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Wszystkie kwiaty Szanghaju
Dla młodych Chinek mieszkających w Szanghaju lat 30 XX wieku, obowiązek zawsze był ważniejszy niż osobiste pragnienia
Dla Feng oznacza on zaaranżowane przez rodziców małżeństwo z bogatym biznesmenem. W zamkniętym światku państwa Sang - gdzie publicznie celebruje się tradycję, a w zaciszu domowym okrucieństwo - wypełnienie obowiązku jest równoznaczne z wydaniem na świat męskiego potomka, dziedzica i następcy rodu.
Żyjąc w złotej klatce, Feng czuje się coraz bardziej rozżalona i planuje wzięcie odwetu za zły los. Refleksja i opamiętanie przychodzą dopiero po latach. Tymczasem Chiny zalewa gwałtowna i bezlitosna fala rewolucji.
Porywające tło historyczne powieści oraz niezwykle wyrazisty, niemal intymny portret kobiety, która odważyła się wystąpić przeciwko tradycji, czynią z "Wszystkich kwiatów Szanghaju" ważny debiut wrażliwego i nowatorskiego pisarza.
Dla Feng oznacza on zaaranżowane przez rodziców małżeństwo z bogatym biznesmenem. W zamkniętym światku państwa Sang - gdzie publicznie celebruje się tradycję, a w zaciszu domowym okrucieństwo - wypełnienie obowiązku jest równoznaczne z wydaniem na świat męskiego potomka, dziedzica i następcy rodu.
Żyjąc w złotej klatce, Feng czuje się coraz bardziej rozżalona i planuje wzięcie odwetu za zły los. Refleksja i opamiętanie przychodzą dopiero po latach. Tymczasem Chiny zalewa gwałtowna i bezlitosna fala rewolucji.
Porywające tło historyczne powieści oraz niezwykle wyrazisty, niemal intymny portret kobiety, która odważyła się wystąpić przeciwko tradycji, czynią z "Wszystkich kwiatów Szanghaju" ważny debiut wrażliwego i nowatorskiego pisarza.
272 pages, Paperback
First published December 20, 2011
110 people are currently reading
6506 people want to read
About the author
Duncan Jepson
4 books34 followersDuncan Jepson is the award-winning director, producer and writer of five feature films. He also produced documentaries for Discovery Channel Asia and National Geographic Channel. He was the editor of the Asia-based fashion magazine West East and a founder and managing editor of Asia Literary Review. He is a social commentator on Asia and regularly writes for The New York Times, Publishing Perspectives and South China Morning Post. A lawyer by profession, he lives in Hong Kong.
His first novel, All the Flowers in Shanghai was a bestseller. He also co-storied the graphic novel, Darkness outside the Night with Xie Peng and is currently writing a crime series due to be published by Quercus. The first title, Emperors Once More will be published in March 2014.
For details of charities that Duncan runs:
www.libertyasia.org
www.facebook.com/ProjectShare
Duncan Jepson is represented by Peony Literary Agency
His first novel, All the Flowers in Shanghai was a bestseller. He also co-storied the graphic novel, Darkness outside the Night with Xie Peng and is currently writing a crime series due to be published by Quercus. The first title, Emperors Once More will be published in March 2014.
For details of charities that Duncan runs:
www.libertyasia.org
www.facebook.com/ProjectShare
Duncan Jepson is represented by Peony Literary Agency
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 280 reviews
December 19, 2017
3.5 stars
As I was looking for a book to fill the “J” entry for my A to Z Challenge, I came across Duncan Jepson’s debut novel All the Flowers in Shanghai and in reading the summary, I decided to add this one to my list for this challenge. Perhaps it is due to my Chinese background and growing up surrounded by family stories about my culture and its rich history, but over the years, I’ve developed a certain fondness for historical fiction set in China and since this book fell into that category based on the summary, I went into it with pretty high expectations. While overall I would say that I enjoyed reading this book well enough, the overall story didn’t really grab me as much as I thought it would, for reasons that I will talk more about below.
Set in the 1930s in Shanghai, a naïve young Chinese girl named Xiao Feng is thrust into the world of the wealthy and powerful Sang family through a marriage arranged by her parents. This one action -- her parents’ selfish, stubborn adherence to age-old superstition and tradition – upends Feng’s life and eventually turns her into an extremely bitter, resentful woman who becomes obsessed with seeking revenge against not just the people who put her in that position but also the customs and traditions, her heritage, that drove those people to take the actions they did. Spanning several decades into the 1960s, this story chronicling Feng’s coming of age and survival in a world she views as largely foreign and cruel is set against the backdrop of one of the most turbulent time periods in China’s modern history.
Overall, I feel that this book was pretty well written. While the writing didn’t blow me away, it was definitely above average for a debut novel -- descriptive where it needed to be, but not overwhelming, with language appropriate to its time period (for the most part). I started reading this book without knowing anything about the author at first and have to admit that I was surprised at the author’s extensive knowledge of Chinese culture – much of what was described in terms of Chinese customs and traditions, cultural attitudes, philosophy, superstition, relationships, etc. was spot on and it made me wonder about his background. It wasn’t until I read the Author’s note at the end of the book that the familiarity with the culture made sense to me, as the author is Eurasian – his mother is Chinese and his father is British. This book, while written for his mother in a way (he explains in the author’s note), was not actually her story, though the inspiration for some of the themes in the story (i.e. mother/daughter relationships, concept of family, etc.) as well as certain elements pertaining to the cultural background were based on his mother’s life.
One of the things I found most interesting about this story is that the author chose to frame the narrative from the main character Xiao Feng’s first person point of view. Up until this point, I hadn’t read any books written this way (male author telling the story from the female character’s first person perspective), so for me this was a new experience. I will admit that there were certain points during the story where I actually forgot that this was written by a male, as Feng’s voice sounded so authentic at certain moments, but then later on there were parts where I totally could not understand why her character would act that way. Perhaps this is why I found it difficult to completely connect with the character of Feng, despite sympathizing with her plight (to a certain degree) and the way she was treated. Feng, while a believable character, was not likable, as her overwhelming bitterness toward the life forced upon her permeated the entire story and basically blinded her to everything going on around her. While I definitely understand why Feng turned out the way she did, it was hard for me to wrap my head around her rationale and the justification she tried to give for some of her actions, some of which were “mistakes” that she made knowingly and deliberately. I’m all for stories about women who rise up against social convention and survive against the odds, but with Feng, I felt like something was lacking that made me feel differently about her – perhaps it was the fact that the way she went about defying convention was so irrational, I wasn’t really convinced what type of person she wanted to be.
In terms of this book being marketed as historical fiction, I actually feel that it doesn’t completely fit the category. Majority of the book is about Feng isolated in the microcosm of her home (first her family home with her parents, grandfather, and sister and later in the Sang family mansion), completely oblivious to everything going on in the world outside. As I said above, the backdrop of the story was the time period between the 1930s and early 1960s – a time period in which, for those familiar with Chinese history, so many historical events occurred that it was nearly impossible to write a story set during this time / place without having those events impact the story’s characters in some way. With this book, it wasn’t until the last quarter of the story or so that the history piece actually came into play in a significant way. To me, the best works of historical fiction are able to achieve a good balance between incorporating (accurate) historical detail and telling a compelling, captivating story and doing so in a way that weaves both into each other seamlessly. This book didn’t deliver in that aspect (as historical fiction) but as a well-written coming of age story that explores cultural and societal conventions, relationships, family, love and betrayal, etc., this book definitely worked. I would still recommend this book, as it was a good read overall, it’s just that I prefer more depth from a historical perspective.
As I was looking for a book to fill the “J” entry for my A to Z Challenge, I came across Duncan Jepson’s debut novel All the Flowers in Shanghai and in reading the summary, I decided to add this one to my list for this challenge. Perhaps it is due to my Chinese background and growing up surrounded by family stories about my culture and its rich history, but over the years, I’ve developed a certain fondness for historical fiction set in China and since this book fell into that category based on the summary, I went into it with pretty high expectations. While overall I would say that I enjoyed reading this book well enough, the overall story didn’t really grab me as much as I thought it would, for reasons that I will talk more about below.
Set in the 1930s in Shanghai, a naïve young Chinese girl named Xiao Feng is thrust into the world of the wealthy and powerful Sang family through a marriage arranged by her parents. This one action -- her parents’ selfish, stubborn adherence to age-old superstition and tradition – upends Feng’s life and eventually turns her into an extremely bitter, resentful woman who becomes obsessed with seeking revenge against not just the people who put her in that position but also the customs and traditions, her heritage, that drove those people to take the actions they did. Spanning several decades into the 1960s, this story chronicling Feng’s coming of age and survival in a world she views as largely foreign and cruel is set against the backdrop of one of the most turbulent time periods in China’s modern history.
Overall, I feel that this book was pretty well written. While the writing didn’t blow me away, it was definitely above average for a debut novel -- descriptive where it needed to be, but not overwhelming, with language appropriate to its time period (for the most part). I started reading this book without knowing anything about the author at first and have to admit that I was surprised at the author’s extensive knowledge of Chinese culture – much of what was described in terms of Chinese customs and traditions, cultural attitudes, philosophy, superstition, relationships, etc. was spot on and it made me wonder about his background. It wasn’t until I read the Author’s note at the end of the book that the familiarity with the culture made sense to me, as the author is Eurasian – his mother is Chinese and his father is British. This book, while written for his mother in a way (he explains in the author’s note), was not actually her story, though the inspiration for some of the themes in the story (i.e. mother/daughter relationships, concept of family, etc.) as well as certain elements pertaining to the cultural background were based on his mother’s life.
One of the things I found most interesting about this story is that the author chose to frame the narrative from the main character Xiao Feng’s first person point of view. Up until this point, I hadn’t read any books written this way (male author telling the story from the female character’s first person perspective), so for me this was a new experience. I will admit that there were certain points during the story where I actually forgot that this was written by a male, as Feng’s voice sounded so authentic at certain moments, but then later on there were parts where I totally could not understand why her character would act that way. Perhaps this is why I found it difficult to completely connect with the character of Feng, despite sympathizing with her plight (to a certain degree) and the way she was treated. Feng, while a believable character, was not likable, as her overwhelming bitterness toward the life forced upon her permeated the entire story and basically blinded her to everything going on around her. While I definitely understand why Feng turned out the way she did, it was hard for me to wrap my head around her rationale and the justification she tried to give for some of her actions, some of which were “mistakes” that she made knowingly and deliberately. I’m all for stories about women who rise up against social convention and survive against the odds, but with Feng, I felt like something was lacking that made me feel differently about her – perhaps it was the fact that the way she went about defying convention was so irrational, I wasn’t really convinced what type of person she wanted to be.
In terms of this book being marketed as historical fiction, I actually feel that it doesn’t completely fit the category. Majority of the book is about Feng isolated in the microcosm of her home (first her family home with her parents, grandfather, and sister and later in the Sang family mansion), completely oblivious to everything going on in the world outside. As I said above, the backdrop of the story was the time period between the 1930s and early 1960s – a time period in which, for those familiar with Chinese history, so many historical events occurred that it was nearly impossible to write a story set during this time / place without having those events impact the story’s characters in some way. With this book, it wasn’t until the last quarter of the story or so that the history piece actually came into play in a significant way. To me, the best works of historical fiction are able to achieve a good balance between incorporating (accurate) historical detail and telling a compelling, captivating story and doing so in a way that weaves both into each other seamlessly. This book didn’t deliver in that aspect (as historical fiction) but as a well-written coming of age story that explores cultural and societal conventions, relationships, family, love and betrayal, etc., this book definitely worked. I would still recommend this book, as it was a good read overall, it’s just that I prefer more depth from a historical perspective.
October 8, 2014
As quoted by the Chinese Communist revolutionary leader and the founding father of the People's Republic of China, Mao Tse Tung, commonly called Chairman Mao,
"In class society, everyone lives as a member of a particular class, and every kind of thinking, without exception, is stamped with the brand of a class."
Well no wonder why the middle-class Chinese families in the 1930s were so keen on becoming the 'face' of the society or, rather say a class society, thus leading to animosity between the poor and rich and the rich used to treat the poor like the untouchables. The rich used to get scared whether if their children befriend someone so poor, that they might lose their 'face' in the society. It's so astounding to see that this type of narrow-mindedness existed in those people and thus giving birth to seed of the Chinese revolution. Not only that, it was shameful to give birth to daughters in the rich family and how they were given away to the poor farmers.
Well it was so fascinating to gather these kinds of knowledge and especially more captivating and alluring to read about a young girl's life journey during those hard times. A very notable author-cum-award-winning-director/producer-of-5-feature-films-cum-editor-cum-lawyer, Duncan Jepson has remarkably got into the skin of a young Chinese girl living in Shanghai, in his novel, All the Flowers in Shanghai, to narrate her journey from the beautiful gardens to the lavish cage of marriage to the dreadful village outside Shanghai. After reading this book, I learnt that by writing this novel, Duncan has certainly paid tribute to his loving mother as well as to his homeland and the people of his homeland. And as said by the American leader/politician/author, James E. Faust,
“There is no greater good in all the world than motherhood. The influence of a mother in the lives of her children is beyond calculation.”
And Duncan Jepson has justified these striking words in his novel so brilliantly. Motherhood is not some responsibility but it is a gift of life beyond any material or earthly possessions and how Feng, Duncan's novel's primary character realizes this and dons the hat of a mother so beautifully.
A 17year old girl named Xiao Feng, living under the wings of his grandfather, who is her only friend in her family. Since her parents were too focused on their elder daughter, so Feng used to get away with her grandfather into the beautiful gardens where they both used to tend to the beautiful flowers. But her sister's sudden death changes the course of Feng's life and simultaneously killing away all her dreams. She gets trapped into her marriage, soon becoming a mother for the first time, but since it was a shame to give birth to daughters, so Feng gives her daughter away to some poor farmers, and when she realizes her loss over her daughter, it was too late. Thus her life turns more painful and unbearable each passing day. Will she ever find her? Will she ever prove herself as a mother? Will she ever find a way to freedom from her cage? Read this book, to find it out and watch you getting bewildered by this exotic and forbidden tale.
It's so spectacular to see that a man can easily get into the skin of a vulnerable young woman and penning down her journey as well as bringing out the right emotions into her. Even after reading the whole book, I was still stupefied by the fact that how he described each and every emotion of Feng so accurately and how he traced her journey from a young virgin girl to a scared wife to a rich family to being a mother.
Well the characters are very extraordinary and remarkable. Feng, the protagonist, who was first portrayed as an immature (way too immature) young teenage girl, who love tending flowers in her garden and used to compare people and their characteristics with flowers, then becoming the wife to a rich family and finally becoming a mother and then failing at it. All through her journey, we find Feng as being immature vulnerable to scared to confident to determined and finally brave woman and also it was too surprising to see how after suffering from too much pain and torture, in the and she stands as a one true brave and confident lady.
Bi, a young lad who is a fisherman's son, and since his mother was a seamstress to Feng's sister, he used to visit the garden to catch fish. Eventually, Bi and Feng become more than just friends and being naive, they never understood their feelings toward each other. But their chemistry was quite inevitable and undeniable and very innocent.
Xiong Fa was the man Feng was married to, a very coward man, and living under the wings of his mother, who was the First wife to his father. But he was quite caring and loving and never intended to harm Feng. It was Feng who never understood his intentions and feelings. And in the end, Xiong Fa proves to be a good father.
Meng Lu, younger son of Feng, was quite intelligent and smart like his mother but he was born with a deformed leg, hence making him a victim of torments from his cousins. But it was amazing to see just like his mother, he too used to see good in people.
Sang Yu was Feng's daughter, whom she traded way with the poor peasants. Although Feng remain guilty all through her life because of her act, but she had a reason behind it. And I was amazed to see even after getting beaten up, thrown away from her, Yu forgives her mother in the end.
Finally Duncan's writing is something, so lyrical, so poetic and so beautiful that it mesmerizes you completely. You become hooked to the novel till its very end. You laugh, cry and smile along with Feng's journey. According to me the whole story was very painfully beautiful.
If you want to know about the Chinese customs, narrow-mindedness towards daughters and arranged marriages and how one revolution changed the course o Chinese history, then this book is a must read!
Duncan Jepson, I cannot thank you enough for giving me this honorable opportunity to read your novel.
P.S. Find yourself falling in love with the novel's cover and the beautiful texture of the pages!
"In class society, everyone lives as a member of a particular class, and every kind of thinking, without exception, is stamped with the brand of a class."
Well no wonder why the middle-class Chinese families in the 1930s were so keen on becoming the 'face' of the society or, rather say a class society, thus leading to animosity between the poor and rich and the rich used to treat the poor like the untouchables. The rich used to get scared whether if their children befriend someone so poor, that they might lose their 'face' in the society. It's so astounding to see that this type of narrow-mindedness existed in those people and thus giving birth to seed of the Chinese revolution. Not only that, it was shameful to give birth to daughters in the rich family and how they were given away to the poor farmers.
Well it was so fascinating to gather these kinds of knowledge and especially more captivating and alluring to read about a young girl's life journey during those hard times. A very notable author-cum-award-winning-director/producer-of-5-feature-films-cum-editor-cum-lawyer, Duncan Jepson has remarkably got into the skin of a young Chinese girl living in Shanghai, in his novel, All the Flowers in Shanghai, to narrate her journey from the beautiful gardens to the lavish cage of marriage to the dreadful village outside Shanghai. After reading this book, I learnt that by writing this novel, Duncan has certainly paid tribute to his loving mother as well as to his homeland and the people of his homeland. And as said by the American leader/politician/author, James E. Faust,
“There is no greater good in all the world than motherhood. The influence of a mother in the lives of her children is beyond calculation.”
And Duncan Jepson has justified these striking words in his novel so brilliantly. Motherhood is not some responsibility but it is a gift of life beyond any material or earthly possessions and how Feng, Duncan's novel's primary character realizes this and dons the hat of a mother so beautifully.
A 17year old girl named Xiao Feng, living under the wings of his grandfather, who is her only friend in her family. Since her parents were too focused on their elder daughter, so Feng used to get away with her grandfather into the beautiful gardens where they both used to tend to the beautiful flowers. But her sister's sudden death changes the course of Feng's life and simultaneously killing away all her dreams. She gets trapped into her marriage, soon becoming a mother for the first time, but since it was a shame to give birth to daughters, so Feng gives her daughter away to some poor farmers, and when she realizes her loss over her daughter, it was too late. Thus her life turns more painful and unbearable each passing day. Will she ever find her? Will she ever prove herself as a mother? Will she ever find a way to freedom from her cage? Read this book, to find it out and watch you getting bewildered by this exotic and forbidden tale.
It's so spectacular to see that a man can easily get into the skin of a vulnerable young woman and penning down her journey as well as bringing out the right emotions into her. Even after reading the whole book, I was still stupefied by the fact that how he described each and every emotion of Feng so accurately and how he traced her journey from a young virgin girl to a scared wife to a rich family to being a mother.
Well the characters are very extraordinary and remarkable. Feng, the protagonist, who was first portrayed as an immature (way too immature) young teenage girl, who love tending flowers in her garden and used to compare people and their characteristics with flowers, then becoming the wife to a rich family and finally becoming a mother and then failing at it. All through her journey, we find Feng as being immature vulnerable to scared to confident to determined and finally brave woman and also it was too surprising to see how after suffering from too much pain and torture, in the and she stands as a one true brave and confident lady.
Bi, a young lad who is a fisherman's son, and since his mother was a seamstress to Feng's sister, he used to visit the garden to catch fish. Eventually, Bi and Feng become more than just friends and being naive, they never understood their feelings toward each other. But their chemistry was quite inevitable and undeniable and very innocent.
Xiong Fa was the man Feng was married to, a very coward man, and living under the wings of his mother, who was the First wife to his father. But he was quite caring and loving and never intended to harm Feng. It was Feng who never understood his intentions and feelings. And in the end, Xiong Fa proves to be a good father.
Meng Lu, younger son of Feng, was quite intelligent and smart like his mother but he was born with a deformed leg, hence making him a victim of torments from his cousins. But it was amazing to see just like his mother, he too used to see good in people.
Sang Yu was Feng's daughter, whom she traded way with the poor peasants. Although Feng remain guilty all through her life because of her act, but she had a reason behind it. And I was amazed to see even after getting beaten up, thrown away from her, Yu forgives her mother in the end.
Finally Duncan's writing is something, so lyrical, so poetic and so beautiful that it mesmerizes you completely. You become hooked to the novel till its very end. You laugh, cry and smile along with Feng's journey. According to me the whole story was very painfully beautiful.
If you want to know about the Chinese customs, narrow-mindedness towards daughters and arranged marriages and how one revolution changed the course o Chinese history, then this book is a must read!
Duncan Jepson, I cannot thank you enough for giving me this honorable opportunity to read your novel.
P.S. Find yourself falling in love with the novel's cover and the beautiful texture of the pages!
January 7, 2012
This books shares the story of a very young, very naive girl in pre-revolution China, Feng. She is the second born and all of her mother's energy has been poured into her elder sister. Her mother longs to enter "society" and is using the marriage of her first daughter to try and achieve this goal. When the seamstress comes to make the wedding dress Feng meets his son and imagines herself in love with him as she shares time with him in the family gardens.
When her sister dies Feng is basically sold into the marriage her mother so much desired - to save face. Feng is totally unaware of the world around her except for the Latin names of all the flowers in the garden taught to her by her grandfather. He is against the marriage but he leaves rather than stand up to the force of his daughter in law.
Feng enters into her new family totally unprepared for living in such a rigid household. No one has told her anything about life. My first problem with the book was that a seventeen year old girl, even in this time period could be THIS clueless. Feng did not even know what marriage was let along sex. She didn't realize that she would be leaving her family. I found it hard to believe. She read more like a pre-teen than a seventeen year old.
After she enters the marriage and makes her "terrible revenge" she turns into a femme fatale with her husband. Where did this woman come from? A girl who knew nothing about sex now, with no further conversation or teaching from her husband is suddenly a tease extraordinaire? This change was a bit of a stretch for me.
The back and forth of this woman in her feelings of love and hate were like whiplash. I could totally understand why she would hate her situation but the ways she chose to deal with it were a bit extreme to say the least. It made the book less believable and that's a shame because the writing was so good. I found myself drawn into the time and place with the flow of the words. I felt the emotions when they rang true but so many situations just felt so wrong. Maybe it is cultural? I don't know - I have read many a book that has taken place in China in different time periods and have not felt like this. It was definitely worth reading but I won't read it again.
When her sister dies Feng is basically sold into the marriage her mother so much desired - to save face. Feng is totally unaware of the world around her except for the Latin names of all the flowers in the garden taught to her by her grandfather. He is against the marriage but he leaves rather than stand up to the force of his daughter in law.
Feng enters into her new family totally unprepared for living in such a rigid household. No one has told her anything about life. My first problem with the book was that a seventeen year old girl, even in this time period could be THIS clueless. Feng did not even know what marriage was let along sex. She didn't realize that she would be leaving her family. I found it hard to believe. She read more like a pre-teen than a seventeen year old.
After she enters the marriage and makes her "terrible revenge" she turns into a femme fatale with her husband. Where did this woman come from? A girl who knew nothing about sex now, with no further conversation or teaching from her husband is suddenly a tease extraordinaire? This change was a bit of a stretch for me.
The back and forth of this woman in her feelings of love and hate were like whiplash. I could totally understand why she would hate her situation but the ways she chose to deal with it were a bit extreme to say the least. It made the book less believable and that's a shame because the writing was so good. I found myself drawn into the time and place with the flow of the words. I felt the emotions when they rang true but so many situations just felt so wrong. Maybe it is cultural? I don't know - I have read many a book that has taken place in China in different time periods and have not felt like this. It was definitely worth reading but I won't read it again.
January 16, 2012
While I've never really had all that much interest in China (I've always been more of a Japan girl), I have this weird fascination with books about China. I LOVE reading about Chinese history and Red China and Mao Tse Tung and foot binding and, well, if it involves Chinese history in any way, I want to, have to read it! So I of course jumped at the opportunity to review Duncan Jesper's first novel, All the Flowers in Shanghai.
And mostly, I wasn't disappointed. This story, written in letter format, is the tragic tale of a Chinese woman, Xiao Feng, whose life, via some pretty unexpected circumstances, takes a turn for the worse and doesn't go according to plan. At all. It's about the choices, both bad and good, that she makes throughout her life, and how they affect her. It's about how the communist regime swept in and affected the priveleged before they could even notice a change, and thus the story of how communism changes Xiao Feng and causes her to look back on her choices.
This book takes a close look at all of the good, the bad, and the ugly that was China in between the times of foot binding and communism. It's a passionate story of hate and learning what love is, the love between a mother and daughter, between a mother and son. But it's also a tragic story of things lost forever due to bad choices and heart-wrenching sacrifices. It is beautifully written and will warm your heart while at the same time making it feel somewhat icy cold.
The thing I liked most about this book was that, from the beginning to the end, it took me places that I wasn't expecting to go. And it's to the point story-telling allowed me to catch a real glimpse of what life must have been like for elite women in China, whose sole purpose, it seems, was to have an heir. The prose was simple, but the imagery of lifestyle was vivid, and nothing was spared.
What I didn't like so much was the lack of vividity in the descriptions. In a sense, it was fitting. The story was written in the form of a letter, and what Xiao Feng was seeing was, without a doubt, dulled by her life experiences. However, she was also surrounded by so much beauty, and I felt like Jepson's descriptive pose didn't really give that beauty the justice that it deserved. I would have liked to see a little bit more intricacy of description.
Also, because it was written as a letter, we only got the point of view of Xiao Feng. Sometimes, this work, but I feel like, in this case, the letter format occasionally led to some awkward phrasings and unnecessary side-notes that came out of nowhere and didn't really fit. I also felt like All the Flowers in Shanghai could have really benefited from multiple perspectives. As opposed to taking away from or changing Xiao Feng's story, I felt like it would have really added some heavy emotion to understand what the people around her were thinking.
All in all, a wonderful read that I definitely recommend. You won't be disappointed by this touching story of Xiao Feng, a woman trying to reconcile her past and move forward despite the bad choices that she made in the past.
And mostly, I wasn't disappointed. This story, written in letter format, is the tragic tale of a Chinese woman, Xiao Feng, whose life, via some pretty unexpected circumstances, takes a turn for the worse and doesn't go according to plan. At all. It's about the choices, both bad and good, that she makes throughout her life, and how they affect her. It's about how the communist regime swept in and affected the priveleged before they could even notice a change, and thus the story of how communism changes Xiao Feng and causes her to look back on her choices.
This book takes a close look at all of the good, the bad, and the ugly that was China in between the times of foot binding and communism. It's a passionate story of hate and learning what love is, the love between a mother and daughter, between a mother and son. But it's also a tragic story of things lost forever due to bad choices and heart-wrenching sacrifices. It is beautifully written and will warm your heart while at the same time making it feel somewhat icy cold.
The thing I liked most about this book was that, from the beginning to the end, it took me places that I wasn't expecting to go. And it's to the point story-telling allowed me to catch a real glimpse of what life must have been like for elite women in China, whose sole purpose, it seems, was to have an heir. The prose was simple, but the imagery of lifestyle was vivid, and nothing was spared.
What I didn't like so much was the lack of vividity in the descriptions. In a sense, it was fitting. The story was written in the form of a letter, and what Xiao Feng was seeing was, without a doubt, dulled by her life experiences. However, she was also surrounded by so much beauty, and I felt like Jepson's descriptive pose didn't really give that beauty the justice that it deserved. I would have liked to see a little bit more intricacy of description.
Also, because it was written as a letter, we only got the point of view of Xiao Feng. Sometimes, this work, but I feel like, in this case, the letter format occasionally led to some awkward phrasings and unnecessary side-notes that came out of nowhere and didn't really fit. I also felt like All the Flowers in Shanghai could have really benefited from multiple perspectives. As opposed to taking away from or changing Xiao Feng's story, I felt like it would have really added some heavy emotion to understand what the people around her were thinking.
All in all, a wonderful read that I definitely recommend. You won't be disappointed by this touching story of Xiao Feng, a woman trying to reconcile her past and move forward despite the bad choices that she made in the past.
March 28, 2019
I always been fascinated by life in China in the 1930's per-war (and war period), this book is pre-war, and gives details of real life in China for many families of that time, I loved this book, as in real life there is a story theme, about getting married to better their position, there is the touching reality of illness, all embedded together in a story line that really works. My interest of China 1900-1940 period started many years ago with a movie called the Painted Veil, and since then I have always enjoyed reading novels based in China within this period, and this book does not disappoint, I am very impressed with this book, excellent writing style, skills, for me their is something magical about China in the 1900-1940 period, and this book delivers all I wanted it to. Good book. No editorial errors that I could find.
September 27, 2014
Duncan Jepson's beautiful, debut novel is a marvelous journey, set in pre-war, 1930s Shanghai to the cultural revolution of the 1960s, seen through the eyes of Xiao Feng. The seventeen year old Feng lives a carefree life, spending her time in the back alleys with the "untouchables" and the garden with her grandfather, learning the Latin names of flowers.
Feng's glamorous, older sister has been matched to marry the son of a wealthy Shanghai businessman. However, her plans are thwarted when she becomes ill with cancer. Feng's mother is undeterred. She decides Feng will marry the piggish son to save "face" and gain entrance into priviledged, upper class world of the Sang family, regardless of Feng's opposition to the union and unforeseeable sad consequences.
Thus begins the Feng's transition from an innocent, simple girl to a cruel, calculating First-Wife of the Sang family dynasty. Jepson formidable prose reveals strong themes of motherhood, rigid class structures, and a significant historical time in China that wrought change at a price of tremendous suffering.
Jepson's book is rated 3.56 stars on Goodreads. The novel is much better than the rating. I look forward to more of Jepson's elegant prose.
Feng's glamorous, older sister has been matched to marry the son of a wealthy Shanghai businessman. However, her plans are thwarted when she becomes ill with cancer. Feng's mother is undeterred. She decides Feng will marry the piggish son to save "face" and gain entrance into priviledged, upper class world of the Sang family, regardless of Feng's opposition to the union and unforeseeable sad consequences.
Thus begins the Feng's transition from an innocent, simple girl to a cruel, calculating First-Wife of the Sang family dynasty. Jepson formidable prose reveals strong themes of motherhood, rigid class structures, and a significant historical time in China that wrought change at a price of tremendous suffering.
Jepson's book is rated 3.56 stars on Goodreads. The novel is much better than the rating. I look forward to more of Jepson's elegant prose.
January 5, 2012
Despite having finished All the Flowers in Shanghai several weeks ago, I have been finding it difficult to write a review, mostly because I wasn’t quite sure how I felt about the book.
I requested this book fully aware that the premise was not a completely new one. Also, while I have read many books set in China, especially dealing with the nature of relationships and the particular conditions experienced by women in that culture, I enjoy the genre and look forward to new stories along the same line. I was hoping, therefore, for a new perspective from Duncan Jepson, possibly replete with the kind of historical detail I particularly love.
The main character, Xiao Feng, grows up in a household which includes her parents, sister and grandfather. The men are weak and ineffectual, both of them unable to place any constraint on the behavior of Feng’s mother and sister. Feng spends all of her time in the shadow of her more beautiful sister. Their mother places all her hopes of entering ‘society’ on Sister marrying into one of the most powerful and influential families in Shanghai. When this duty is forced on naïve Feng instead, she blames her parents, especially her mother, for the situation in which she finds herself. She becomes very bitter and her behavior leads her to an action which she comes to regret.
One of the biggest difficulties I had with the book was the fact that Feng’s life was so isolated, first by her naivety and then by her absorption into her husband’s household. It meant the history of the time didn’t really come through in the story, because the narrator was woefully unaware of much of it until the end of the book, and even then it was still marginal.
Feng herself is not a very sympathetic character, but at the same time, did understand the author’s intention to show that the situation she was forced into caused her to react the way she did. As much as I didn’t particularly like her, I have to admit that a sense of her character has stuck with me.
I did enjoy the descriptions of the flowers and the use of that theme in the story. It added an element of beauty that threw the character’s personalities and experiences into stark relief. I can’t say I really enjoyed the book, and it is not likely I would ever re-read it … still, for some reason, I can’t completely dismiss it.
I requested this book fully aware that the premise was not a completely new one. Also, while I have read many books set in China, especially dealing with the nature of relationships and the particular conditions experienced by women in that culture, I enjoy the genre and look forward to new stories along the same line. I was hoping, therefore, for a new perspective from Duncan Jepson, possibly replete with the kind of historical detail I particularly love.
The main character, Xiao Feng, grows up in a household which includes her parents, sister and grandfather. The men are weak and ineffectual, both of them unable to place any constraint on the behavior of Feng’s mother and sister. Feng spends all of her time in the shadow of her more beautiful sister. Their mother places all her hopes of entering ‘society’ on Sister marrying into one of the most powerful and influential families in Shanghai. When this duty is forced on naïve Feng instead, she blames her parents, especially her mother, for the situation in which she finds herself. She becomes very bitter and her behavior leads her to an action which she comes to regret.
One of the biggest difficulties I had with the book was the fact that Feng’s life was so isolated, first by her naivety and then by her absorption into her husband’s household. It meant the history of the time didn’t really come through in the story, because the narrator was woefully unaware of much of it until the end of the book, and even then it was still marginal.
Feng herself is not a very sympathetic character, but at the same time, did understand the author’s intention to show that the situation she was forced into caused her to react the way she did. As much as I didn’t particularly like her, I have to admit that a sense of her character has stuck with me.
I did enjoy the descriptions of the flowers and the use of that theme in the story. It added an element of beauty that threw the character’s personalities and experiences into stark relief. I can’t say I really enjoyed the book, and it is not likely I would ever re-read it … still, for some reason, I can’t completely dismiss it.
May 29, 2012
Much seemed to have been made about this book being written by a man. Jepson did a good job in telling this story, but I have read other books about women by male authors who have done better. One Thousand Splendid Suns comes quickly to mind. The woman in the story slipped back and forth between memories, the present and her dreams and it was at times difficult to tell which was which. I enjoyed the story of a young Chinese girl who was married off into a wealthy family. I was glad to see her find herself and make a place for herself with the family and friends. At the same time, she seemed to be a very selfish young woman and it was not until too late that she truly understood the consequences of her actions. I do not agree with what she did and have a hard time understanding her actions, I did find them believable. I'm sure her culture and upbringing had a huge impact on all she did. I found myself wondering frequently through this book if all the problems couldn't have been avoided by open and honest conversations. My favorite line from this book was spoken by the mistress "Xiao Feng" of her maid "Yan." "At that moment, I should have listened to Yan's silence." (Page 111).
July 22, 2012
Unfortunately I still am attracted to books with fancy covers. This was an interesting perspective of a woman living through an arranged marriage, before and after the major political changes in China before and after the cultural revolution.
The book is quite wordy, and not neccessarily wordy in the right places. It is actually written as a memoir to the main character's daughter. It appears to be a look into the life of a young woman forced into a lavish, but cold hearted rich family. And she somehow makes one of the worst decisions I have ever read about in literature such as this, to which I cannot seem to justify no matter how much I think about it. It also feels as though there was more material dedicated to describing mundane things such as wedding ceremonies, sexual relationships, dining, and fashion. There really wasnt much there in terms of interpersonal relationships between major characters.
Would have been nice to learn more about the political challenges and actual historical events taking place during the period and setting of the novel. I really do not sympethize with the main character.
The book is quite wordy, and not neccessarily wordy in the right places. It is actually written as a memoir to the main character's daughter. It appears to be a look into the life of a young woman forced into a lavish, but cold hearted rich family. And she somehow makes one of the worst decisions I have ever read about in literature such as this, to which I cannot seem to justify no matter how much I think about it. It also feels as though there was more material dedicated to describing mundane things such as wedding ceremonies, sexual relationships, dining, and fashion. There really wasnt much there in terms of interpersonal relationships between major characters.
Would have been nice to learn more about the political challenges and actual historical events taking place during the period and setting of the novel. I really do not sympethize with the main character.
October 21, 2011
This first novel by Jepson gets off to a good start: Feng, a teenage girl in 1930s Shanghai, has been ignored by her parents all her life. Her mother has put all her attention and money into the older daughter, grooming her to marry into one of Shanghai’s top families. As the second daughter, Feng exists to never marry and to take care of her parent’s in their old age. Her grandfather, though, loves her and teaches her the Latin names of the plants in a public garden in Shanghai. Here she meets Bi, a poor young man whose mother is a seamstress. Their budding relationship is severed when Feng, through a quirk of fate, finds herself propelled into an arranged marriage with a member of Shanghai’s richest family. Thrust into a world she knows nothing about, Feng is utterly lost. She doesn’t know her new husband, she doesn’t know how to behave in this environment, and she doesn’t know anything about sex. She is changed radically by this turn of events; at the same time, China itself is undergoing radical change as the Japanese occupation ends and the Maoist revolution begins.
This is a set up for an incredible story of a person’s and a country’s growing pains. But that is not what we get; Feng simply turns into a raging bitch, completely centered on herself. She takes on all the worst attributes of the Chinese upper class of that time and place. How the country is changing around her affects her hardly at all until the end; even then she has it much, much easier than many did at the time.
It’s sad. I liked the author’s writing style; I hope he writes more because I feel he has great potential. The picture he paints of Shanghai in that era is marvelously written. But the characters are not well done. Feng evokes great sympathy at first and none at all later. Feng’s personality swings too far from one end of the spectrum to the other to be truly believable. I actually had more empathy with her husband, because, flawed and weak as he was, he at least was trying to change and grow.
This is a set up for an incredible story of a person’s and a country’s growing pains. But that is not what we get; Feng simply turns into a raging bitch, completely centered on herself. She takes on all the worst attributes of the Chinese upper class of that time and place. How the country is changing around her affects her hardly at all until the end; even then she has it much, much easier than many did at the time.
It’s sad. I liked the author’s writing style; I hope he writes more because I feel he has great potential. The picture he paints of Shanghai in that era is marvelously written. But the characters are not well done. Feng evokes great sympathy at first and none at all later. Feng’s personality swings too far from one end of the spectrum to the other to be truly believable. I actually had more empathy with her husband, because, flawed and weak as he was, he at least was trying to change and grow.
July 31, 2011
Thanks to Book of the Month Club for sending me this. This first novel by Duncan Jepson is outstanding! It is written as a letter to an abandoned daughter and is heartbreaking, but tells the story of China in the early twentieth century with such wonderful detail that I fell in love with it. It is rare that I scream at the end of a book, but I did this one. It just seemed impossible that I could leave these characters behind without knowing their future. But that is what Mr. Jepson does and with great skill.
Xiao Feng is a young girl in Shanghai who, when her older sister dies unexpectedly, is thrust into an arranged marriage completely unprepared for any of it. She is a shy girl who spent most of her childhood with her beloved grandfather and the servants. All her mother's hopes for family advancement were pinned on her elder sister, so she was generally left alone to discover the beauties of the world, including all the flowers in Shanghai. When she is forced into the prominent Sang family she builds up such resentment that she cannot even see that her husband is caught as much as she is. Mr. Jepson doesn't take the easy way out by making him an ogre. He is a confused young man who is being pushed by his family to produce an heir and has as little knowledge as Xiao Feng. This could have been a wonderful love story, but the book would have lacked all the power it has if he had taken that route.
When Xiao Feng has her first child, a daughter, she refuses to even look at her and makes her servant take the child and give it away, telling the family it died at birth. From then on, Feng closes her heart and the consequences of that are the gist of the story. I will not tell more as I don't want to enact the spoiler alert, but take it from me - this is a must-read. It will take you in unexpected directions with every page.
Xiao Feng is a young girl in Shanghai who, when her older sister dies unexpectedly, is thrust into an arranged marriage completely unprepared for any of it. She is a shy girl who spent most of her childhood with her beloved grandfather and the servants. All her mother's hopes for family advancement were pinned on her elder sister, so she was generally left alone to discover the beauties of the world, including all the flowers in Shanghai. When she is forced into the prominent Sang family she builds up such resentment that she cannot even see that her husband is caught as much as she is. Mr. Jepson doesn't take the easy way out by making him an ogre. He is a confused young man who is being pushed by his family to produce an heir and has as little knowledge as Xiao Feng. This could have been a wonderful love story, but the book would have lacked all the power it has if he had taken that route.
When Xiao Feng has her first child, a daughter, she refuses to even look at her and makes her servant take the child and give it away, telling the family it died at birth. From then on, Feng closes her heart and the consequences of that are the gist of the story. I will not tell more as I don't want to enact the spoiler alert, but take it from me - this is a must-read. It will take you in unexpected directions with every page.
September 9, 2013
The beginning was promising but then everything took a nosedive. Among other things, it turned out that the main character, who is portrayed as a child in the beginning, is actually 16 or 17. The rest of the narrative is a bit overly dramatic. The main character is impulsive and not particularly believable. Among other things, the book is set in the early twentieth century when China still had a feudal system. The main character comes across as fairly modern in her thinking and expectations, but the reality is that few if any girls raised during that period would have thought that way. The main character's decisions make it clear that she's not a particularly deep thinker, and I had a hard time reconciling her modern ideas with the historical setting. The way she treats her family is also very modern and, I would argue, very Western in its thinking.
The other issue I struggled with was that everything was so extreme--much in the way that in action movies all cars explode after being hit in an accident. One of the characters hits another and it results in a deep scar that disfigures her face. In other scene, a character falls on the floor while dancing and pregnant and it's enough to leave a deep bruise on her side. (Really? I could see a deep bruise if she fell against a table, but on the floor? How is that even possible?) One couldn't hit, be hit, or fall without incurring grievous injuries in the process in this book. Add to that the weird and unbelievable sexual relationship the main character has with her husband and it was just too much. The first part of that strained the imagination, but the second part, after the birth of her first child, was just too unbelievable.
The other issue I struggled with was that everything was so extreme--much in the way that in action movies all cars explode after being hit in an accident. One of the characters hits another and it results in a deep scar that disfigures her face. In other scene, a character falls on the floor while dancing and pregnant and it's enough to leave a deep bruise on her side. (Really? I could see a deep bruise if she fell against a table, but on the floor? How is that even possible?) One couldn't hit, be hit, or fall without incurring grievous injuries in the process in this book. Add to that the weird and unbelievable sexual relationship the main character has with her husband and it was just too much. The first part of that strained the imagination, but the second part, after the birth of her first child, was just too unbelievable.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 21, 2011
I rated this book 2+
This is a novel of cultural mores and betrayals. Up until she is seventeen, Feng has been taught her obligation in life is to care for her aging parents. Without any considerations of her desires or preparation, Feng is thrust into the haughty suffocating world of upper class Shanghai in the 1930s. Feeling betrayed by those she thought loved her and hoping to avoid a life of humiliation, Feng puts in place, a plan of revenge, and this is the story the readers will follow.
Despite the slow, slightly confusing, beginning, the author paints a compassionate portrait of Feng that readers will cheer for her as she conquers one trial after another, even when she acts irrationally. This deep characterization is strength of the book and will appeal to readers of women’s fiction.
I was disappointed at the lack of historical detail provided in the storyline, especially since Shanghai was a volatile place in the 1930s and 1940s. When historical detail was provided towards the end of the book, it was to help transition Feng into an act that was out-of-character, and thus unbelievable and upsetting the flow of the story. Overall the story was a little too unpredictable to me, and I left like I was watching a Lifetime movie. However, it is an easy book to read so will help past a rainy afternoon.
This is a novel of cultural mores and betrayals. Up until she is seventeen, Feng has been taught her obligation in life is to care for her aging parents. Without any considerations of her desires or preparation, Feng is thrust into the haughty suffocating world of upper class Shanghai in the 1930s. Feeling betrayed by those she thought loved her and hoping to avoid a life of humiliation, Feng puts in place, a plan of revenge, and this is the story the readers will follow.
Despite the slow, slightly confusing, beginning, the author paints a compassionate portrait of Feng that readers will cheer for her as she conquers one trial after another, even when she acts irrationally. This deep characterization is strength of the book and will appeal to readers of women’s fiction.
I was disappointed at the lack of historical detail provided in the storyline, especially since Shanghai was a volatile place in the 1930s and 1940s. When historical detail was provided towards the end of the book, it was to help transition Feng into an act that was out-of-character, and thus unbelievable and upsetting the flow of the story. Overall the story was a little too unpredictable to me, and I left like I was watching a Lifetime movie. However, it is an easy book to read so will help past a rainy afternoon.
March 29, 2012
My mother, who needs to update her goodreads books, said that this book is disappointing. I agree.
Here's why-
1. Mom and I have read 80 billion books about China and Chinese history. I'm guessing that we are very familiar with these types of stories and are a bit picky. We want to learn something new. We are hard core readers of the genre and we expect more. People who are not familiar with Chinese culture or history might enjoy this book more.
2. The author doesn't really focus on the Communist period. All of a sudden, it appears and the main character's life is affected. Perhaps I was reading too quickly, but I didn't notice a lot of build up. It just hit all at once. Perhaps that is what really happened. There's a definite lack of historical detail.
3. The main character isn't entirely likeable. Sometimes that doesn't matter, but I kept on feeling that she was a bit selfish and a bit of a bitch. She does something wrong and doesn't try to right it until years later. Perhaps this was a choice to show how she was affected by her culture or by the things that had happened to her, but it was difficult to be sympathetic to her.
Interestingly, the author is a Eurasian man. Usually these types of stories are written by Chinese women.
Here's why-
1. Mom and I have read 80 billion books about China and Chinese history. I'm guessing that we are very familiar with these types of stories and are a bit picky. We want to learn something new. We are hard core readers of the genre and we expect more. People who are not familiar with Chinese culture or history might enjoy this book more.
2. The author doesn't really focus on the Communist period. All of a sudden, it appears and the main character's life is affected. Perhaps I was reading too quickly, but I didn't notice a lot of build up. It just hit all at once. Perhaps that is what really happened. There's a definite lack of historical detail.
3. The main character isn't entirely likeable. Sometimes that doesn't matter, but I kept on feeling that she was a bit selfish and a bit of a bitch. She does something wrong and doesn't try to right it until years later. Perhaps this was a choice to show how she was affected by her culture or by the things that had happened to her, but it was difficult to be sympathetic to her.
Interestingly, the author is a Eurasian man. Usually these types of stories are written by Chinese women.
January 2, 2012
Wow. I am still thinking about this book. So, that is an obvious indicator that it was a great book with incredible writing.
WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW!!!!!
But reader beware. There are NO likable characters in this book. I also find it hard to believe that THAT many horrible things happened to one person in the space of 4 years or less. Many horrible things, yes. But not ONE postive, wonderful thng??? really? She began the book as such a wonderful, sweet,loving person. It's hard for me to believe that she would become so evil in less than a 1.5 years. Yes, horrible things happened to her, but still...... (perhaps I am naive). And the last 20% of the book is also hard to believe. Really? She turned her back on her son, & her privileged, wealthy lifestyle that she sacrificed everything for & she fought & clawed her way to the top of to live in squalor with the mother of a boy she new 35 years previous???? I DO understand her need to go to the town & find the boy she once loved, but once she realized he was dead, why would she stay?
Excellent writing. Holes in the unbelievable story....
WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW!!!!!
But reader beware. There are NO likable characters in this book. I also find it hard to believe that THAT many horrible things happened to one person in the space of 4 years or less. Many horrible things, yes. But not ONE postive, wonderful thng??? really? She began the book as such a wonderful, sweet,loving person. It's hard for me to believe that she would become so evil in less than a 1.5 years. Yes, horrible things happened to her, but still...... (perhaps I am naive). And the last 20% of the book is also hard to believe. Really? She turned her back on her son, & her privileged, wealthy lifestyle that she sacrificed everything for & she fought & clawed her way to the top of to live in squalor with the mother of a boy she new 35 years previous???? I DO understand her need to go to the town & find the boy she once loved, but once she realized he was dead, why would she stay?
Excellent writing. Holes in the unbelievable story....
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 5, 2011
This book makes me miss my Borders...I would have had tons of customers who I would have recommended this book for summer vacation reading. Rather easy and quick, but I still enjoyed the character development. Well done...and the author got a women's voice in very clever ways.
May 28, 2023
From a deceptively charming cover to a plot that unravels like a loose skein of yarn, "All the Flowers in Shanghai" stands out as an ambitious debut novel. At first glance, the storyline is a par-for-the-course example of this genre; a young woman finds herself married into a rich household and faces the trials and tribulations of navigating high society during from her formative years and through the beginning of the communist revolution in China.
The storyline itself is told through the viewpoint of Feng, beginning at her innocent youth and ending when she becomes a middle-aged woman. While a little flat at times, her character development is dark and is fueled by a petty hatred for those around her. She makes hasty decisions that she ultimately regrets, but these decisions are loosely told and her motivations are weak. Perhaps she's just hard to relate to.
For me, the story carves out a little spot right in the comfortable nook of my preferred genre, so it was quite an easy read. While there are other books out there that might be a little bit more engaging or thought-provoking, this was a pleasant and quick read after a short break away from the printed word.
The storyline itself is told through the viewpoint of Feng, beginning at her innocent youth and ending when she becomes a middle-aged woman. While a little flat at times, her character development is dark and is fueled by a petty hatred for those around her. She makes hasty decisions that she ultimately regrets, but these decisions are loosely told and her motivations are weak. Perhaps she's just hard to relate to.
For me, the story carves out a little spot right in the comfortable nook of my preferred genre, so it was quite an easy read. While there are other books out there that might be a little bit more engaging or thought-provoking, this was a pleasant and quick read after a short break away from the printed word.
March 13, 2018
2 1/2 stars. I hoped for more out of this book. I always seem to have trouble with a male author who writes from a female point of view.
January 2, 2018
Moving story. Story of sacrifice, of love. Of loss. I enjoyed it.
November 30, 2023
If I wanted, I could rip this book the shreds for plot hole issues and writing issues and flow issues. But I’m not because honestly it was like a lifetime movie to me. The plot kept me going even if the writing was subpar at times. And the end was kind shocking. I got a degree in Asian and Pacific history so it wasn’t shocking but it was shocking that the author went there. I’m glad he went there because that is their history. The book was a nice break from what I have been reading. And the title is aptly named. Maybe recommend.
April 30, 2024
This started strong. The characters were vibrant, each standing apart, not blurring into one another. There was much enjoyable detail, and the settings were described in a very lifelike way. But about 3/4 of the way through I began to wonder where exactly the story was going, and when it ended, I was left with the impression that the author had either run out of ideas, and decided to end it, or simply grew tired of writing and wanted to be done with it. So many stories are just suddenly simplified or gone completely. I don't regret reading it, though.
August 25, 2016
As a big fan of many of Lisa See's books (Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, Shanghai Girls, Dreams of Joy, Peony in Love, etc.) as well as a few other historical fiction novels set in China, I had high expectations of All the Flowers in Shanghai. I ultimately was disappointed and had to force my way through to the end. The end was a bit more interesting with the details of Communist China coming into its own, so that did redeem the middle, but overall, too little, too late.
One of my problems with the book was that Feng, the main character, was not likeable, nor were her actions and idea of inflicting revenge justifiable or understandable. I came to see her as extremely bitter, angry, selfish, and childish. There were times she seemed so blind to the kind and sweet man her husband really was. If she had not been so self-absorbed, she may have come to realize he was a good person and perhaps come to love him. This in turn could have led her to have a happier, more fulfilling life. I suppose you could say this book sends a message about the consequences of living a hate-filled life.
It's hard to read and enjoy a book when you don't like the main character and are unable to relate to them. In the other Chinese historical fiction books I've read, they've dealt with cultural themes, traditions, attitudes, and customs that seem harsh and cruel to a modern American reader. However, it was easier to be sympathetic and understanding of those characters and their actions, attitudes, and behaviors because there was sufficient historical background details sprinkled throughout those narratives. Thus, you could see how the characters were acting in a typical manner for their time. Even knowing that some of the actions by Feng, and many of the actions by her parents and in-laws are products of that culture, it still rang as a bit off to me. Feng's actions were cruel and the reasoning she employed to justify her actions seemed thin, even taking the culture into account. In particular, when considering her demeanor in the beginning of the book, these actions seem to have been done by a completely different person. Her morphing into this cruel, calculating, manipulative person does not come off as believable.
Another problem was the writing for me. Sometimes it was quite nice and eloquent. At other moments, too crude and repetitive. I disliked the bedroom scenes especially. In those moments, it seemed obvious this was written by a man instead of a woman. They were too graphic and specific for my tastes. I also thought Feng's attitudes and behaviors in these scenes were ridiculous from her initial naivete to becoming a femme fatale in a short span of time.
I didn't get a good feeling or sense of the historical setting from this book. I found myself relying on my memories of how See describes Shanghai in her novels. It seems a book should have more historical setting, details, and events in the plot or background to be truly considered a work of historical fiction.
I wanted to like this book, but there were too many problems in the character development, the lack of good historical details, and the story in general for me to think this is worth recommending to anyone.
One of my problems with the book was that Feng, the main character, was not likeable, nor were her actions and idea of inflicting revenge justifiable or understandable. I came to see her as extremely bitter, angry, selfish, and childish. There were times she seemed so blind to the kind and sweet man her husband really was. If she had not been so self-absorbed, she may have come to realize he was a good person and perhaps come to love him. This in turn could have led her to have a happier, more fulfilling life. I suppose you could say this book sends a message about the consequences of living a hate-filled life.
It's hard to read and enjoy a book when you don't like the main character and are unable to relate to them. In the other Chinese historical fiction books I've read, they've dealt with cultural themes, traditions, attitudes, and customs that seem harsh and cruel to a modern American reader. However, it was easier to be sympathetic and understanding of those characters and their actions, attitudes, and behaviors because there was sufficient historical background details sprinkled throughout those narratives. Thus, you could see how the characters were acting in a typical manner for their time. Even knowing that some of the actions by Feng, and many of the actions by her parents and in-laws are products of that culture, it still rang as a bit off to me. Feng's actions were cruel and the reasoning she employed to justify her actions seemed thin, even taking the culture into account. In particular, when considering her demeanor in the beginning of the book, these actions seem to have been done by a completely different person. Her morphing into this cruel, calculating, manipulative person does not come off as believable.
Another problem was the writing for me. Sometimes it was quite nice and eloquent. At other moments, too crude and repetitive. I disliked the bedroom scenes especially. In those moments, it seemed obvious this was written by a man instead of a woman. They were too graphic and specific for my tastes. I also thought Feng's attitudes and behaviors in these scenes were ridiculous from her initial naivete to becoming a femme fatale in a short span of time.
I didn't get a good feeling or sense of the historical setting from this book. I found myself relying on my memories of how See describes Shanghai in her novels. It seems a book should have more historical setting, details, and events in the plot or background to be truly considered a work of historical fiction.
I wanted to like this book, but there were too many problems in the character development, the lack of good historical details, and the story in general for me to think this is worth recommending to anyone.
July 3, 2020
Wow. 4.5 stars. This book was not what I was expecting, and in a good way. Usually when I read a book set in China between 1920-1950, the Japanese Occupation, WWII, and the Communist revolution are usually the main characters of the story. But not this one. For this story, Mr. Jepson has truly captured one woman’s story as she battles her demons alone, as she fights for survival and for what she feels she deserves.
All the Flowers of Shanghai is the story of Sang Feng told in her own words. Born a second daughter to a middle class family with no sons, she is raised to take care of her parents in their old age. Her older sister, however, is raised to raise the families status by marrying into a wealthy family, so she is spoiled with all the best clothes, and jewels, and lessons. However this doesn’t bother Xiao Feng, who is content to spend her days with her Grandfather in the gardens of Shanghai learning the Latin names of all the flowers. But when her life is turned upside down, Xiao Feng is suddenly thrown into the role her sister was supposed to fill. She is sent to her new family without any preparation whatsoever. In fact, Xiao Feng’s mother never really bothered with her, falling into the old curse of daughters being curses, she perpetuated that onto her youngest daughter. Alone and afraid in a world she had never glimpsed before, Feng must now learn how to survive, and in doing so she suppresses all her humanity.
This is a beautiful story about women and how we treat our own, especially our daughters and mothers. The author used his mother’s stories as background for this novel. If a book had author’s notes, read them. They give you an understanding of what the author was trying to convey or why they did what they did.
A beautiful story that crosses cultural lines. China is merely the setting of the story, I don’t feel like you have to have a deep knowledge of the culture or history to better the story.
All the Flowers of Shanghai is the story of Sang Feng told in her own words. Born a second daughter to a middle class family with no sons, she is raised to take care of her parents in their old age. Her older sister, however, is raised to raise the families status by marrying into a wealthy family, so she is spoiled with all the best clothes, and jewels, and lessons. However this doesn’t bother Xiao Feng, who is content to spend her days with her Grandfather in the gardens of Shanghai learning the Latin names of all the flowers. But when her life is turned upside down, Xiao Feng is suddenly thrown into the role her sister was supposed to fill. She is sent to her new family without any preparation whatsoever. In fact, Xiao Feng’s mother never really bothered with her, falling into the old curse of daughters being curses, she perpetuated that onto her youngest daughter. Alone and afraid in a world she had never glimpsed before, Feng must now learn how to survive, and in doing so she suppresses all her humanity.
This is a beautiful story about women and how we treat our own, especially our daughters and mothers. The author used his mother’s stories as background for this novel. If a book had author’s notes, read them. They give you an understanding of what the author was trying to convey or why they did what they did.
A beautiful story that crosses cultural lines. China is merely the setting of the story, I don’t feel like you have to have a deep knowledge of the culture or history to better the story.
October 7, 2011
I'll read anything about 1930s Shanghai. So I was naturally drawn to Duncan Jepson's debut novel, All the Flowers in Shanghai. I was impressed by the way it transcends several eras in modern Chinese history: the rigid imperial family structure, the roaring decadence of 1930s Shanghai, and the Communist Revolution (good and bad, but mostly bad).
The main character, Feng, is a shy girl from an upper-middle class family that aims to marry into a wealthy family. Feng's sister, simply named Sister, is groomed and raised to be a social climber. But when she suddenly falls ill, the family turns to Feng to fulfill their aspirations.
Feng is married off to Xiong Fa, a bumbling overweight heir to his family's fortune. He shows a gentle side, all while following his family's strict instructions for producing an heir. When Feng becomes pregnant, she makes a vow to herself. If the baby is a boy, she'll hand him over to her husband's family to raise him in the huge family compound. But if it's a girl, she has other ideas. Feng sticks to her plans and goes on to make one mistake after another.
Duncan Jepson is a master at showing the complex family relationships in early 20th century China, the huge disparity between rich and poor, and the sweeping changes as a result of the Communist Revolution. And like most Chinese novels, Jepson's is packed with tragedy and hardship. He doesn't dwell on the political climate as much as other novels set during this time, but the family tensions more than provide a rich backdrop.
Sadly, some of the issues Jepson writes about in this story still resonate in China: the disparity between rich and poor, women's roles in family and society, and the rapidly changing socio-political climate. This is one book not to miss!
The main character, Feng, is a shy girl from an upper-middle class family that aims to marry into a wealthy family. Feng's sister, simply named Sister, is groomed and raised to be a social climber. But when she suddenly falls ill, the family turns to Feng to fulfill their aspirations.
Feng is married off to Xiong Fa, a bumbling overweight heir to his family's fortune. He shows a gentle side, all while following his family's strict instructions for producing an heir. When Feng becomes pregnant, she makes a vow to herself. If the baby is a boy, she'll hand him over to her husband's family to raise him in the huge family compound. But if it's a girl, she has other ideas. Feng sticks to her plans and goes on to make one mistake after another.
Duncan Jepson is a master at showing the complex family relationships in early 20th century China, the huge disparity between rich and poor, and the sweeping changes as a result of the Communist Revolution. And like most Chinese novels, Jepson's is packed with tragedy and hardship. He doesn't dwell on the political climate as much as other novels set during this time, but the family tensions more than provide a rich backdrop.
Sadly, some of the issues Jepson writes about in this story still resonate in China: the disparity between rich and poor, women's roles in family and society, and the rapidly changing socio-political climate. This is one book not to miss!
July 1, 2017
I found the book in an "open library" in my city. The cover is beautiful, and I had to take the book because of that...but this book is so much more than the cover. It is a vivid and sensual glimpse into a period of Chinese history that has often fascinated me. I enjoyed following the journey of the central character through her times. For anyone who enjoys good historical fiction/period pieces, or deeply cultivated stories, or books set in China, I would recommend this book fully. A delicious read.
July 23, 2013
I love this book, it was like a dumpling for my reading soul. It was hot enough to keep me wanting to read it all the time, and delicious in content to keep my mind in it. I throughly enjoy the book and was surprise with it being the writer's debut novel. The book inspire me to have a bit of courage myself against family politics and I feel better because of it. That's how strong I related to the book and the writing style is. Give it a taste, you won't regret your time with this Shanghai girl.
August 8, 2013
Enjoyed reading this book very much. Very interesting storyline.
A few things that didn't click for me however.
The main character is 17 years old, yet until you are told that, I saw her as being about ten!
In addition, the changes in her character were a little less believable. Suddenly she seems to switch from being totally naive to a savvy manipulative woman. It didn't make sense.
However...the storyline was enjoyable, and I did have fun reading it. Still worthy of four stars I believe.
A few things that didn't click for me however.
The main character is 17 years old, yet until you are told that, I saw her as being about ten!
In addition, the changes in her character were a little less believable. Suddenly she seems to switch from being totally naive to a savvy manipulative woman. It didn't make sense.
However...the storyline was enjoyable, and I did have fun reading it. Still worthy of four stars I believe.
September 19, 2016
Utterly bland and inauthentic. The characters are flat, and emote like a college student who has to write to get that one passing grade in creative writing. Shanghai in the 30s to 50s, actually, China in the 20th century has been an explosive, dynamic and fast-changing place. Jepson seems completely ignorant of the status of women in such a place and cultural nuances are woefully lacking. This is a novel written by an Orientalist, who sees only the shadows on the wall cast by a raging fire.
December 20, 2014
Не ми хареса особено. Според мен не изпълни идеята си - да е книга за майка, съжаляваща за направения избор да изостави дъщеря си. Просто не го усетих. Беше просто мемоар на отчаяна наивна жена, търсеща на кого да разкаже историята си - излишно изпълнена с драматизъм.
Може би щеше да е по-интересно, ако беше филм. Четях я мудно и въпреки десетките заврантулени изрази е книгата с най-малко отметки (само две) от всички книги, които съм чела тази година. Хм...
Може би щеше да е по-интересно, ако беше филм. Четях я мудно и въпреки десетките заврантулени изрази е книгата с най-малко отметки (само две) от всички книги, които съм чела тази година. Хм...
October 8, 2012
Put me in a rotten mood. I admit it was well written, and that the author wanted to educate and make a point, but it was so depressing and the main character self destructive, that I just didn't enjoy it at all. I ended up finishing it as fast as I could, just to find out how it ended and be done with it.
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