When Huai Flowers Bloom: Stories of the Cultural Revolution [Hardcover]

Shu Jiang Lu (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0791472310 | ISBN-13: 978-0791472316 | Publication Date: October 2007 | Edition: First Edition

Depicts the Cultural Revolution through stories in a variety of voices.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Set against China's turbulent years between the early 1960s and the late 1970s, When Huai Flowers Bloom is the literary memoir of a young girl who manages to sustain love, imagination, and strength during this most chaotic time. With twelve separate yet interconnected stories, Shu Jiang Lu alternates between storyteller and listener as she relays haunting memories and explores the devastating effect of Mao's anticultural Cultural Revolution. Lu weaves together the voices of multiple real and fantastic characters: her parents and their treasured yet forbidden bookcase; the mysterious vendors beckoning from Pear Flower Alley; the immortal martial hero; the reactionary opera singer and the black demon novelist; the whispering ghost and dancing fairy; and the author herself, discovering her storyteller's voice in the military camps of her youth. When Huai Flowers Bloom is a poignant, persistent journey toward voice and freedom.

"A soulful and beautiful addition to all the Cultural Revolution literature that has come before it and afterwards. I couldn't put it down." -- Da Chen, author of Brothers: A Novel

"Lu's voice is quiet, gentle, questioning, yet wise, even when she is recounting very dire events." -- Elizabeth Hodges, author of What the River Means

I watched the spring of 1965 fly by, following the dance of beautiful cloud fairies, listening to the laughter echo from the green hill, inhaling the air permeated with the freshness of morning dew and the sweet fragrance of the Huai flowers. That short sweet spring I left behind almost forty years ago formed an instant of time in which my life became strangely interwoven with that of another, an invisible being who, along with the setting sun, the dancing clouds, and the Huai flowers, evoked in me a sense of wonder that has enabled me to see and live each day with renewed hope and clear vision.

About the Author

Shu Jiang Lu is Associate Professor of English at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 202 pages
• Publisher: State University of New York Press; First Edition edition (October 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0791472310
• ISBN-13: 978-0791472316
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,916,930 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Some information, some good storytelling, April 7, 2008

By 

A. Whipp "amw" (Halifax) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: When Huai Flowers Bloom: Stories of the Cultural Revolution (Hardcover)

I initially was interested in this because it was non-fiction about the Cultural Revolution. I had recently seen a photograph art exhibit about the Cultural Revolution and realized I hadn't read anything about China, let alone this dark time of Mao. So I was looking for information and experiences that could help clue me in. Perhaps that was why I didn't find all that I was looking for in this book.

It is more a collection of stories about her family and tradition and magic from childhood that happens to be set in the Cultural Revolution when the author was growing up. Chronologically it jumps around so you meet family members at different times and then they get re-described in later stories. You see them die in one story and then they are alive again in the next one. It is a bit confusing. The author does nicely describe the scene for you though, for me, perhaps a bit too much language was used on this and not enough in giving the reader real, useful information. I am still looking for other non-fiction on Cultural Revolution to give me a better picture, but this one did teach me some things and gave me a bit of perspective.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Story of the Human Spirit, April 3, 2008

By 

P. Duck - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: When Huai Flowers Bloom: Stories of the Cultural Revolution (Hardcover)

This book is autobiographical...it is a series of stories about the author as she was growing up in China during the cultural revolution. It is beautifully written and transcends any cultural differences. You will be filled with both joy and sorrow as you read her wonderful tales.