Catherine (alternativelytitledbooks) - so very behind!'s Reviews > Daughters of Shandong

**Many thanks to Berkley and Eve J. Chung for an ARC of this book provided via NetGalley! Now available as of 5.7!!**

"There are two powers in the world; one is the sword and the other is the pen. There is a third power stronger than both, that of women." - Malala Yousefzai

While some may be overjoyed at the birth of ANY child, in 1940s China, having "just another daughter" is nothing short of a curse. Amidst the poverty of the rural community of Shandong, the wealthy Ang family are desperate for a son to carry on the family name and the family wealth, leaving Hai and her sisters feeling like less of a blessing and more of a burden. With the Communist revolution knocking at their doorstep (quite literally) the girls try to keep their heads down and hope to remain out of the fray...but the rest of the family flees when soldiers arrive. Hai, as the eldest girl, is chosen to be representative for her family and must bear the brunt of the soldiers cruelty... and feels lucky to make it out alive.

Hai and her sisters know now is the time to make their escape, and with practically nothing but the burlap sacks they fashion as clothing (and flour they hide inside) to take with them as they are forced out...they have NO Idea if they will even make it to their destination alive. Their travels take them from Qingdao to Hong Kong to Taiwan, relying on the kindness of few along the way, with Hai keeping headstrong sister Di on the right path and hoping to lean on her intelligence to land a teaching job, the girls scrap, scrimp, and struggle their way across the countryside, determined to face the men who wronged them and forge a new path for themselves - one that doesn't revolve around producing yet another faceless male heir who will demand their subservience. As they finally reach family in Taiwan, will all of Hai's struggles and the arduous journey she has faced so far be worth the pain in the end as she is able to make a TRUE stand against injustice? Or will the firm grasp of the patriarchy keep these women "in their place" and stifle ANY chance for REAL independence?

With historical fiction, it's sometimes easier to get swept away by the text if you're very familiar with the place, era, and the events taking place...and in this case, I had little familiarity coming into this book about all three of those elements. I have to admit I spent a lot more of this read getting acclimated to what was going on at any given time, keeping track of where we were geographically, and keeping track of the characters and their activities than I would have liked, and this did take me out of the 'flow' a bit while reading. Chung is a very talented writer, but I felt like this read a bit more like a text rather than fiction at times, where there was a great deal of focus on the plot, where we were heading next, etc. so this style of HF reads a bit dry to me in comparison to others that have a more balanced approach. However, I also DO feel if I had the historical background coming INTO the book, this probably wouldn't have been noticeable or bothered me in the slightest, so it was one of those instances where I wish I'd taken a few minutes to do a little preemptive research before reading (and perhaps next time I will!)

What I honestly wished there was more of in this book was character development - because every glimpse we DID get into these fascinating women left me wanting more. At the beginning, I thought the harsh words from the girls' grandmother about how useless they were for not being born male etc. were going to play a bigger part in the overall goings on...but I felt like despite Chung's best efforts, there was so much plot content to get through, that I didn't get as thorough of a glimpse inside the minds of Hai, Di, and the others as I would have liked. I understood their struggles through the action, sure; but with such dynamic and intelligent personalities, it would have been even more impactful to get a firm sense of their INNER selves. I'm not saying this book could have necessarily functioned as a series of diary entries or the like, but I think utilizing that sort of device would have given an extra layer of realism and emotional connectivity that I personally look for in some of my favorite historical fiction reads.

What DID elevate the overall experience for me, however, was the detailed and fascinating author's note Chung includes at the end of this one, where she reveals that this book was in fact based on her OWN family's personal history. Her attention to detail and careful consideration while telling her family's story alone was enough to get me to bump up my rating. This is one of those author's notes that makes you want to read an entire BOOK (or maybe watch a documentary?) about the writing process because there is simply too much detail to fit inside an addendum. I know it probably isn't feasible, but since this is only Chung's debut, perhaps in the future she could delve into what happens next for our beloved women of Shandong!

And although I won't reveal whether or not grandmother Nai Nai has to eat her own words by the end of this harrowing tale...I WILL reference one other quote that sums up the power, the resilience, the determination, and the fortitude displayed by ALL of the Daughters of Shandong: "If you want something said, ask a man. If you want something DONE, ask a woman."

Perfectly stated, Margaret Thatcher.

😉

4 stars, rounded up from 3.5