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theoverbookedbibliophile's review
emotional
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.0
“’It is our history that sets us apart from other families,’ Da Ge said. ‘History that sets others apart from us.’”
Their Divine Fires by Wendy Chen is a multigenerational family saga that follows four generations of Chinese and Chinese American women as they navigate through personal loss and tragedy, social and political upheaval and much more. Spanning over a century, we follow our characters through a period of great political and social change in China – from the communist party and peasant revolts leading up to the Chinese Revolution, Japan’s invasion of China, the Cultural Revolution- to present day China and the United States. As the narrative progresses, we follow these characters and bear witness to their hardship, their strength and sacrifices and the consequences of the choices they make and the secrets they keep.
The story begins in the southern China countryside in 1917 with ten-year-old Yunhong and is shared from the perspectives of the main characters across four generations. The story continues with Yuexin, Yunhong’s daughter in China. Yonhong, one of Yuexin’s daughters, emigrates with her family to the United States while her sister Hongxing stays in China and pursues a career in acting. In the United States, Yonhong’s daughter Emily, is motivated to explore the history of the women when she chances upon an old trunk, the contents of which tell a story of love, loss and family secrets.
I loved the premise of this novel. The prose is elegant and I loved the symbolism and the vivid descriptions of the traditions as well as the setting in the first half of the novel. However, I wish the author had woven the significance of the symbolism of the shared birthmark more strongly into the narrative. The author depicts the complicated relationships and friction between the characters realistically, both from the perspectives of the characters concerned as well as those who observe them. The beginning of the story drew me in and I was immersed ( and invested ) in Yunhong’s story, which ends abruptly and we move on to the next generation with more time jumps, long gaps in the narrative and more telling than showing. The disjointed nature of the narrative that follows and the uneven pacing prevented me from connecting with any of the other characters in the story. Certain aspects of the story could have been explored more deeply and the fates of a few of the characters (who were important to the story) are only mentioned in passing as the narrative progresses.
I read an ARC of this novel and am not aware whether the finished copy includes a Note on the historical context of this story. If it does, I believe your reading experience might be richer than my own. Though I wasn’t entirely ignorant of the political landscape of China which serves as a backdrop for this story, I felt that perhaps a bit more perspective or even a well penned Historical Note would have allowed for a better comprehension of the events that were defining moments in the characters’ lives, thereby rendering this short novel more impactful.
Many thanks to Algonquin Books for the digital review copy via NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing for the ALC. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Their Divine Fires by Wendy Chen is a multigenerational family saga that follows four generations of Chinese and Chinese American women as they navigate through personal loss and tragedy, social and political upheaval and much more. Spanning over a century, we follow our characters through a period of great political and social change in China – from the communist party and peasant revolts leading up to the Chinese Revolution, Japan’s invasion of China, the Cultural Revolution- to present day China and the United States. As the narrative progresses, we follow these characters and bear witness to their hardship, their strength and sacrifices and the consequences of the choices they make and the secrets they keep.
The story begins in the southern China countryside in 1917 with ten-year-old Yunhong and is shared from the perspectives of the main characters across four generations. The story continues with Yuexin, Yunhong’s daughter in China. Yonhong, one of Yuexin’s daughters, emigrates with her family to the United States while her sister Hongxing stays in China and pursues a career in acting. In the United States, Yonhong’s daughter Emily, is motivated to explore the history of the women when she chances upon an old trunk, the contents of which tell a story of love, loss and family secrets.
I loved the premise of this novel. The prose is elegant and I loved the symbolism and the vivid descriptions of the traditions as well as the setting in the first half of the novel. However, I wish the author had woven the significance of the symbolism of the shared birthmark more strongly into the narrative. The author depicts the complicated relationships and friction between the characters realistically, both from the perspectives of the characters concerned as well as those who observe them. The beginning of the story drew me in and I was immersed ( and invested ) in Yunhong’s story, which ends abruptly and we move on to the next generation with more time jumps, long gaps in the narrative and more telling than showing. The disjointed nature of the narrative that follows and the uneven pacing prevented me from connecting with any of the other characters in the story. Certain aspects of the story could have been explored more deeply and the fates of a few of the characters (who were important to the story) are only mentioned in passing as the narrative progresses.
I read an ARC of this novel and am not aware whether the finished copy includes a Note on the historical context of this story. If it does, I believe your reading experience might be richer than my own. Though I wasn’t entirely ignorant of the political landscape of China which serves as a backdrop for this story, I felt that perhaps a bit more perspective or even a well penned Historical Note would have allowed for a better comprehension of the events that were defining moments in the characters’ lives, thereby rendering this short novel more impactful.
Many thanks to Algonquin Books for the digital review copy via NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing for the ALC. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
utopiastateofmind's review
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Their Divine Fires is about their struggles and loves across times and generations. It's stories about people who survive rebellion, war, and unrest. About love, arranged marriages, and the loss of our loves. It's about legacy, names, and what they mean. But what happens when we have to disavow them? There are big changes which coincide with these moments, on the precipice of a spark of igniting, and changing across the world.
Their Divine Fires is about their struggles and loves across times and generations. It's stories about people who survive rebellion, war, and unrest. About love, arranged marriages, and the loss of our loves. It's about legacy, names, and what they mean. But what happens when we have to disavow them? There are big changes which coincide with these moments, on the precipice of a spark of igniting, and changing across the world.
lit_fic_nic_'s review
challenging
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
magicshoes's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
memmanemma's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.25
inkreads's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Their Divine Fires by Wendy Chen Narrated by Katharine Chin is more than just a novel, it is a lyrical opus of a families story spanning a century. More than this, it is a family that is symbolic of the human face of enduring through incredibly tumultuous and under-reported times in history. The human face of the people of China
This audiobook was breathtaking to the extent that the book is immediately on my keeper list (I will also quantify this by my own mother having a similar story so this resonated with me on so many levels)
Katharine Chin is a phenomenal narrator and is well suited to the elegant lyricism of the narrative even when the storyline went to more dark and tense places. Beautifully done
I am astounded that this is a debut novel. Gobsmacked. Wendy Chen brings together family history and weaves it with folklore and the history of 20th century China, travelling from the story of her great grandmother to the dichotomy between two cousins in 2018, one in Boston, one still in China
Heart-rending and awe-inspiring, Chen draws the reader into a time long gone, to the fear and bravery of the people through the end days of feudalism, the Cultural Revolution, occupation by the Japanese and the uprising and terror of the 1980's and unrest of the 90s (I remember so well the news reports and the sadly poignant imagery of the time)
This is a novel that arfully draws together the trifecta of family history, historical events and folklore and weaves together an epic page-turner
Absolutely astounding
Thank you to Netgalley, Hachette Audio | Algonquin Books, the author Wendy Chen and narrator Katharine Chin for this stunning ALC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own
This audiobook was breathtaking to the extent that the book is immediately on my keeper list (I will also quantify this by my own mother having a similar story so this resonated with me on so many levels)
Katharine Chin is a phenomenal narrator and is well suited to the elegant lyricism of the narrative even when the storyline went to more dark and tense places. Beautifully done
I am astounded that this is a debut novel. Gobsmacked. Wendy Chen brings together family history and weaves it with folklore and the history of 20th century China, travelling from the story of her great grandmother to the dichotomy between two cousins in 2018, one in Boston, one still in China
Heart-rending and awe-inspiring, Chen draws the reader into a time long gone, to the fear and bravery of the people through the end days of feudalism, the Cultural Revolution, occupation by the Japanese and the uprising and terror of the 1980's and unrest of the 90s (I remember so well the news reports and the sadly poignant imagery of the time)
This is a novel that arfully draws together the trifecta of family history, historical events and folklore and weaves together an epic page-turner
Absolutely astounding
Thank you to Netgalley, Hachette Audio | Algonquin Books, the author Wendy Chen and narrator Katharine Chin for this stunning ALC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own
rstacey2000's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Thank you to NetGalley, Algonquin Books and Hachette Audio for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
The book started off strong and really made me care about our main character in Part I, Yunhong. As someone lacking much knowledge of the Cultural Revolution in China prior to reading this novel, I think I learned a lot and really feel for what many families had to go through during this time. I found myself confused during parts of this novel because it moves quickly and lacks context in some areas, but that's on me to further educate myself on the subject.
This is a short novel, but it definitely had many elements I enjoyed. There were a lot of good comments on the agency women deserve to choose their own destinies and the difficult decisions they are confronted with. I also found the discussion of generational trauma to be very intriguing and wish it was a topic we spent more time focusing on.
For a multi-generational story, the book felt disjointed, with certain parts gripping me while others dragged. Part of the reason for this was the sheer number of characters in the novel, who were inevitably hard to keep track of and therefore, made it difficult to choose any one character to really root for. I found our main women likable for the most part, but never felt I really knew enough about them to form much of an attachment. I think there are great themes touched on in this book, but because of its shorter length, they only dip a bit below surface level.
I read this book via audio and really enjoyed the narrator. I enjoyed the variety of voices used and found it helped pull me into the story even more! My only problem with the audio version was that I found it very difficult to keep up with the amount of the character names covered in such a small amount of time. I think it would enhance the experience to include a reference guide or family tree along with the audio version of this book.
enfiles's review
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
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