Daughter of China (Paperback)

by C. Hope Flinchbaugh (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Nonfiction might have been a better vehicle for the story told in this debut inspirational novel by Flinchbaugh, who has reported on the plight of persecuted Christians around the world for several religious magazines. Her first-person fictional account of 19-year-old Kwan Mei Lin chronicles religious oppression, discrimination against women and the horrific conditions of orphanages in China. The novel kicks off as Mei Lin dreams of escaping poverty and Communist oppression in Tanching Village by getting a university education. Her Christian faith soon gets her into trouble with local authorities, and her fervent evangelistic efforts land her in a dismal prison. When she convinces the guards to let her clean other prisoners' cells, Mei Lin subversively shares her faith, and multiple conversions follow. After a miraculous release, she helps a young girl who has escaped from a Shanghai orphanage to find a new life of freedom, resulting in yet another conversion. The novel offers some nice details of Chinese culture and several poignant scenes of abandoned and neglected children. Despite the emotional themes, however, the overall tone is surprisingly passionless and stilted because of long passages of dialogue. Many of the conversions seem simplistic or contrived, and the suspense never builds to anything more than a gentle concern for the characters. In the end, the novel succeeds as a plea for Christians to better understand the church's situation in China, but fails to offer a compelling literary story.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review
"...a tale of heartwarming grace ...a heartfelt and moving story that is easily read." -- Charisma & Christian Life, Feb 2003

"...gripping portrayal of women in China...To understand the heartbeat of the Chinese church you must read this book." -- Tom White—Director, The Voice of the Martyrs

"...this gripping tale is one that needs to be told. We need this uncomfortable reminder that Christians are suffering." -- CBA Marketplace, July 2002

"Based on real-life experiences of Chinese Christians during the 1990s, this gripping tale is one that needs to be told." -- CBA Marketplace, July 2002

"a powerful and compelling story of a young girl who risks everything during her journey of faith….Well-worth reading." -- Timothy C. Morgan—Deputy Managing Editor, Christianity Today

"powerful...a must read for all who care for the courageous believers of China." -- Dan Wooding—Founder, Assist Ministries and Assist News Service

"should be in the hands of every believer, and then passed on to the next generation...It's that powerful." -- Crosshome.com

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Bethany House (September 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764227319
• ISBN-13: 978-0764227318
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 5.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #606,757 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars LIFE-CHANGING! , February 25, 2005

By	Sherrie Parr (Southwest Washington USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

THIS IS A WONDERFULLY WRITTEN BOOK. I'M THE MOM OF 4 CHINESE DAUGHTERS AND ALTHOUGH THIS BOOK IS FICTION, IT IS BASED ON THE REALITIES OF REAL LIFE IN CHINA. THE BOOK TOUCHES ON THE ONE CHILD POLICY AND THE ONGOING CHINESE CULTURE THAT STILL REVERES THEIR BOYS OVER GIRLS. THE GOVERNMENT ALSO CONTINUES TO PERSECUTE THE CHRISTIAN BELIEVERS SO THEY MEET IN UNDERGROUND CHURCHS ALL OVER CHINA. THE AUTHOR PULLS IT ALL TOGETHER IN THE END FOR A MARVELOUS, MIRACLE ENDING! MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A BOX OF TISSUES HANDY!

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How God provides, February 10, 2003

By	Dawn Kessinger (Lima, OH United States) - See all my reviews

The story is so easy to get into: in the beginning, we go along with Mei Lin and her father to a house-church meeting. The way it's written had me holding my breath as they crawled or snuck along in the dark, listening for sounds of the Communist authorities who, if they could catch the believers in worship or with a Bible would accuse them of a crime against China and would proceed to beat them and possibly imprison them if the beatings didn't kill them first. Plenty of examples of the brutality against Christians are found in this story, and are realistically told so that the characters' suffering will break your heart. Mei Lin doesn't have an easy road ahead of her, but the suffering she goes through benefits others and it's interesting to see how God provides at the worst of times for her and other believers in the story. The network of believers who risk their lives to free Christians from prisons and protect (and befriend - the supporting characters in this story are strong and exactly that: supportive) them is as important as the pastors and openly practicing Christians; it's neat to see how God uses them all together to accomplish a goal of bringing others to Him and welcoming them into His family.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An intriguing glimpse into the Chinese house Church, September 13, 2006

By	Kristine Morgan (Internationalfalls, Minnesota) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I couldn't put Daughter of China down. It grabbed me from the first page. Miss Flinchbaugh has used fiction to bring to us the heartbreaking conditions that the Church endures in other countries. She also brings to light the distressing treatment of female children and Chinas one child mandate.
Daughter of China is a wonderful first novel and will by turns cause you to cry and also praise God for what He is doing. So grab a cup of tea, sit back and enjoy.