Reviews

Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang

metalhead666's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

4.0

baileyreads18's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective tense slow-paced

4.5

oxnard_montalvo's review against another edition

4.0

Gripping and emotionally honest without any drippy sentimentality. I think Chang managed to illustrate her family's struggles with an even hand. I didn't get a sense she was trying to glorify or demonize anyone.

getyourghosts's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring medium-paced

4.5

A story of human nature

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Death of parent, Suicide attempt, Classism, Violence, and Grief

Moderate: Torture, Medical trauma, Suicide, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: War, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, and Bullying

sidharthvardhan's review against another edition

5.0

A woman's guide to how to survive in China during Civil War and Mao. Also tells you why deitification and blind worship of leaders is a bad thing.

sage1994's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative reflective slow-paced

4.5

aleks_png's review against another edition

4.5

Genuinely so interesting and as it’s more of a memoir than a history book, it’s quite accessible 

hannahnana73's review against another edition

3.0

Finally! I finished this book after like a month (partly because it took a lot of motivation to actually pick it up and continue reading!) Tbh it was recommended by my history teacher and I wasn't expecting much of it... but actually it did surpass my expectations... In the sense I actually wanted to finish it and some parts I was in tears because of all the suffering they went through which I was completely oblivious to... Definitely not something I'd read normally (I'm more of a YA person and usually DESPISE autobiographies and any kind of non-fiction) and it does need quite a lot of perseverance to finish (627 pages ppl!) but I can say it was incredibly saddening and an eye-opening read:)

alternaivan's review against another edition

challenging informative inspiring sad slow-paced

4.5

carmentxx's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

on my cover Mary Wesley writes that ‘it is impossible to exaggerate the important of this book’. in my ignorance i said to my friend, how important can it be? yeah, pretty fucking important. one of the only truthful, harrowing, beyond emotional memoirs to come out of the apocalyptic, cultish nightmare that was 20th century china. how can you give this book anything other than 5 stars? this book took me through every inch of human emotion and poured every detail of the horror- and small amounts of relentless hope- that maoist china enforced. mao was a psychopathic sadist who thrived on horror, destruction, and genocide of his own people. we can never forget. we will not forget. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Gaslighting, Medical trauma, War, Xenophobia, Violence, Confinement, Death, Police brutality, Body horror, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Torture, Murder, Sexual violence, Death of parent, Suicide, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Bullying, Child abuse, and Medical content