A very typical melodramatic book. Good thing is the writing, it is very well balanced in terms of plots and prospects. Passages about city views and life details are vivid and clean. But most of the characters are rather flat. First half of the sequel is nice, but the second half is changes too abruptly into this revolutionary model play which the writer is not good at.
I gather some immediate reflections on A Fate of Tears and Laughter (Tixiao Yinyuan 啼笑因緣) on my blog (~1300 words, plus images of original cover art and screenshots from a 1960s film adaptation). A highly recommended work!