All the Flowers in Shanghai: A Novel [Paperback]

Duncan Jepson (Author)

Book Description

Release date: December 20, 2011

“Duncan Jepson magically inhabits the life of a young Chinese woman in 1930s Shanghai….I thoroughly enjoyed this book.”
—Janice Y. K. Lee, New York Times bestselling author of The Piano Teacher

“Breathtaking….A great work that will move its readers.”
—Hong Ying, international bestselling author of Daughter of the River

Readers previously enchanted by Memoirs of a Geisha, Empress, and the novels of Lisa See will be captivated by Duncan Jepson’s marvelous debut, All the Flowers in Shanghai. Evocative, sweeping, yet intimate historical fiction, Jepson’s novel transports us to a China on the brink of revolution, and witnesses this colorful, tumultuous world through the eyes of a woman forced into a life not of her choosing and driven to seek a bitter revenge.  This epic journey into the heart of Asia is sure to mesmerize fans of Shanghai Girls and Snow Flower and the Secret Fan.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Jepson...evokes time and place well as he describes the life of privilege that Feng comes to take for granted only to have her life veer dramatically and be overtaken by the Great Leap Forward.” (Booklist )

“[Jepson] does a solid job of voicing a female character.” (Library Journal )

“Strong on detail and emotional intensity.” (Kirkus Reviews )

“[A] riveting storyline.” (Publishers Weekly )

“Poignant and elegantly written.” (Romantic Times )

“An accomplished first novel. Duncan Jepson magically inhabits the life of a young Chinese woman in 1930s Shanghai, following Feng’s unlikely evolution from neglected second daughter to first wife of the rich and powerful Sang family and her unexpected epilogue. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.” (Janice Y. K. Lee, New York Times bestselling author of The Piano Teacher )

“This story is breathtaking. Like a poem or a painting, it reveals the old Shanghai. It’s a great work that will move its readers.” (Hong Ying, international bestselling author of Daughter of the River )

“The life of this novel’s main character is splintered into thousands of pieces, each of them reflecting the changes of Chinese history, yet all of them coming out in Duncan Jepson’s poetic, passionate writing.” (Qiu Xiaolong, author of the Inspector Chen mysteries )

“A beautifully poetic story. Duncan Jepson creates a poignant set of characters and follows the journey of one woman who attempts to stop the cycle of history in the only way she knows how, but with dire consequences.” (Geling Yan, author of The Banquet Bug )

From the Back Cover

For every young Chinese woman in 1930s Shanghai, following the path of duty takes precedence over personal desires

For Feng, that means becoming the bride of a wealthy businessman in a marriage arranged by her parents. In the enclosed world of the Sang household—a place of public ceremony and private cruelty—fulfilling her duty means bearing a male heir.

The life that has been forced on her makes Feng bitter and resentful, and she plots a terrible revenge. But with the passing years comes a reckoning, and Feng must reconcile herself with the sacrifices and terrible choices she has made in order to assure her place in the family and society—even as the violent, relentless tide of revolution engulfs her country.

Both a sweeping historical novel and an intimate portrait of one woman’s struggle against tradition, All the Flowers in Shanghai marks the debut of a sensitive and revelatory writer.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks; Original edition (December 20, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0062081608
• ISBN-13: 978-0062081605
• Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 0.9 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (77 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #856,422 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Moderately Interesting Novel Lacking in Sufficient Historical Context September 25, 2011

By L. Young VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

In 1930s Shanghai, innocent, 17 year old Feng is married off into the powerful Sang family, to be First Wife to their First Son. Feng's social climbing mother's ambitions are now fulfilled. Feng becomes a prisoner of traditional Chinese familial life. She is nothing more than a means to an end - a sexual object meant to give birth to a male heir for the Sang family. Until she can provide such a heir Feng is mocked and ridiculed by her father in law and mother in law, and the rest of the extended family that lives together in a lavish home tended by servants. In revenge for this abusive treatment she commits an act of revenge which will haunt her for the rest of her life. Herein lies the problem with this novel (one of several), I just didn't find this act of revenge plausible particularly in the Thirties.

Almost all of the narrative takes place within the Sang family compound to emphasize Feng's circumscribed life. Very little of what goes on in the outside world penetrates the novel, and this is a flaw. If the reader is unaware of the glittering life of the wealthy in Shanghai in the Thirties, the brutality of the Japanese occupation and the Communist revolution and Mao's Great Leap Forward they will learn little of it here.

I can only wonder why this novel was written. What does it add? There are dozens of novels already out there portraying the oppression of women in Chinese society. Similiarly there are plenty of novels covering the Japanese occupation and Communist Revolution. All one needs to do is read Lisa See's two most recent novels for a more thorough look at this historical context. Her novel 'Shanghai Girls' is far superior to this novel and is also set in Shanghai during the same period of time.

Finally I found Feng to be an unlikable character. She is cruel, manipulative, vain and vacuous. A novel like this can not be successfully sustained by an unlikeable main character. Consequently I have reservations about 'All the Flowers in Shanghai'.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars deeply moving September 26, 2011

By book junkie VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

This is a beautifully written book set during the time of the Communist revolution in China. Feng is the mostly ignored second daughter of a middle class family. Her mother has aspirations to marry their beautiful eldest daughter into a wealthy family. Unforeseen circumstances force Feng to marry her sister's intended, and assume her sister's life.

Feng is in a difficult situation but she is also difficult to like. In fact, most of the characters in this book were difficult to like. Since I usually prefer upbeat books, I was surprised I liked this one as well as I did. There was a strong undercurrent of emotion in this book that made it engrossing, and the characters will linger in your mind long after the last page has been turned.

This book reminded me very much of "Memoirs of a Geisha." The historical detail was very well done and it was interesting to read about the revolution from the point of view of the working class. Unfortunately, Feng was fairly oblivious to the revolution for most of the book, so we only get hints of what it was like for the upper class.

My only issue with the book is that some of the choices Feng made didn't seem to agree with her character as she was written. On the whole though, this was a good and satisfying read.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Life in the 1930's in Shanghai October 14, 2011

By annie VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

I found this to be an interesting novel to read, yet in the end I was disappointed. While this book is well-written, and gives the reader a look into what life could have been like in Shanghai in the 30's, I find the main character's change of personality hard to believe. It is hard to imagine that someone so kind and loving could change into such a cruel, bitter person.