“This remarkable work has a strange sweetness at its core... both loving and astonishingly cruel in its depiction of China at the turn of the 20th century and at a pivotal point in its cultural and political progress. The unfolding of a deeply personal and yet universally engaging struggle inspires the reader to rethink what is known or thought of Chinese history... Placed in a time when Chinese life was going through drastic changes this exotic and fascinating tale of personal struggle set against a backdrop of social and political upheaval is alternately inspiring and appalling. It is intensely interesting and holds the reader’s interest throughout.”
Read the full review in Reading the West.
