SPRING MOON: A NOVEL OF CHINA [Paperback]

BETTE BAO LORD (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: HarperCollins (1981)
• ASIN: B000OENUA4
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Tumultuous history, fascinating tale........., May 3, 2001

By 

jeanne-scott (Virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Spring Moon (Paperback)

This is a fascinating look at the history of China from the 1890's through the mid 1900's. The story is told through the eyes and observations of Spring Moon, who begins the novel as a young girl. Her feet had been bound as was traditional, symbolizing a person who has their feet planted firmly in the old ways and traditions, yet her mind measures and tests everything she sees and hears. This is a complete contradiction of the old ways, when young girls were silent and did as they were instructed. Her eldest Uncle makes the decision to teach her to read and write, and in so doing, opens her mind to yet more questions. The story proceeds through the opening of Chinese ports to foreign trade,control and influence (particularly Christianity, the period of "secret societies" against the Manchu dynasty, the Boxer Rebellion, the return of the Empress Dowager to the throne, the 1911 Chinese Revolution, the Kuomintang period of control, Japanese demands in 1915, a subsequent period of warlords and various factional control, World War I, more civil war, the founding of the Communist Party, the divisiveness between the Communists and the Kuomintang parties, the "Long March" of the Communists to escape death, and all the way through to when China was "opened" and Chinese who had fled were able to go back. While this seems like an extensive historical list, it is lived by Spring Moon, her daughter, and their extended family. It expertly weaves the story of their lives and those around them, breathing life into a story of the Chinese culture and China's conflict strewn history. It paints a clear picture of each side and of those caught in the middle. The wonderful talent of this author, Bette Bao Lord, manages to do all this and never once loose the readers attention. This was a truly wonderful story.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Documentary of Fiction, December 9, 2003

By 

David B. Isbell (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Spring Moon (Paperback)

The review by Jeanne-Scott thoroughly summarizes Spring Moon. It is difficult reading but well worth the time. I can only recommend this book to people who have a keen interest in East Asian cultures and history, as it is completely immersed in the politics and revolutionary thought of the era. Whether some of the translations from Chinese literature are precisely accurate or not is immaterial to the prevailing sense of helplessness conveyed and the struggles experienced by the main character, Spring Moon, during this period of constant upheaval as China abandons its ancient tradition of an imperialistic monarchy and adopts the philosophies of a socialist order. This is a modern classic worthy of sharing shelf space with such books as The Dream of the Red Chamber (Tsao Hsueh-Chin), Snow Country (Yasunari Kawabata), The Last Emperor (either version by either author), The Woman Warrior (Maxine Hong Kingston), and The Joy Luck Club (Amy Tan). A truly cultured tale for truly cultured people; quite entertaining and thought provoking.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A must read AsianAmerican novel, August 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Spring Moon (Paperback)

Nothing short of a holodeck will take you back to 1900's China unless you read Spring Moon. I would not be surprised to see this book on a list of required reading for anyone studying Chinese culture. A tale of love, war, family ties. It is all there. The plot, while difficult to follow for light readers, is engaging and thoroughly entertaining. Not for the weak at heart, but if u are willing to devote some time (it is near 6oo pages in paperback) you will not be disapointed!