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    A Hundred Flowers: A Novel
    A Hundred Flowers: A Novel
    A Hundred Flowers: A Novel
    Audiobook7 hours

    A Hundred Flowers: A Novel

    Written by Gail Tsukiyama

    Narrated by Jane Carr

    3.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    Gail Tsukiyama's A Hundred Flowers is powerful novel about an ordinary family facing extraordinary times at the start of the Chinese Cultural Revolution

    China, 1957. Chairman Mao has declared a new openness in society: "Let a hundred flowers bloom; let a hundred schools of thought contend." Many intellectuals fear it is only a trick, and Kai Ying's husband, Sheng, a teacher, has promised not to jeopardize their safety or that of their young son, Tao. But one July morning, just before his sixth birthday, Tao watches helplessly as Sheng is dragged away for writing a letter criticizing the Communist Party and sent to a labor camp for "reeducation."

    A year later, still missing his father desperately, Tao climbs to the top of the hundred-year-old kapok tree in front of their home, wanting to see the mountain peaks in the distance. But Tao slips and tumbles thirty feet to the courtyard below, badly breaking his leg.

    As Kai Ying struggles to hold her small family together in the face of this shattering reminder of her husband's absence, other members of the household must face their own guilty secrets and strive to find peace in a world where the old sense of order is falling. Once again, Tsukiyama brings us a powerfully moving story of ordinary people facing extraordinary circumstances with grace and courage.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Audio
    Release dateAug 7, 2012
    ISBN9781427222480
    Author

    Gail Tsukiyama

    Gail Tsukiyama was born in San Francisco, California, to a Chinese mother from Hong Kong and a Japanese father from Hawaii. She attended San Francisco State University where she earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree and a Master of Arts Degree in English. She is the bestselling author of several novels, including Women of the Silk and The Samurai’s Garden, as well as the recipient of the Academy of American Poets Prize and the PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award. She divides her time between El Cerrito and Napa Valley, California.

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    Reviews for A Hundred Flowers

    3.5/5

    117 ratings22 reviews

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    • 5/5
      I was thrilled to listen to the interview with Gail Tsukiyama at the end. It was wonderful hearing her writing process.
    • 3/5
      This is the story of Mao's persecution of intellectuals who did not support the party. Set in China in the late 1950s, this intimate narrative takes the reader into one family's devastation over the "re-education" of one of their family members. The loss of a father, husband and son are all examined along with the helplessness and waiting that accompanies such a separation.
    • 5/5
      In 1957, Mao Zedong declared “Let a hundred flowers bloom; let a hundred schools of thoughts contend”, inviting the intellectuals to speak their thoughts for the good of the country. Of course it was a trap; those who spoke out against the regime were arrested and sent to work camps for ‘reeducation’. This is what has happened to Sheng, before the story starts. The story is told from multiple points of view, switching between Kai Ying, Sheng’s wife, the herbal healer; Tao, their school age son; Wei, Sheng’s father, a former scholar and teacher; Song, a widow who lives in part of their house; and Suyin, a homeless teenage girl who enters their lives suddenly. The story moves slowly but steadily. The family hangs suspended, waiting for word of Sheng. Is he coming back soon? Is he well? Is he even alive? It’s a beautiful story, unfolding like the petals of a chrysanthemum. Through spare prose the author paints the picture of the times: food shortages, poverty, uncertainty, constant fear. But the novel is not dark; there is hope, love and growth in the midst of these things. Life goes on; there is beauty in the garden, in old books, in other people. I’m a big fan of Tsukiyama, and I think this is my second favorite of her works
    • 3/5
      Lovely story about a family living directly after Chairman Mao's 100 Flowers campaign, but I would have enjoyed about 100 more pages fleshing out several of the characters and their stories.
    • 4/5
      (Fiction, Historical)Set in Mao’s China in 1957, the title of this book refers to the program—“Let a hundred flowers bloom; let a hundred schools of thought contend”—that saw intellectuals and artists feel free to express dissident ideas, only to find that it led to arrest and ‘re-education’ in labour camps, or even death.Kai Ying’s husband, Sheng, is dragged away the morning of his son’s sixth birthday and sent to a labour camp.Amazon describes it as “a powerfully moving story of ordinary people facing extraordinary circumstances with grace and courage.”It was an interesting lesson in China’s history but it wasn’t powerful enough to sweep me off my feet.4 stars
    • 4/5
      As I have found in other novels written about China and from a Chinese viewpoint, I don't feel very close to any of the characters in this book, but I came away feeling great sympathy for their situation. The setting is China shortly after the rise of Mao Tse Tung (aka Mao Zedong) and the People's Republic of China, a time when freedom of thought and expression were often brutally extinguished.
    • 3/5
      Story of the Chinese cultural revolution as told from the perspective of several members of a family- a young boy, his grandfather (a retired teacher); his mother (a herbalist called on by many people for her skills); his father (sent for retraining by the authorities) and a pregnant girl taken in by the family. Interesting version of China's history.
    • 4/5
      This was a great book to start the year off for our library book club. I have never read a book by Gail Tsukiyama. I am not that familiar with China's history either. I really enjoyed this book right from the start. I started reading the book but then borrowed the audio from Overdrive to finish the book in time for my book club meeting.A Hundred Flowers is a novel with a wide variety of characters. You have Wei, Kai Ying, Tao, Song, Sheng, and Suyin. Kai Ying, Tao and Wei are dealing with Sheng being imprisoned for not believing in the new regime in China. Song is a neighbor who is like family. Suyin is a teenage girl who sees Kai Ying while at the hospital. She follows Kai Ying home one day from the market.Suyin is pregnant and goes into labor while following Kai Ying. The bond that is formed between these characters is very heart warming. I will be looking for more books by Gail Tsukiyama.
    • 1/5
      I received this as a giveaway, and was excited to read it. I was highly disappointed. The description of the book sounded somewhat interesting. Maybe had the book been written in a different style, it may have been a good book. It took me forever to read, and I still cannot grasp the full point of the book. It was choppy. It jumps from character to character, and makes no sense when it does. It's more of a bunch of rambling about other characters and noncharacters. Maybe this just isn't my style of book. It could have been written much better in my opinion.
    • 3/5
      I listened to this book in audiobook format, read exceptionally well by Simon Vance. It was an interesting story about a period in time and history I did not know much about. I wish there had been more actual history and more personal perspectives by the characters as the story unfolded. I enjoyed the story but found it slow. Glad I stuck with it and equally glad it is done now.
    • 2/5
      Joy's review: Well, one of our book group participants said it best for me: "it's as if Tsukiyama was trying to be poetic and didn't quite make it". This leave the book overly simplistic and flat. Story is tucked into Chinese history just after the Communist revolution and just before the Great Leap forward, yet there is no mention of the effects either WWII or the revolution or any foreshadowing of the Great Leap. Good book for middle school students.
    • 4/5
      She writes lovely books. Good read
    • 4/5
      This book was a Goodreads book that I was thrilled to receive. If you like Gail Tsukiyama's books, this will not disappoint. The story is woven through a family through a difficult time. You can't help but turn the pages wondering about each character and how things will turn out. I guess it's a good review to say that I was left wanting more. I'm waiting for Another 100 Flowers now!!!
    • 4/5
      In 1950's China, a family is devastated when one member is imprisoned after participating in a letter writing campaign to critique the government.
    • 4/5
      I received a copy of the e-galley of this book through Shelf Awareness. I historic fiction and especially am excited about this title. I will review it on GoodReads.I really enjoyed this story. Its real appeal is that it is about an ordinary family. The time is 1958 and Chairman Mao and his army are in charge of China. The China of the past is gone and a much more stark and dismal one remains. The father of the family has been taken away to a re-education camp because of political crimes. His absence creates a void in the entire family, and nothing is as it was before. One bright spot for the family is the surprise addition of a 15 year old pregnant stranger who finds her way to their home as she is in the final stages of labor. She and her new daughter seem to bring the change that is needed to tip the scales from limbo to action in the lives of the family, particularly the grandfather.The author did a marvelous job of bringing out the feelings of the characters, and she made me care about them and retain hope that somehow things would work out. This was a simple, but lovely book and I am very thankful to have the chance to read it. If you like stories about families and their interrelationships, you will certainly enjoy A Hundred Flowers.
    • 4/5
      Sheng's family, wife, father, son is analyzed while he is reeducated in 1958 Communist China. the story is told from a number of character's points of view. Interesting, fast read.
    • 4/5
      Not my favorite book from this author but definitely worth the read. You get a better understanding of this time period and how the people suffered. Each character has a voice in the events that occurred while Sheng was imprisoned for reeducation by the government. Tao and Kai learn about love and understanding and forgiveness.
    • 3/5
      Tsukiyama takes us into China when communism is in full force. We are given a glimpse into the lives of one particular family, whose home once would have been considered luxurious, but now after the new laws have been put in place, they struggle to keep food on the table. The chapters alternate between the various characters being told in third person.I usually enjoy stories from this time period when the author takes us into the characters everyday struggles. Something was missing from this novel for me though. I can't say that I particularly enjoyed any of the characters or felt a special closesness or bond with them. I also don't think the plot within the story itself was strong enough to want me to come back for more after I just closed my book for the day.Life for everyone living within the villa became a hardship after Sheng, the breadwinner of the household, was taken away as a prisoner of the new Republic of China. Everyone had new responsibilities and duties that were easily performed by Sheng in the past. Young Tao has his own struggles after he falls out of a tree and breaks his leg. This becomes a changing point for his life as he realizes things at home are not as they seem and life at school will never be the same.All the characters in this novel carry their own burdens, but the one that I sympathize with most would probably be Wei. Wei is Sheng's father and has held a secret deep in his heart since the day they took his son away. One day Wei can no longer take the shame he feels that he has placed on his son's shoulders, and embarks on a journey to set things right.As I indicated earlier, all the characters have their own crosses to bear, but I just didn't feel a connection to any of them. Maybe I just missed something or was in the wrong frame of mind when reading this novel. With themes of communism, China, family, and honor, you may enjoy this book more than I did.
    • 4/5
      With spare, elegant prose, this novel takes the reader into the everyday life of a family in Communist China, whose lives have been forever changed by the choice to speak out against the Communist Party. The story shifts perspectives among Kai Ying, whose husband Sheng has been sent to the labor camps and not seen for the last year; Tao, their son; Wei, Sheng’s father; Song, a family friend; and Suyin, a girl who soon becomes connected to the family by chance. This isn’t a fast-moving plot; rather, it seems almost meditative in its pacing. The outcome of the story matters less than the opportunity to share in the daily life of a family, one of whose beloved members has become a living ghost. We see how Sheng’s absence affects each member, and we also see how each experiences the uncertainty of whether he is even still alive, as they react in different ways. Relationships within the family shift and change even as each lives in a world where time seems to stand still. The author does a beautiful job of showing us what it is to live in this world, and highlights the painful choice of remaining quietly safe with family or speaking out against oppression, risking the loss of everything. The reader can’t help but wonder how he or she would acclimate to the same circumstances. While I would have liked the characters to be a bit more fleshed out, and to have had a deeper sense of the family’s life together before Sheng was taken, I found the novel to be a quiet work of beauty that was immensely enjoyable.
    • 4/5
      When Mao instituted the 100 flowers campaign, the party invited thoughts from intellectuals and artists on ways to improve China and the party itself. Although the party had previously persecuted intellectuals and artists, Kai Ying's husband Sheng, thought this time it would be different so he responded in good faith and this act led to his downfall. He was dragged off to a labor camp to be "reeducated". This had not just a financial impact but also a deep emotional one on his wife, son and father.Using several points of view, Tskukiyama presents a heartwrenching story of the day-to-day survival of Sheng's family. Kai Ying keeps busy with her herbalist patients and running the household. Tao has to recover from his accident and attend school and his father, Wei, has to live with his guilty secret, his sense of shame and loneliness. But, inside all three desperately miss Sheng in their own way."Kai Ying knew that being "reeducated" was like falling down a black hole. Some were never seen again, while others returned defeated, deadened by the experience of hard labor, illness, and starvation. She willed for him to hold on, to return to them. She didn't allow herself to think of what they were going to do if Sheng never returned, if she never heard his voice or felt his touch again. ""Don't worry, you ba ba will be back soon," he said reassuringly. Tao nodded, but all he tasted as he sucked on the hard candy was grief.""He and his mother were sad, but his grandfather's sadness was different, heavier, like a weight pulling him down."The introduction of several minor characters along with some of their back story added to the richness and depth of the tale.Every book Gail has written, I have read and loved. Tsukiyama mentally and emotionally transported me to China during this most turbulent time. Every one of her books, although fiction, has taught me something about China's history. Tsukiyama not only makes her characters come alive but also the times and the place. Even though I didn't love it as much as The Street of a Thousand Blossoms, I still enjoyed it very much.
    • 3/5
      This is a story about a family caught up in the cultural revolution of 1957under the leadership of Chairman Mao. After losing Sheng, father and husband, taken for the purposes of reeducation, Kai Ying must do what she can for the family that is left. This is a relatively simple story in times that were anything but and it is told well. Although many Chinese dies during this time, mainly of starvation, food did not seem to be much of a problem with this family. Told from five different viewpoints I found the story of Suyin, homeless teenager wandering the streets to be the most interesting. The pacing of this novel is a bit slow and to be honest multiple viewpoints tend to break up the story for me instead of adding to it. It is , however, a story that is told well, and portrays an ordinary family caught up in something beyond their control.
    • 5/5
      In 1957, Mao Zedong declared “Let a hundred flowers bloom; let a hundred schools of thoughts contend”, inviting the intellectuals to speak their thoughts for the good of the country. Of course it was a trap; those who spoke out against the regime were arrested and sent to work camps for ‘reeducation’. This is what has happened to Sheng, before the story starts. The story is told from multiple points of view, switching between Kai Ying, Sheng’s wife, the herbal healer; Tao, their school age son; Wei, Sheng’s father, a former scholar and teacher; Song, a widow who lives in part of their house; and Suyin, a homeless teenage girl who enters their lives suddenly. The story moves slowly but steadily. The family hangs suspended, waiting for word of Sheng. Is he coming back soon? Is he well? Is he even alive? It’s a beautiful story, unfolding like the petals of a chrysanthemum. Through spare prose the author paints the picture of the times: food shortages, poverty, uncertainty, constant fear. But the novel is not dark; there is hope, love and growth in the midst of these things. Life goes on; there is beauty in the garden, in old books, in other people. I’m a big fan of Tsukiyama, and I think this is my second favorite of her works