accounts of what was going on during this time. And the result is a seamless blend of fact and fiction that brings history to life.

At its heart, this is a story about love and resilience, and there is so much of both in here. I dare you to read it and not feel deeply moved. How anyone could have endured so much suffering and grueling hardship, then persevered in the end, is truly awe-inspiring. It reminds us that no matter how bad things are, there is always hope for a better tomorrow, especially for our children.

Reading this book makes me want to reach out to my parents and hear their stories. They grew up during the Cultural Revolution, and unlike the characters in this story, did not escape. They had a front row seat during their childhood to all the fear, famine, and turmoil. And I still see in them the legacy of this suffering to this very day, which makes what they have achieved, mostly to give me the opportunity for a better future, all the more amazing.

It also reminds me of just how precious the bond is between a parent and a child. The lengths Chiang-Yue went through for her daughters is beyond words. And it completely resonated with me. Is there no despair we would not endure and no hardship we would not gladly take on, if it meant our children's survival and happiness? Even if we have reached our limit, we will find within ourselves an even deeper well from which we can draw strength and courage we did not know we had in order to do all that we can for our children.

What a heartbreaking, but ultimately triumphant celebration of the strengths of mothers and daughters this story turned out to be. It is as searing as it is memorable. Even though Eve J. Chung has now done what she set out to do and told her family story, I hope she doesn't stop here.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
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[Lisa of Troy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marvelous Masterpiece

Daughters of Shandong is The Debut Novel of the Year—if not The Novel of the Year!

It is the engrossing tale of a mother and her daughters, abandoned in enemy territory with little more than the clothes on their backs.

Chung beautifully captures the complex, tangled web of life’s pressures from the obligation to the family, social norms, economic strain, power structures, and the autonomy of the individual while the ship of fate is being blown about by the wind of desperation, hope for the future, and the ripple effects of kindness.

Set in China in the late 1940’s/early 1950’s, this story follows the Ang family who is solidly in the crosshairs of the newly in power Communist regime. Suddenly, this prosperous family’s old way of life has vanished in an instant. Father, Nai Nai (Grandmother) and Yei Yei (Grandfather) pack up all their worldly possessions and hightail it to safety, leaving behind Mother and their daughters in hostile territory with little more than the grit to survive. Will they ever see Father again? And do they even want to?

Based on a true story, this book dazzles—it has scenes as moving as Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables, how one small act of kindness can have such an enormous impact. With the skill of a master craftsperson, Chung impossibly balances the harsh, grim realities of the cruel and dangerous world with the uplifting hope and determination of the women along with the generosity and compassion of strangers (even enemies at times!).

Plus, you have to stick around until the end to see if Nai Nai will finally get her just desserts for being so cruel to Mother.

An unforgettable read that could move a heart of lead, this glowing review couldn’t possibly do this book justice. Captivating, spell binding, extraordinary fail to convey the riveting nature of Daughters of Shandong.

*Thanks, NetGalley, for a free copy of this book in exchange for my fair and unbiased opinion.

How much I spent:
Electronic text – Free/Nada/Zilch through NetGalley provided by publisher

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[Jaime Fok · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eve J Chung, I am OBSESSED with your writing!!! I read The Young Will Remember earlier this year, and immediately knew I had to pick up Daughters of Shandong as well. Both are 5 star reads for me, absolutely incredible.

There is so much to this story that hit so hard for me. For one, that sense of shifting identities that often happens in these traumatic times of war. It was so moving seeing our characters adapt to their situations in different ways - grappling with being betrayed by their own family, but still wanting to belong to one. And all the while, trying to figure out where they belong - at least enough to finally settle somewhere and try to build a new life.

It's also a story about breaking generational cycles of societal standards that have been so strongly instilled into entire countries. How that isn't ever a smooth or easy process, how it takes time and little steps along the way.

The writing is beautiful, but the subject matter is horrific. It's always tough for me to read historical fiction because I know these acts of brutality and violence really happened. It's so terrifying to think how humans can turn on each other, and actually feel joy from inflicting pain on others because they have been so brainwashed. Tough to swallow, but so important to read about and to always remember.

The author's note really hit for me. Eve J Chung speaks about how she tried to talk to her own relatives to gather information to write this story and to do it justice - but was faced with many of her family members not wanting to talk about what happened in this period of time. I can definitely relate to that experience with my own family in many ways- as I also had grandparents and great grandparents who experienced this move from China to Hong Kong / Taiwan as well.

Cannot wait to see what Eve writes next, a new auto-buy author for me!

[Canadian Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

1948, Shandong, China. The civil war rages. The communists have arrived to kill off landowners and claim the land. Women, especially young girls, are worthless as they cannot be heirs. Under the threat of the communists, the Ang family flees leaving the daughter in law and her 3 young girls to protect their land.

Their perilous journey takes us from North China to Hong Kong in the hopes of locating and reuniting with their family.

This was the epitome of a misogynistic & patriarchal country. Yet, these females survived the hardships of starvation, disease, homelessness and exhaustion; contrasting with their strength, bravery and resilience.

There were a couple of inconsistencies for me: in an earlier chapter -and only there- the language of a 15 year old was oddly too robust. In another chapter, a vengeance takes place which I just couldn’t envision happening in the 50’s.

Overall, a fascinating read and interesting perspective of the sexism that existed in China. I appreciate that this was written based on Chung's family history.
4⭐️

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Daughters of Shandong is a well written debut novel about a mother and her three daughters during the Communist Revolution, based on Chung’s own family. Chung does an excellent job of putting you in the time and place.
Hai is the eldest child of the Ang family, wealthy farming landlords. But as a daughter, she is worthless. When the Communist revolutionaries come to Shandong, her father, grandmother and the rest of the family flee, leaving Hai, her mother and two younger sisters to “guard” the family home. Only because of their mother’s kindness to the workers are they spared by the Cadres. Soon, it becomes obvious they must flee the area.
The reader is witness to the lawlessness of the revolution. Most landowners are killed. In the cities, poverty is everywhere and brutality reigns. Later, when the family makes it to Hong Kong, there are overwhelmed refuge centers. It’s not until they finally make it to Taiwan that they have a chance to do more than merely survive.
Chung uses the second daughter Di as a contrast to obedient Hai. In the beginning, Di is selfish and headstrong. But most importantly she adapts. But as the book progresses, we witness the switch between the two daughters and which flourishes.
I enjoyed learning about this period of time and the book was obviously well researched. There was a constant contest of wills between the two sisters, with the overriding theme of maternal love and sacrifice. But most importantly, the book highlights the Chinese tradition of belittling women. As Chung writes in her Author’s Note, “ Sexism was, and still is, so ingrained in our culture that many women consider it part of fate.”
My thanks to Netgalley and Berkley for an advance copy of this book.

[Catherine (alternativelytitledbooks) - still catching up! · Rating 4 out of 5]

**Many thanks to Berkley and Eve J. Chung for an ARC of this book provided via NetGalley! Now available as of 5.7!!**

"There are two powers in the world; one is the sword and the other is the pen. There is a third power stronger than both, that of women." - Malala Yousefzai

While some may be overjoyed at the birth of ANY child, in 1940s China, having "just another daughter" is nothing short of a curse. Amidst the poverty of the rural community of Shandong, the wealthy Ang family are desperate for a son to carry on the family name and the family wealth, leaving Hai and her sisters feeling like less of a blessing and more of a burden. With the Communist revolution knocking at their doorstep (quite literally) the girls try to keep their heads down and hope to remain out of the fray...but the rest of the family flees when soldiers arrive. Hai, as the eldest girl, is chosen to be representative for her family and must bear the brunt of the soldiers cruelty... and feels lucky to make it out alive.

Hai and her sisters know now is the time to make their escape, and with practically nothing but the burlap sacks they fashion as clothing (and flour they hide inside) to take with them as they are forced out...they have NO Idea if they will even make it to their destination alive. Their travels take them from Qingdao to Hong Kong to Taiwan, relying on the kindness of few along the way, with Hai keeping headstrong sister Di on the right path and hoping to lean on her intelligence to land a teaching job, the girls scrap, scrimp, and struggle their way across the countryside, determined to face the men who wronged them and forge a new path for themselves - one that doesn't revolve around producing yet another faceless male heir who will demand their subservience. As they finally reach family in Taiwan, will all of Hai's struggles and the arduous journey she has faced so far be worth the pain in the end as she is able to make a TRUE stand against injustice? Or will the firm grasp of the patriarchy keep these women "in their place" and stifle ANY chance for REAL independence?

With historical fiction, it's sometimes easier to get swept away by the text if you're very familiar with the place, era, and the events taking place...and in this case, I had little familiarity coming into this book about all three of those elements. I have to admit I spent a lot more of this read getting acclimated to what was going on at any given time, keeping track of where we were geographically, and keeping track of the characters and their activities than I would have liked, and this did take me out of the 'flow' a bit while reading. Chung is a very talented writer, but I felt like this read a bit more like a text rather than fiction at times, where there was a great deal of focus on the plot, where we were heading next, etc. so this style of HF reads a bit dry to me in comparison to others that have a more balanced approach. However, I also DO feel if I had the historical background coming INTO the book, this probably wouldn't have been noticeable or bothered me in the slightest, so it was one of those instances where I wish I'd taken a few minutes to do a little preemptive research before reading (and perhaps next time I will!)

What I honestly wished there was more of in this book was character development - because every glimpse we DID get into these fascinating women left me wanting more. At the beginning, I thought the harsh words from the girls' grandmother about how useless they were for not being born male etc. were going to play a bigger part in the overall goings on...but I felt like despite Chung's best efforts, there was so much plot content to get through, that I didn't get as thorough of a glimpse inside the minds of Hai, Di, and the others as I would have liked. I understood their struggles through the action, sure; but with such dynamic and intelligent personalities, it would have been even more impactful to get a firm sense of their INNER selves. I'm not saying this book could have necessarily functioned as a series of diary entries or the like, but I think utilizing that sort of device would have given an extra layer of realism and emotional connectivity that I personally look for in some of my favorite historical fiction reads.

What DID elevate the overall experience for me, however, was the detailed and fascinating author's note Chung includes at the end of this one, where she reveals that this book was in fact based on her OWN family's personal history. Her attention to detail and careful consideration while telling her family's story alone was enough to get me to bump up my rating. This is one of those author's notes that makes you want to read an entire BOOK (or maybe watch a documentary?) about the writing process because there is simply too much detail to fit inside an addendum. I know it probably isn't feasible, but since this is only Chung's debut, perhaps in the future she could delve into what happens next for our beloved women of Shandong!

And although I won't reveal whether or not grandmother Nai Nai has to eat her own words by the end of this harrowing tale...I WILL reference one other quote that sums up the power, the resilience, the determination, and the fortitude displayed by ALL of the Daughters of Shandong: "If you want something said, ask a man. If you want something DONE, ask a woman."

Perfectly stated, Margaret Thatcher.

😉

4 stars, rounded up from 3.5

[Darla · Rating 5 out of 5]

What was it like to be the oldest daughter of a landowner's family in the midst of the 1948 revolution in China? Eve J. Chung wrote this book to honor her Puo Puo and keep her memory alive. While Chung could not gather enough details to write a biography, she does pay tribute in amazing ways to the life of her grandmother. The main character is Li-Hai. As the oldest daughter of this Ang family, she is considered disposable. So much so that her father leaves Li-Hai with her mother and two sisters when revolution threatens their home estate. What follows is their perilous journey to join the family in Taiwan. The Zhucheng, Shandong to Qingdao, Shangdong to Hong Kong and finally to Taiwan. Their plight is so heartbreaking at times and the trauma that was experienced by those trapped in between the nationalists and the communists has been passed down in ways that are more obvious when you know their stories. This life-affirming story is a tribute to the strength of women and their role in nurturing future generations.

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

[Maureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a well written debut novel about the authors own family. This story is told by Hai,the eldest daughter of the Ang family. Hai’s father and grand parents flee their home leaving them behind, with no food or money.
It is 1948, civil war rages China. Hai’s father felt that the Communist’s would not harm women and children. He was wrong. Hai and her mother and sisters are not important. Hali’s grandmother treated her mother badly because she was useless for not producing a son. Her father never spoke to defend his wife. He just followed in his mother‘s footsteps.
Hai, mother and sisters were forced to leave the only home that they know to seek what happened to their family. They endure deplorable conditions to survive on their long journey.
Is the powerful story of resilience and survival. From the authors notes, this was her very own grandmother story. The author’s notes are very informative of how she wrote this book.
An amazing journey.

[Bkwmlee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This incredible debut by Taiwanese-American lawyer Eve J. Chung doesn’t come out until May 2024, but I was able to get an advance copy and boy am I glad I did. Inspired by her family’s history, Chung weaves the fictional story of Li-Hai, the eldest of four daughters from the Ang family, wealthy landowners in the small rural town of Zhucheng in Shandong, China. The year is 1948 and even though World War II has officially ended, China is caught up in its own civil war between the current ruling party, the Nationalists under Chiang Kai-shek and the Communists led by Mao Zedong. In a country still steeped in the Confucian ideal of “zhong nan qing nu” (“value men, belittle women”), Hai’s mother Chiang-Yue is treated worse than a servant in the Ang household due to her inability to produce a male heir (to say that Yue is “mistreated” is an understatement — in addition to suffering constant physical and verbal abuse at the hands of her mother-in-law, her husband also neglects her and never speaks up for her). In the eyes of the Ang elders, Hai and her sisters, being daughters, are considered “disappointments” and “useless mouths to feed” (their grandmother Nai Nai has no qualms about telling them to their faces that they are better off dead so the family doesn’t have to waste money on them anymore) — which is why, when the Communist army invades the town and the family is forced to flee, they decide to leave mother and daughters behind. Abandoned and left to fend for themselves, Yue and her daughters become destitute and penniless after the Communists seize their home and kick them out. Worse yet, in the absence of any Ang family males, Hai, as the eldest daughter at 13 years old, is chosen to answer for her father’s and grandfather’s “crimes” and is subsequently tortured to near death. With the help of former workers whom Yue had always treated kindly, mother and daughters escape to the city of Qingdao, where they hoped to reunited with the rest of the family. They survive the arduous journey to Qingdao, only to find out that the family actually relocated to Taiwan (where Chiang Kai-shek re-established the Nationalist base after fleeing China). Abandoned once again, the Ang women figure out a way to overcome the many obstacles they face, including enduring a thousand mile journey to Hong Kong and eventually finding their family in Taiwan.

The story is narrated in the first person from Hai’s perspective, which was the perfect narrative structure in this case because it made the experience more immersive and personal. In her Author’s Note (which is not to be missed), Chung explains the inspiration for the story, which was originally going to be a biography of sorts about her maternal grandmother, whom she had stayed with in Taiwan as a child. But after her grandmother died, she realized there were too many gaps in her grandmother’s life that she knew nothing about and regrettably had never asked, so she pivoted to turning the family history she was planning to write into a fictional story using the notes and interviews that she and her mother had already gathered. Basing the character of Hai on her maternal grandmother, Chung was able to fill in the gaps of her own family history, but more than that, for us readers, she delivered a beautifully-written story about a family of women who survive devastating heartbreak and hardship to resiliently rise above the entrenched cultural norms that bind them to inferiority within their society.

As a Chinese daughter myself, I resonated deeply with Hai and many of the struggles she went through in trying to reconcile her identity with her culture. While I didn’t share all of the experiences she went through, I did grow up under the same Chinese culture, so I was familiar with many of the antiquated traditions as well as the historical context in the story. Even with this familiarity, I have to admit that many of the scenes involving Hai’s POS (pardon my French) father and grandmother and their horrible treatment of the mothers and daughters in the family were hard to read. With that said though, this is actually where Chung’s story stands out from many of the other historical novels that revolve around Chinese culture and tradition — I appreciated the way that she succinctly and clearly lays out the facts of how women were treated during that time without mincing words. More than any other novel I’ve read in recent years (specifically ones written in contemporary times), this one does a great job exploring the internal battle that many of the women who grow up in these restrictive cultures face — despite understanding the injustices they suffer, they’ve internalized what they‘ve been taught to the extent that it not only becomes a “normal” part of who they are, they also oftentimes end up perpetuating these same injustices (whether intentionally or unintentionally) onto future generations. To this point, there were many thought-provoking quotes throughout the book (which I of course marked up), but the following excerpt stood out to me the most. In this scene, Hai (as an adult now) gets into an argument with her mother, who finally, after many years, gives birth to a son, Ming, to carry on the Ang family name (though ironically, this doesn’t alleviate the poor treatment that the mother continues to endure because the mother-in-law is already used to abusing her); Hai sees her mother giving her baby brother Ming a bottle of milk while she only gives her other daughter Hua (who was born right before Ming) a bottle of rice water — Hai is livid that her mother would continue to perpetuate the “preferential treatment of boys over girls” tradition after everything they suffered the past couple years precisely because they weren’t sons: “…Mom began to weep. “Hai, Ming is the only one who will support us when we are old. The only one who can care for us in the afterlife. I love Hua and all my other daughters, but I have a duty, as a wife, to make sure Ming grows up well. When you have your own son, you will understand.” She cried because she thought I was judging her unfairly, without realizing that her words had cut me deep. Mom hadn’t said it explicitly, but I heard it loud and clear: All of us girls were worth less than Ming. She loved us less than Ming. Yet Mom was confused by my anger, and oblivious to my pain. To her, the ancient traditions centering the son were our pillar, entwined in our religion, inseparable from our existence on this earth. Telling her I was hurt would be like saying I was offended by the typhoon that tore through Mount Davis. In her mind, these injustices were part of being a woman, and bearing them was simply our fate. Men made the rules in our society, but women often enforced them. Was there something about having a son that transformed us? Was that why Nai Nai was so wretched? Was that going to be me as a mother? I didn’t want it to be. After what I had been through, how could I fall into that same pattern?” Arriving at this understanding becomes tremendously important for the characters in the story, which I won’t get into here (you will need to read this one to find out more).

Needless to say, this is a book I highly recommend, but with the understanding that it definitely won’t be an easy read. As with most stories about the travesties of war, this one has brutal scenes as it follows the harrowing journey of the Ang women through several generations, but the payoff at the end is well worth the read. This story (and its characters) is not one that I will forget anytime soon!

Received ARC from Berkley / Penguin Random House via BookBrowse First Impressions program.

[Cristina Lazăr · Rating 5 out of 5]

„Fiicele din Shandong” de Eve J. Chung a fost una dintre cele mai frumoase surprize literare pe care le-am avut în ultima perioadă. Am început această carte fără a avea așteptări foarte mari, însă, pe măsură ce am înaintat în poveste, mi-am dat seama că este una dintre acele lecturi care rămân cu tine mult timp după ce ai întors ultima pagină. M-a impresionat profund prin emoțiile pe care le transmite și prin felul în care reușește să spună o poveste atât de dureroasă, dar în același timp atât de plină de speranță.

Mai multe în recenzia de pe blog: https://carti.blog/2026/08/11/fiicele...

[Shannon L · Rating 1 out of 5]

As someone who is part of the Taiwanese diaspora, I was eager to get my hands on this book. My paternal grandfather escaped from China during the civil war to Taiwan, and I regretfully never asked him about his experiences before he passed away. From the author’s note, Chung clearly poured her heart and soul into writing this book to honor her beloved Puo Puo. I can commend Chung for her research into the history of this turbulent time, but other than that, I had many issues with "Daughters of Shandong". Mainly, it was super boring. Some spoilers ahead.

At first, I was captivated by the harrowing story of the escape and perseverance of a mother and her three daughters. They were fighting against all odds to survive as refugees and reach Taiwan by traversing miles, enduring starvation, and facing prejudices and torture. However, I quickly became bored due to the flat characters and didactic prose.

Most of the characters had zero depth, with the dimensionality of a sheet of paper. I could not connect with any of them, especially the mother, the long-suffering wife and daughter-in-law. Through her virtue, hard work, quick thinking, hope, and kindness, she got her daughters through everything. But… that’s it. She had no flaws besides internalized sexism. Even then, that's not a character flaw. I wish I had seen her make tough, morally gray decisions for the sake of her daughters and herself. War brings out an ugliness in people out of desperation to survive, but the saintly nature of the mother (and Hai) becomes repetitive and dull. I think Chung wanted to highlight the strength of mothers whose voices are often silenced, but the lack of dimensionality in Hai’s mother did not work for me. #girlboss tho

The main character, Hai, too fell short for me. Hai eventually becomes independent and determined to be more than what Confucian values dictate a woman should be, but I didn’t find her engaging despite this character development. I do like that Hai realized that her mother wasn't superhuman and stopped idolizing her. There's much to be said about Asian mother-daughter relationships. Nonetheless, I couldn’t connect with Hai’s voice and therefore her character, and I partially blame the prose. I’m a huge fan of “show, not tell”, and the first-person POV suffered from Chung’s didactic storytelling. I was TOLD how characters felt, what characters realized, and what characters did. These events happened. The characters ran away. Hai felt [insert emotion here]. Slight tangent, I think Chung couldn’t decide what the characters wanted for smaller decisions. One moment, they wanted to stay in British Hong Kong. A few pages later, the characters were motivated to go to Taiwan again. These quick changes of heart felt like they were made to move along the plot.

Di, the other prominent daughter, was the only interesting character because she had… flaws! She was annoying, self-centered, and smug, but she was also resourceful, quick-witted, and caring in her own way. She is named “Di”, meaning “little brother” in Chinese, because she was not born a son. Her name itself is a reminder of her failure simply because of her gender. And yet, her ending was so dismal. She gets pregnant out of wedlock, is heartbroken, marries the next man who would take her and is written out of the story before I had time to recover from this whiplash. It felt like Chung was punishing Di narratively for being too willful and too romantic, while Hai, the dutiful, hard-working daughter, is rewarded with a loving husband and a successful progeny who becomes a brilliant scientist and goes to America. This frustrated me deeply because a huge part of Chung’s message is breaking away from harmful traditional gender roles for women. Good daughter = happy ending. Bad daughter = unhappy ending.

I wish there were more morally grey characters to make the story interesting. The nasty mother-in-law is a huge trope in Chinese media/fiction for a good reason, but Nai Nai felt so cartoonishly evil. Similarly, I can’t recall a single character on the Communist side, whether cadre or peasant, who wasn’t depicted as wholly bad or brainwashed either. Fiction does not have to humanize or empathize with perpetrators of atrocities or prejudice, but I wish Chung had created an interesting Communist character to cause friction in a very flat story. Also, I’m pretty sure a lot of landowners were terrible to the peasants who worked their fields. There’s a reason why the revolution, regardless of how it evolved, happened in the first place. So like… why was EVERY landowner in this book depicted as incredibly kind to their workers and unjustly murdered? I know that Hai is a 13-year-old girl going through hardships due to the Communists. I know that Chung’s family suffered deeply due to the revolution, but the one-sided nature of everything made this book a slog. Everything is black-and-white, and the narrative suffers from it.

Ultimately, I wish I could have given this book a higher rating, although Chung saved me from a Wikipedia deep dive. The events were written clearly and easy to follow if you're not familiar with the period in China. However, if you want to read about fierce women and mothers during times of war in 20th-century Asian history, I recommend The Mountains Sing by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai and Pachinko by Min Jin Lee.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've always wanted to visit Taiwan. I'd studied Chinese history as part of one of my undergrad majors. So I knew about the events written in this book, but history classes and text books are just a linear series of events and decisions. Books like this one bring the humanity in that history forward.

Reading this book had me reflecting on my mother's early life. She was living in China around the same time as this book. Japan had occupied Korea, and my grandfather thought it was safer for the family to be in China. They left China in secrecy and at great risk to return to Korea when they saw communism was going to be too unstable for their family and that Korea, while still recovering from Japanese occupation and the Korean War, might be more hopeful. I wish my mom was still around to tell me more about their trek and tribulations too. But that's another reason I'm grateful for books like this one. They help me fill in some gaps with the story I would want for my family through my imagination.

[Shelby (allthebooksalltheways) · Rating 5 out of 5]

2024 FAVE 🥳🥳🥳

Thank you #partners @berkleypub & @prhaudio for my gifted copies 💕 #berkleyig #berkleypartner #penguinrandomhousepartner

Daughters of Shandong
Eve J. Chung
5/7

📖 1948 Shandong, China • Hai Ang, the eldest of four girls, is the daughter of a wealthy landowner who barely acknowledges her existence. Hai's mother has been confined to a life of servitude and abuse, as she's been unable to birth a son. Civil war ravages the countryside, and the communists close in on Shandong, determined to punish the wealthy and claim their land. While many of the Angs flee, they leave behind the girls and their mother. Once the cadres arrive, the remaining Angs barely escape with their lives. With just the meager possessions they were able to carry, they travel south on a thousand-mile journey, exhausted, starving and afraid.

📌 Inspired by Chung's family's true story

💭 This book is breathtaking! Through meticulous research and evocative prose, Chung weaves a captivating novel of mid-twentieth century Chinese history through the perspective of a young teen girl. I felt so many emotions while reading this: anger at the patriarchal power structures and the devaluation of women and girls, sadness for the tremendous amount of loss and suffering, fear for Hai and her family as they navigate the dangers of travel during wartime, and so much pride for their resilience, determination and strength — especially the way the girls eventually come into their own. I really appreciate the nuanced way in which Chung wrote of the war and its cause, and I loved the evolving dynamic between the sisters. With gorgeous, engaging writing, a deeply moving story, and pitch perfect pacing, Daughters of Shandong is a stunner of a debut and an absolute must read!

🎧 I had the immense pleasure of reading this immersively, in both print and audio. Narrator Yu-Li Alice Shen is absolutely perfect here. Her performance is captivating, emotive, and she really brought these characters and their story to life. Outstanding work!

📌 Publishes tomorrow 5/7!

[Mallory · Rating 5 out of 5]

This historical fiction book was a quick and engrossing read. I love when historical fiction tackles an era/location that is not typically seen and this one is definitely that. I will admit I didn’t know much and had not read about China as the communists took over from the Nationalists. The story is told by Hai, the oldest of three daughters. Hai’s mother is treated poorly by her in-laws especially after she keeps giving birth to girls. Hai, her mother, and her sisters are left behind when the communists are coming to guard the family home. Any thoughts of defending it are instantly forgotten when they see the crowds. Their journey to try to find the rest of their family is harrowing and full of hardship. I really liked Hai, she was a great character. It was very interesting to get a glimpse into another culture and a time period I didn’t know much about. This book was one of my favorite historical fiction books I’ve read in the last year and I will be keeping an eye out for more from Eve J. Chung.

[James Scholz · Rating 4 out of 5]

difficult to put down, good story with real characters. writing didn't always land for me, and it strangely got better 2 notches at the 70% mark but then went back down at the 85% mark. anyways, would recc if you enjoyed pachinko, or are into taiwanese/chinese history

[Taury · Rating 5 out of 5]

Daughters of Shandong by Eve J. Chung is an amazing story set in 1948 in Shandong Province, China. This novel beautifully blends cultural heritage with the struggles of the communist revolution as families flee from China.

The story follows the lives of three generations of women, each grappling with societal expectations, personal ambitions, and the upheaval brought on by political unrest. Chung’s meticulous research draws readers into the traditions, customs, and daily life of 1940s China.

Once I started this novel, I couldn't stop reading until the end.

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

DAUGHTERS OF SHANDONG
By Eve J. Chung

A work of historical fiction inspired by Chung’s family who was displaced during the Communist Revolution in China. The Daughters of Shandong is told through the eyes of Hai, the eldest daughter of the Ang family. Hai along with her mother and sisters are turned out of their home in Zhucheng during the Revolution, enduring a long and difficult journey to reunite with their father and husband. This is about self-preservation, community, and achieving goals within a culture that devalues women. Through the experiences of Hai and her loved ones, we see the consequences of war, trauma, displacement, and gender-based discrimination while telling a story of survival and triumph.

I was fully invested in these memorable characters. With all the ups and downs this family and others endured, was difficult to fathom. It is an extraordinary debut; and I love when a new author can pull me in from the beginning, and when it happens, it’s like magic. Also, the cover of this book is so beautiful. I am so looking forward to what is next from this brilliant author.

Thank you to BookBrowse and the publisher for the book.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This well written and meticulously researched debut novel brings to life the events surrounding the communist revolution in China after the second world war and it’s effects on ordinary people. The story revolves around the lives of a young woman and her daughters who are left behind in mainland China after her husband and his extended family flee to Taiwan. The hardships which the woman and her young daughters endure while trying to reunite with their family are heartbreaking.

It’s a powerful story told through the eyes of the eldest daughter, and it focuses on the place of women in Chinese culture. It’s a story of family ties, resilience, determination, extreme hardship, and survival.

The author’s note at the end of the book is poignant. The story is based on the experiences of Eve Chung’s own grandmother.

Thank you to Suzanne at First Look Book Club and Berkley Publishing, an imprint of Penguin Random House, for sending me a copy of this engrossing novel. It’s one I won’t soon forget!

[Karina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Our water was gone and our throats were dry, but we didn't have the willpower to search for a stream. Together we pushed the wheelbarrow off the path and settled between some shrubs with long, willowy branches that we could hide behind. My feet were throbbing, and my shoes were so worn that I could feel every pebble and twig against my soles. (PG 99)

This was a great debut novel set in 1949 Northern China. The reader is taken from Qingdao, British Hong Kong and finally Taiwan. We see how families were so insulated in their family compounds they were not aware of the countries problems. The author makes the treatment of women and girl children one of her central themes to the story. Girl babies were treated worse than the family dog and it was usually the mother-in-law behaving in a tyrannical way towards the wives of her sons.

We see the journey of the Ang women after the family abandoned them. Being wealthy was a big target at this time.

The story was sad but page turning. It flowed nicely and the characters were worth the investment. I hope her next one is as good.

[Hristina Todorova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Едни от най-лесните 5 звезди, които съм давала.

[Стефани Витанова · Rating 4 out of 5]

✮⋆˙ Отдавна не бях прочитала над 300 страници в рамките на един ден.
На първо място искам да ви предупредя, че в романа има изключително чувствителни теми. След някои сцени читатели, с които дискутирахме книгата, споделиха, че са били принудени да я оставят настрана за известно време, защото просто не са могли да продължат. Аз самата отлагах прочита заради гнева, който знаех, че неминуемо ще изпитам.
✮⋆˙ Действието започва през 1948 г. в Китай, по време на гражданската война. Когато семейството на богата земевладелска фамилия е заплашено от комунистическите сили, бащата бяга в Тайван. Но вместо да вземе със себе си жена си и трите си дъщери, ги изоставя. От този момент романът проследява борбата на майката и момичетата за физическото им оцеляване.
✮⋆˙ Почти всяко страдание в тази история може да бъде проследено назад до едно убеждение: че мъжете имат стойност по право, а жените трябва да я заслужат.
✮⋆˙ Затова и книгата предизвиква толкова силни емоции. Не само заради жестокостта на отделните персонажи, а защото показва как мизогинията се превръща в система, възпроизвеждана от цялото общество – включително от самите жени.
✮⋆˙ Майките възпитават дъщерите си в покорство, бабите предпочитат внуците пред внучките, а самите момичета постепенно започват да вярват, че са просто едни непотребни и заменими ,,гърла за хранене”. И тук не говорим за абстрактни права или философски спорове. Говорим за храна. За здраве. За живот.
✮⋆˙ За момичета, които са оставяни хронично недохранени, за да могат момчетата да се нахранят до насита. За дъщери, на които е отказвана медицинска помощ, докато болестта не ги погуби. За момичета, чиято смърт е посрещана с такова безразличие от собствените им бащи, че дори не си правят труда да ги погребат в задния си двор.
✮⋆˙ Когато едно общество стигне дотам да измерва човешкия живот по пола на детето, трудно можем да говорим за равна стойност на човешкото съществуване. Но надеждата в романа се прокрадва в един простичък факт: пред бруталността на тиранията, униженията и лишенията жените не просто оцеляват - те променят структури, общества и съдби.
✮⋆˙ Знам, че романът ще ви бъде тежък. Знам, че на моменти ще ви се иска да го затворите и да не се върнете между страниците. Но ви насърчавам да го прочетете. Има няколко страници към края, които, повярвайте ми, си струват всяко страдание дотам. В тях се крие най-важното послание на книгата. В тях момичетата въстават в глас по-силен от всеки мъжки призив за подчинение.
✮⋆˙ Защото патриархатът не се крепи единствено на традиции, закони или обичаи. Той се крепи на страха. На убеждението, че съпротивата е невъзможна, че подчинението е неизбежно и че нищо не може да бъде променено. Ала в мига, в който момичетата отказват да замълчат, цялата конструкция рухва. И е толкова красиво да го наблюдавате отстрани.

[Raymond · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sad but enjoyable read. The novel’s storyline centers around a family’s immigration from Shandong, China to Taiwan. Many things in the book my family could relate to cause my father also immigrated from Shandong to Taiwan. The hardships that mother Ang & her daughters encountered with Communist China & the racism that they faced when he first arrived in Taiwan were very similar to what my father had to go through during his immigration ordeal. I would say this novel have a very similar vibe as the book Pachinko by Min Jin Lee. Both books are about the struggles of post-war families immigrating to foreign lands. Overall, I felt like this book was very well written & I would recommend it to any casual reader interested in a Chinese themed historical novel.

[Corrado · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn’t know much about the profound changes that China went through during the Maoist era. This book helped me understand that complex and turbulent historical period better.

While reading the novel, you can indirectly sense the roots of the differences between mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, lands that came from different contexts and whose unique identities today are a response to the events of that time.

I liked the fact that the story was told in the first person: it felt like I was part of the story, sharing the protagonist’s problems and small daily joys. The characters are well-drawn, with clearly defined and consistent personalities. Their choices and actions always seem appropriate for the situations they face.

I also appreciated the cultural aspects of the book, which depict the traditional hierarchical structure of Chinese society: men are at the center, while women are seen as secondary, almost useless. Yet it is precisely the women who turn out to be stronger and who keep everything going. The novel also highlights the importance of education, social differences, the hypocrisies, and the problems linked to communism and the transition to a new society.

In short, it’s an interesting and engaging book. It helped me learn more about China in those years and to better understand China today.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read a great deal about the Chinese Revolution, but this novel of that time period (after WWII through the early 1950’s) from the perspective of a girl was extraordinarily powerful. Hai is the eldest daughter in a wealthy, landowning family (in Shandong province), which is ruled by her father’s mother (a bitter, evil person) and her father. Hai’s mother is little more than a servant in the family, and Hai and her two sisters, as girls, have virtually no worth or respect. When the family learns that the Communists are overpowering the Nationalists (Chiang Kai-shek) and brutalizing landowners (as part of the communist land reforms), all of the family members except Hai, her mother and her sisters leave for safety (ultimately Taiwan) with all the family money and assets. This leaves Hai, her mother and her sisters to be forcibly evicted from their home and to live in destitute poverty in a barn. The communists evict them violently and then brutally interrogate Hai as the oldest child of the landowning family. By scheming, they are able to sneak through communist authorities and travel to Qingdao, where Hai’s uncle gives them shelter. But poverty, hunger and desperation follow and, after horrific experiences, they are able to travel to Hong Kong. There, life becomes even worse. The descriptions of the refugee camps in which they had to try to survive were disturbing and tragic. Finally, Hai’s uncle obtains entry permits for Taiwan for them, and they feel their dreams are answered. However, the evil grandmother and selfish father continue to make their lives miserable. Ultimately they learn to survive and succeed on their own.
Interwoven throughout the story were many threads of Chinese culture. I understood that the culture held women to be valueless, but I did not know that a mother in law could order her daughter in law to kneel on the floor for hours or the power of age in the family structure. The novel also drew clear pictures of life – from homes to food (which it was available).
In the midst of the horror, the incredible inner strength constantly required by Hai, her mother and her older sister in order to survive were amazing to me. Each of them approached their difficulties differently, but each of them exhibited a depth of perseverance that I deeply admire and respect. The character of Hai is based upon the experiences of the author’s grandmother, which gives it an extra level of power and emotion.
This novel portrayed the story of displacement, followed by hunger, tragedy and suffering, which was wrought upon the landowners when Mao’s government gained control – and it moved me deeply. I think it is important to remember that this story could apply to refugees through the ages and around the world.

[Vesela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Годината е 1948г и гражданската война в Китай е в разгара си. В северната част на страната, където е разположена и провинция Шандун, комунистическите войски, предвождани от новия бог на Червен Китай - Мао Дзедун, са изтласкали националистическата армия на генерал Чан Кайшъ на юг и вече няма кой да защити дребните и по-едри земевладелци от безчинстватата на жадния за кръв "пролетариат". Цели заможни фамилии са избивани безмилостно, за да бъдат земите и недвижимите им имоти национализирани в полза на бедните и безимотни селяни. Враговете на народа са изтезавани, пребивани до смърт, заравяни живи в земята. Реки от кръв се леят по улиците и заплашват да отнесат живота на всеки враг на комунистическия режим.
Тази нерадостна съдба грози и богатото семейство Ан от Шандун. Историята е за най-голямата дъщеря Хай, нейната майка и двете ѝ по-малки сестри. Всички те биват изоставени от бащата , бабата и дядото по бащина линия, както и от останалите членове на семейството, които бягат от града преди комунистите да го превземат и да се почнат червените безчинства. Та и защо да се спасява съпруга и три дъщери, които по традиционните вярвания са приравнени с добитък? Дъщерите са безполезно бреме. Те не са нищо повече от гърла за хранене и зестри за плащане.
Майката с трите ѝ дъщери, едната от които пеленаче, имат един път за спасение - път, който е страшен, дълъг, кървав и опасен. Те трябва да бягат от Червен Китай, за да спасят животите си. И четирите тръгват...
Книгата е за опасностите и премеждията, които преживяват четирите жени по пътя към мечтания Тайван и жадуваното спасение. Книга за силата на човешкия дух, за важността на това да се противопоставиш на остарелите традиции и суеверия и да отстоиш себе си и своето място в този свят.
Ако вече сте чели и харесали книгите на Лиза Сий, то непременно ще харесате и "Дъщерите на Шандун"! Макар че липсва особена дълбочина на образите мога да кажа, че книгата е написана до голяма степен в нейния завладяващ стил!
Оценка 3.5*

[Йоана под Слънцето · Rating 5 out of 5]

Уау. Нямам търпение за месечната среща на книжния клуб.

[melhara · Rating 5 out of 5]

NOV 13, 2024:
This book is a 2024 Goodreads Choice nominee for best debut (in the opening round)! I'm a bit disappointed that this book didn't make it on the list of nominees for best historical fiction but at least it made it as a nominee for best debut because this is definitely one of the most impressive debuts I've ever read. I am 100% voting for this book!

MAY 7, 2024:

Happy Publishing Day!!
This was one of my favourite ARCs I read last year and I can't wait for everyone to read it!

Here's my reading journal spread featuring this book (from @melharareads):


OCT 27, 2023 REVIEW:

6 out of 5 stars

This book was absolutely riveting.

I'll be impatiently counting down the days until the publishing date on May 7, 2024, because I want to buy a copy of this book for all my friends and family!

"All girls are disposable, and you know it."*

It's no secret that historically (and even now, to some extent), women in China held little to no value. A woman's worth is only measured by how many sons she can produce for her husband. In Daughters of Shandong, the Ang family was displeased that Hai's mother was only able to produce one daughter after the next, with four daughters in total. Despite being part of a wealthy household, the Ang girls and their mother were seen as "useless mouths to feed". So when news arrived that the Communist party was heading to their village to punish the wealthy, the Ang family left town leaving behind the mother, Hai (the oldest daughter), and her younger sisters under the pretense that a family member had to look over the property and that it would only be temporary (when in reality, the family left the women behind to fend for themselves). Things only go downhill from there.

When the Communists found out that the Ang men had fled, they punished Hai and made her stand trial on behalf of the family that had abandoned her, her mother, and her sisters. Beaten almost to death, the women realize that they had to escape and find safety amongst the family that had abandoned them.

This book left me feeling a range of emotions. It was such a moving and utterly riveting coming-of-age story about survival and generational trauma inflicted on Chinese women and families who fled China during the Chinese Civil War. This book also offers a powerful and insightful narrative of the strength and resilience of Chinese women.

The characters in this book were also incredibly compelling, layered, and well-fleshed out. The book is told from Hai's perspective, who, as the oldest child, has a strong sense of duty to protect her younger sisters and support her mother while also questioning her mother's unwavering loyalty towards the Ang family. From Hai's perspective, we're also able to see the strength and resourcefulness of her mother and sister, Di. It was very interesting to see that despite Hai's mother's meek and submissive nature, she was also very selfless and was able to make the necessary hard decisions to protect her daughters. I also loved Di's contrasting personality, who is cunningly resourceful and doesn't hide her clear resentment towards the Ang family.

I honestly have a really hard time believing this is a debut novel because I was completely captivated from the first few pages. As a woman of Chinese descent, the story and themes of motherhood and daughterhood in a Chinese context resonated deeply with me. The commentary on Chinese patriarchy and dismantling sexist traditions over the course of each generation is such an important issue to address, particularly within the Chinese community which is still steeped in antiquated Confucian traditions.

Although I don't believe my family was impacted by the Chinese Civil War (I believe my grandparents were already living in Hong Kong during that time, but I'll have to ask my grandma to confirm), I have heard many tales from friends whose parents and grandparents fled China with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Well, this book made me realize the true hardships that many families faced during the Chinese Civil War, the difficulties of living as refugees in Hong Kong, the amount of red tape to enter Taiwan, and most importantly, what it meant to be female during that time.

This book may be a work of fiction, but it was inspired by true events, was carefully researched, and the many social issues and hardships that the characters faced rang true to me. It's a book that I will probably never stop thinking about and would recommend to everyone, but most especially to women of Chinese descent.

*All quotes are taken from an Advanced Readers Copy and may change prior to the release of the final copy.*

**I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley for review consideration, but all opinions are my own.**

*** #15 of my 2023 Book Riot Read Harder Challenge - Read a historical fiction book set in an Eastern country. ***

NOV 23, 2023 UPDATE:
Turns out, my paternal grandfather was born in Hong Kong but both my paternal and maternal grandmothers were born in China and fled to Hong Kong during the Japanese invasion in WWII (just before the Civil War resumed). My great-grandmother had to crawl through trenches and under fences while carrying her youngest children! I also found out that I have several distant relatives and family friends who had to swim to Hong Kong during the Civil War. My mom's uncle even has permanent scars across his face from when the currents pushed him into jagged boulders while swimming to Hong Kong - he nearly died and it was a miracle that he survived the journey as others weren't as fortunate.

[Sadie E · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't even know how to write a review for this. Just... wow 🥺

At that point, if she tried to shield us from the ugliness of the world, we would only spend our days in darkness.

[Lizzy Brannan · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a well-told story. Though I spent much of it angry for justice, it was enlightening as well as grounding. Here in America, living in the 21st century, we truly are spoiled. Yes, we all have our crosses to bear, and we have seen trying times, but nothing like what was endured in Europe and Asia during the world wars. Even though this is considered historical fiction, I am grateful to Eve J. Chung for her bravery and creativity in telling this story. I learn so much about the world through reading. It is good for us to remember!

[Mikey B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

**** Spoilers Within ****

This is a family story of survival. The Ang family, a mother and her three daughters, are abandoned by their husband/father and his family who left as Chinese Communist forces were approaching their farm in the Chinese province of Shandong, and fled to Taiwan.

This occurred at the end of the Second World War, when Mao’s forces militarily defeated the Nationalist Army of Chiang Kai-shek. When the Communist forces arrived at the Ang farm-house, the mother and daughters were detained as being rich land-owners – and the eldest daughter, Hai, was tortured and humiliated in front of the local villagers. She was around 12 years old.

Mother and daughters hide in a local peasants’ house, and eventually walk over one hundred miles to a large coastal town, Qingdao, where they live in poverty scrounging for food. They become emaciated and susceptible to diseases, more so the youngest daughter, who is just a toddler.

Eventually managing to save some money and through a family connection in Qingdao, they take a train filled to the brim with hundreds of others refugees. After a journey of over one thousand miles, they arrive in Hong Kong and live in refugee camps. Finally, in the 1950s, they make it to Taiwan to reunite with their family. It is not a happy reunion because the two older girls (Hai and Di) feel alienated and extremely resentful towards their father – and especially their domineering paternal grandmother.

The main theme of the story is the prevalence of misogyny in Chinese culture. There is a Chinese expression (page 383) “Value men, belittle women”. This misogyny is reinforced by the grandmother of Hai and Di. She values above all the birth of a male child. A female child is seen as a nuisance, or worse. This is why she despised the wife her son had married - for her failure to produce male offspring.

At close to 400 pages, I did find the misogyny narrative overwhelming. Also, there are only three main characters in this narrative – Hai, Di and their mother.

The story is very event-driven. During the long journeys on roads and trains – and then their long stay in refugee camps, there was a lack of meaningful interaction with those surrounding them. The author, on occasion, mentions these were dangerous environments – yet nothing of significance happens to illustrate this. It sometimes seems as if these four people were in a bubble, hardly interacting or conflicting with those around them.

Nevertheless, we do feel a sense of hope and optimism, as they overcame the obstacles (both cultural and physical) of oppression. Despite all the torment suffered by these girls, much of it at the hands of their own family, they came to live prosperous and fulfilling lives. They valued girls and women as vital human beings. This was a fact-based emotional story on the life of the author’s mother and grandmother.