I'm excited to be a part of the Blog Tour for Their Divine Fires by Wendy Chen! I received a free electronic copy for an honest review from the publisher. Thanks so much to Algonquin Books and Wendy Chen for letting me be a part of the tour!
Author: Wendy Chen
Published by: Algonquin Books
Released: May 7, 2024
Source: Electronic Review Copy Provided by Publisher
Synopsis: A family saga that begins at the dawn of the Chinese Revolution and spans 100 years to trace the intricate lives of four generations of Chinese and Chinese American women
In 1917, at the dawn of the Chinese Revolution, Yunhong grows up in the southern China countryside and falls in love with the son of a wealthy landlord--but on the night of her wedding, her brother destroys the marriage before it has lasted even a day. Yunhong’s daughter Yuexin will never know her father. She passes that sorrow on to her daughters Hongxing and Yonghong, who come of age in the years following Mao’s death, battling the push and pull of political forces as they forge their own paths. Each generation guards its secrets, leaving Emily, living in contemporary America, to piece together what actually happened between her mother and her sister, and to understand the weight of their shared history. (Synopsis from Goodreads)
In 1917, at the dawn of the Chinese Revolution, Yunhong grows up in the southern China countryside and falls in love with the son of a wealthy landlord--but on the night of her wedding, her brother destroys the marriage before it has lasted even a day. Yunhong’s daughter Yuexin will never know her father. She passes that sorrow on to her daughters Hongxing and Yonghong, who come of age in the years following Mao’s death, battling the push and pull of political forces as they forge their own paths. Each generation guards its secrets, leaving Emily, living in contemporary America, to piece together what actually happened between her mother and her sister, and to understand the weight of their shared history. (Synopsis from Goodreads)
My Thoughts: I really enjoy generational stories and historical novels, so I had a good time reading Their Divine Fires. If you like books the delve into history, then you'll enjoy this one.
This book packs in a bunch of history, especially considering how short it was. I didn't have knowledge on some of the events covered, and the story doesn't really go into an explanation. Luckily it's easy to look stuff up.
I can see a lot of people enjoying this one. I'm glad I got to read it.
Wendy Chen is the author of the award-winning poetry collection Unearthings. Her short stories, creative nonfiction, translations, and reviews have appeared widely including Freeman’s, A Public Space, North American Review, and American Poets. Her work has been translated into multiple languages and has been adapted into musical compositions.
Chen is also the prose editor of Tupelo Press, editor of Figure 1 and associate editor-in-chief of Tupelo Quarterly. She is the recipient of the Academy of American Poets Most Promising Young Poet Prize. Chen earned her MFA in creative writing from Syracuse University and her PhD in English from the University of Denver. She teaches creative writing at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Thanks so much for checking out my Blog Tour Stop for Their Divine Fires by Wendy Chen! Thank you to Algonquin Books and Wendy Chen for letting me be a part of the tour. This is one you should definitely check out.
No comments:
Post a Comment