What do readers think of All the Flowers in Shanghai by Duncan Jepson? Write your own review.

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.

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.

This cultural novel was a disappointment to me. The novel was extremely narrow in its focus on Feng, the narrator of the story. Although it was set in China in the thirties, there was little detail in the novel about the setting, and I felt that omission was an error on the author’s part. Feng was a passive character that was not easily likeable. She was a kind, innocent child who only seemed to have things happen ‘to’ her. As she grew into adulthood when she did take action, it was mean spirited and bitter. There were times that the language of the novel changed from beautiful to crass and I found those changes distracting and disturbing. Overall, it was a dark book that offered little hope or meaning and left me feeling that it did not live up to its potential.

The story is told as a letter from Feng, the main character, to the daughter she abandoned at birth, thru flash backs we learn the story of her arranged marriage to the Sang family whose humiliations and cruelty turn Feng into a bitter, revengeful woman. All the flowers in Shanghai is full of tradition to not “ lose face” half way thru the story we are shown bits of Chairman Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution and the birth of the People’s Republic of China and some of the terror of his regime.
Feng is hard to love after her transformation from a sweet, quiet girl into a mean spirited, bitter and regretful woman. Book clubs will love this book; analyzing Feng should lead to great discussions

This beautifully written book could be categorized as Historical Fiction. I couldn't wait to read it each day. It depicts the Chinese people during a time before the Revolution. A very intimate portrayal and the reader becomes immersed in their everyday lives. The author brings you right into the story. I shed a tear when I finished the book as I didn't want it to end.

All the Flowers in Shanghai was a thoughtful book that displays the impact of one's environment. Feng's character is a complex yet naive woman, who eventually breaks through her imposed shell.

I appreciated reading this book, and look forward to more from this author. The subtle beauty was divine...

In his author's insight, Jepson states that in writing this book he wanted "to explore Chinese attitudes toward motherhood, children, and family." It is a story with multiple intentions. It can be viewed as a book about hatred, an expose of the Chinese opinion that women and children are replaceable, or as a story of cowardice.

The city of Shanghai features as a dominate character. The storyline begins with a traditional Shanghai in 1932, and presents a diverse city with traditional Chinese values encountering European influences to the extent that locals cannot even take rooms in the luxury hotels. Shanghai moves from a city of elegance to a city busy with new hostilities after the Revolution.

Running through the plot is a unifying reference to flowers. Feng's story begins in a garden with her beloved grandfather teaching her the Latin names of flowers. Throughout the book we encounter phrases such as "First Wife's breath was like a stale flower."

As a debut novel Jepson does an admirable job of telling the story through the voice of a woman. Along with her story we get bits of wisdom suitable for framing, such as "You must live because someone wants you to live" and "Change becomes acceptable once you are accustomed to change itself."

Unlike so many descriptions of Mao's China that cover the punishments dealt to intellectuals, the focus here is on the poor peasants. In this case it is a group of older women who become a full production unit charged with sewing trousers and shirts for the new order. They are told that there must be more enthusiasm for scarves as they are a unifying symbol of the movement. They take Feng in when she flees Shanghai, and they must all unlearn everything they had ever known: traditions, supersititions, and old philosophies. They become consumed by productivity.

The book begins with Feng addressing someone. "I still know your face. I see it clearly as it was at the very beginning, not how it was left after I had hurt you." The reader does not get information about the identity of this face until the last third of the book.

All in all, it is a good read albeit a bit ambitious in its scope.

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.