Rated of 5
by Marcia M. (Woburn, MA) Great Expectations
Having heard so much about Gail Tsukiyama's writing, I was very excited to receive this ARC of A Hundred Flowers. I really wanted to like this story set in the China of 1957; but alas, my excitement faded as I plodded through this book. I never really connected to these characters, and I felt these characters never really connected to (or convinced me about) the social horrors going on around them. Perhaps this was not just the right time for me and this book to meet. For now, I'll put in in the "have to reread" this pile. Maybe I'll get it the second time through.
Rated of 5
by Carole C. (Upper Marlboro, MD) A Hundred Flowers; No Literary Bouquet
Anticipation of a compelling story that would provide insight into the terrible period of suppression, anti-intellectualism, and desecration of the arts under the rule of China's Mao Tse-Tung and the People's Party led me to choose Gail Tsukiyama's "A Hundred Flowers" to review. I was sorely disappointed. The plot was predictable. Although each short chapter was titled with the name of a character, the point-of-view was third person, which in this case resulted in characters with little depth or distinction. Tao, the seven-year-old, displays some emotional growth in his understanding of his grandfather Wei by the end of the book. Perhaps the Kapok tree shows the most growth; at least its machete-made scar has healed.
Rated of 5
by Karen D. (Dedham, MA) A Way of Life
A beautiful but sometimes a sad tale of life. I forgot how life could be in another culture at another time. Precious memories of time gone past is all that some have. These memories keep them going on in life. I have read other books by this author. I enjoyed this book but my favorite is still The Samurai's Garden.
Rated of 5
by Linda W. (Walnut Creek, CA) A Hundred Flowers
The first word that comes to mind is quiet. The story centers around a family coming to terms with the new reality that is Communist China under Mao. At the heart of the story is a family. Three generations of the Lee family live in what used to be the family's villa. Sheng is the husband of Kay Ying, father of Tao and son of Wei. He has been arrested and sent off for reeducation because of a letter sent to Chairman Mao critical of the regime. Dealing with the effects of this arrest, is the plot that drives this story.
While all of the characters are appealing, I would not recommend this title for a book club choice because I don't see much to discuss.
Rated of 5
by Marjorie H. (Woodstock, GA) Disappointment
Any book exploring the horror of the Chinese Revolution evokes profound sorrow, disbelief and visceral fear that it could happen anywhere. However, this book failed to produce anything but a desire to finish it. The characters were incredibly one dimensional, the writing - almost juvenile. To take a serious topic and trivialize it to this extent was a profound disappointment.
Rated of 5
by Beth (USA) A Hundred Flowers
I selected this book because friends have been telling me for quite some time to try one of Gail Tsukiyama’s books. As a result, I went into this one with very high expectations and I am afraid that I was disappointed. I simply could not connect at all with any of the characters, and the book moved at an excruciatingly slow place. I have no problem with books where the action is limited, and the work is essentially a character study. Here, though, because the characters felt so remote, I was left with a book where nothing really happened, and I had no feeling for the people who were ruminating on their lives. I think perhaps I was expecting a book more along the lines of those written by Lisa See, and A Hundred Flowers was not in that vein. I don’t mean to imply at all that this is a bad book -- it is very well written in fact. It just was not for me. I will be curious to see if this book is an anomaly, or if those who love her other books love this one as well.
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of 5
by Marcia M. (Woburn, MA) 
of 5
by Carole C. (Upper Marlboro, MD) 
of 5
by Karen D. (Dedham, MA) 
