Daughter of Shandong by Eve J. Chung ~ a Review

by Donna Huber

In 1948, civil war ravages the Chinese countryside, but in rural Shandong, the wealthy, landowning Angs are more concerned with their lack of an heir. Hai is the eldest of four girls and spends her days looking after her sisters. Headstrong Di, who is just a year younger, learns to hide in plain sight, and their mother—abused by the family for failing to birth a boy—finds her own small acts of rebellion in the kitchen. As the Communist army closes in on their town, the rest of the prosperous household flees, leaving behind the girls and their mother because they view them as useless mouths to feed.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

May 2024; Berkley; 978-0593640531
audio, ebook, print (400 pages); historical fiction

I can see why Daughters of Shandong was nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award. This is an incredible debut novel.

I know very little about Chinese history and even less about when the Communist Party overthrew the Socialist government. Since reading the memoir Beautiful Hero by Jennifer H. Lau, I have been interested in knowing more about the history of Asia. 

Chung used family stories as the basis for her story and the story definitely feels authentic. I was really drawn into the story of a mother and her daughters being abandoned by their wealthy family as the communist army began sweeping across China. I didn't want to put it down and when I did have to put it down I couldn't stop thinking about it - I even dreamed about it one night.

In their culture, women are there to serve the men in the family. They are little more than indentured servants. To have only daughters is to lose face as a male heir is necessary as they are the only ones able to care for the family. 

It was interesting to see, although Hai, her sister, and her mother prove they are very capable women, that Hai's mother cannot let go of the culture that is ingrained in her. I also think it is interesting that the role of women and tradition is changing at about the same time that it was in the U.S. Perhaps it is the result of WWII. 

I loved the characters and was rooting for them the whole time. The things they went through are incredible. 

I loved the history and glimpse into the sociopolitical culture of not only rural China, but urban China, British Hong Kong, and Taiwan. I understand a little better the animosity between mainland China and Taiwan.

Whether you want a great story about human resilience or want to know more about a time and place in history that you might not know a lot about, this is a book you do not want to miss.

Buy Daughter of Shandong at Amazon

Donna Huber is an avid reader and natural encourager. She is the founder of Girl Who Reads and the author of how-to marketing book Secrets to a Successful Blog Tour.

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