838. Wild Swans

Wild Swans
Jung Chang
1991
Around 530 pages

Any book banned by a government is worth reading, even if the reading experience isn't all that enjoyable. But this was actually a very entertaining read, so that's a bonus. 

This is a family history that spans three generations of women. So we get to experience three fascinating eras of Chinese history. We get the foot-binding era, the Communist era, and Jung Chang's experience of eventually rejecting the Maoist doctrine and moving to England.

I tend to enjoy multigenerational novels, and this was one of the best crafted of its kind. Chang, her mother, and her grandmother each have satisfying arcs that are set against pivotal moments in history. It's crazy how much China crammed into three generations. 

Those foot-binding descriptions are definitely going to stick with me.

RATING: *****

Interesting Facts:

Sold over 13 million copies.

Translated into 37 languages.

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