Peach Blossom Spring
On sale
17th March 2022
Price: £8.99
***A RADIO 2 BOOK CLUB PICK***
‘Glorious and tender . . . I finished it with tears in my eyes’ JENNIFER SAINT
‘A stunning achievement’ CHRISTY LEFTERI
‘An immersive, expertly plotted and elegantly written novel ‘ SHARLENE TEO
With every misfortune there is a blessing and within every blessing, the seeds of misfortune, and so it goes, until the end of time.
China, 1938: Meilin and her four-year-old son, Renshu, flee their burning city as Japanese forces advance. In their perilous journey across the country seeking refuge, they find comfort and wisdom in their most treasured possession – a beautifully illustrated hand scroll, filled with ancient fables.
Years later, separated from his mother by thousands of miles, Renshu now calls himself Henry Dao. His daughter, Lily, is desperate to understand her place in the world, but Henry refuses to share with her the fear and tragedy that mar his past.
Spanning continents and generations, Peach Blossom Spring is a bold and moving story of the sacrifices we make to protect our children. It’s about the power of our past, the hope for a better future, and the search for a place to call home.
‘Magical and powerful’ Nguyen Phan Que Mai, author of THE MOUNTAINS SING
‘Beautifully rendered’ Georgia Hunter, author of WE WERE THE LUCKY ONES
‘Captivating from beginning to end’ Mira T Lee, author of EVERYTHING HERE IS BEAUTIFUL
‘A brilliant multigenerational tale’ Mary Lynn Bracht, author of WHITE CRYSANTHEMUM
‘Accomplished and utterly gripping’ Catherine Menon, author of FRAGILE MONSTERS
‘Glorious and tender . . . I finished it with tears in my eyes’ JENNIFER SAINT
‘A stunning achievement’ CHRISTY LEFTERI
‘An immersive, expertly plotted and elegantly written novel ‘ SHARLENE TEO
With every misfortune there is a blessing and within every blessing, the seeds of misfortune, and so it goes, until the end of time.
China, 1938: Meilin and her four-year-old son, Renshu, flee their burning city as Japanese forces advance. In their perilous journey across the country seeking refuge, they find comfort and wisdom in their most treasured possession – a beautifully illustrated hand scroll, filled with ancient fables.
Years later, separated from his mother by thousands of miles, Renshu now calls himself Henry Dao. His daughter, Lily, is desperate to understand her place in the world, but Henry refuses to share with her the fear and tragedy that mar his past.
Spanning continents and generations, Peach Blossom Spring is a bold and moving story of the sacrifices we make to protect our children. It’s about the power of our past, the hope for a better future, and the search for a place to call home.
‘Magical and powerful’ Nguyen Phan Que Mai, author of THE MOUNTAINS SING
‘Beautifully rendered’ Georgia Hunter, author of WE WERE THE LUCKY ONES
‘Captivating from beginning to end’ Mira T Lee, author of EVERYTHING HERE IS BEAUTIFUL
‘A brilliant multigenerational tale’ Mary Lynn Bracht, author of WHITE CRYSANTHEMUM
‘Accomplished and utterly gripping’ Catherine Menon, author of FRAGILE MONSTERS
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Reviews
Expansive, atmospheric, and affecting. Peach Blossom Spring shows just how much the human heart can hold, and it left me breathless.
What an immersive, expertly plotted and elegantly written novel. In its sweep and scope, it would appeal to fans of Madeleine Thien and Min Jin Lee and its lyrical voice - championing the vitality and ingenuity of the immigrant experience across three settings - confirms Melissa Fu as a writer to watch.
Unputdownable. The settings are so vibrant and Meilin and her son Renshu so tenderly evoked it's as though we're enduring their extraordinary struggle for survival with them
This intricately woven journey of four generations of a family buffeted by the complex tectonics of 20th century China and the US is so well told that I often paused to admire Fu's poetic magic in bringing her characters and real historical moments to life
A rich, sprawling saga straddling continents, decades and fractured histories, Melissa Fu has written a gorgeous book of family love and loss. Fu braids together historical details with characters whose hopes and fears pull you along on every page, and leave you wanting more
I absolutely adored this novel about love and war, migration and belonging. I walked with the characters, felt what they felt. They took me with them on their incredible journey. During moments of deep sadness and loss, there is also beauty - the beauty of enduring love, of identity, of hope. Melissa Fu portrays the time, the culture, the place and the struggles of this family so vividly, with nuance and colour and life. Her writing is subtle and powerful, it stays with you, it follows you like the smell of the peach blossoms, it evokes emotions and questions and enlightens you. This is such a stunning achievement!
It's hard to believe this is a debut novel so accomplished is [Fu's] multi-generational family saga steeped in place and full of insightful political history. A new literary star dazzles in this stunning debut.
Tender and graceful, this vivid historical novel shows the cost of war while celebrating the resilience of the human spirit and the life-affirming gifts of storytelling.