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There are currently 23 member reviews
for All the Flowers in Shanghai
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Sally D. (Racine, WI)
Flat
When I received this book, I was curious to read it but I was immediately put off by the cover and the title. I was afraid I had received poor imitation of some of the better books with the same setting.
But after putting it off for several weeks, I plunged in and discovered that I still held the same feelings. The story line itself might have been interesting but for some reason the minute details really slowed down the pace of the novel. Perhaps the fact that Duncan Jepson is a filmmaker and a lawyer makes prone to details but it doesn't always work in this book.
The characters and their motivations are somewhat confusing. When Feng had her first child she gives it away because she is angry. But I never really understood why she wanted her baby daughter to be raised in poverty. Then suddenly she gives in to enjoying the wealth and position of her family but it is never really clear why this transition took place.
I struggled through this book and would be hesitant to recommend it.
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Beverly J. (Huntersville, NC)
Breaking the Cycle
This is a novel of cultural mores and betrayals. Up until she is seventeen, Feng has been taught her obligation in life is to care for her aging parents. Without any considerations of her desires or preparation, Feng is thrust into the haughty suffocating world of upper class Shanghai in the 1930s. Feeling betrayed by those she thought loved her and hoping to avoid a life of humiliation, Feng puts in place, a plan of revenge, and this is the story the readers will follow.
Despite the slow, slightly confusing, beginning, the author paints a compassionate portrait of Feng that readers will cheer for her as she conquers one trial after another, even when she acts irrationally. This deep characterization is strength of the book and will appeal to readers of women’s fiction.
I was disappointed at the lack of historical detail provided in the storyline, especially since Shanghai was a volatile place in the 1930s and 1940s. When historical detail was provided towards the end of the book, it was to help transition Feng into an act that was out-of-character, and thus unbelievable and upsetting the flow of the story. Overall the story was a little too unpredictable to me, and I left like I was watching a Lifetime movie. However, it is an easy book to read so will help past a rainy afternoon.
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Kelly H. (Martinsville, IN)
All the Flowers in Shanghai
This is an interesting book. The author gives us great detail describing courtship and arranged marriage in 1930s China, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Even more interesting were the expectations, duties, and traditions of an affluent Chinese household after the marriage.
I empathized with Feng throughout the book, even as I liked her less and less as the story progressed. Overall, I enjoyed reading this book, but only to find out what happens next with Feng. I was desperately hoping she would try to make right her mistakes, and cheer up a little! But easy for me to say, I'm sure her bitterness and anger were insurmountable under such circumstances.
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Sylvia J. (Los Angeles, CA)
It Could Have Been So Much More
I had really high expectations for this book, particularly as it indicates it is for fans of Lisa See and Memoirs of a Geisha. Those comparisons are highly off the mark so the main character Feng is never fully realized in the book as the author never gives her an opportunity to be fully dimensional in her character. It was highly unrealistic to me for her to go from a naive, positive young girl to such a bitter woman so quickly and never redeem herself. That made the book a disappointment to me along with the lack of historical details a out the Revolution itself that I and other readers would have enjoyed. With that said it was still a well written book but it lacked the sweeping story, detail and history I needed to recommend it to other readers.
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Burlingame Reader
Bummer!
Sadly, I was disappointed in this book. I wanted to like it. I wanted to love it. But....something was missing. The author tried to tie up the the loose ends but that made things even more confusing with more story lines added in.
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Ann W. (new york, NY)
All the Flowers in Shanghai
I read the whole book however, I was often annoyed. I had problems with Feng---she never grow while many of the others around her were more nuanced. Yes, Chinese tradition(s) are very different but in Shanghai, there was more awareness of a world beyond---even if one could only see it at a distant. Also, Feng's sudden realization of the world was unconvincing. Overall, however, I found the book provocative and thought about it.
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Marcia F. (Batavia, IL)
All The Flowers In Shanghai
This book was a very slow read and very difficult for me to really get into. None of the characters were very likeable and the subject of this book has been over used. It just wasn't a new subject - I have read too many other books on this subject that were just more interesting and informative. The ending lacked a conclusion and never tied things together.
