Many Chinese memoirs have now been published in the West, but this remains the best – also the biggest – in size and scope – covering three generations. You may find it takes a while to get immersed but persevere and it becomes one of those real “can’t put down” books. The tragic history of modern China is reflected through Jung Chang’s own family, a true epic story that will live with you long after you reach the last page.
Like for Like Reading:
The Good Women of China: Hidden Voices, Xinran
Falling Leaves Return to Their Roots: The True Story of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter, Adeline Yen Mah
A "Piece of Passion" from the publisher...
Although it’s now twenty years ago, I still remember the first time I read the typescript of Wild Swans. I was absolutely overwhelmed by it, and I had no doubt that other readers would feel the same. Little did I imagine, however, that it would become the worldwide phenomenon it did. The reasons for its extraordinary success are not hard to understand. Wild Swans is the true family story of three women who embody the history of twentieth-century China: Jung Chang’s grandmother, the concubine of a feudal warlord; her mother, a dedicated and highly placed Communist official who found herself and her husband persecuted by Mao’s regime; and Jung herself, a young Red Guard who grew up to question Mao, and to accomplish the then near-miraculous feat of escaping China for the West. But no mere summary can remotely do justice to this book. You’ll have to read it for yourself.
| Primary Genre | Biographies & Autobiographies |
| Recommendations: |
A new edition of one of the bestselling and best-loved books of recent years, with a new introduction by the author. The publication of 'Wild Swans' in 1991 was a worldwide phenomenon. Not only did it become the bestselling non-fiction book in British publishing history, with sales of well over two million, it was received with unanimous critical acclaim, and was named the winner of the 1992 NCR Book Award and the 1993 British Book of the Year Award. Few books have ever had such an impact on their readers. Through the story of three generations of women -- grandmother, mother and daughter -- 'Wild Swans' tells nothing less than the whole tumultuous history of China's tragic 20th-century, from sword-bearing warlords to Chairman Mao, from the Manchu Empire to the Cultural Revolution. At times terrifying, at times astonishing, always deeply moving, 'Wild Swans' is a book in a million, a true story with all the passion and grandeur of a great novel. For this new edition, Jung Chang has written a new introduction, bringing her own story up to date, and describing the effect the success of 'Wild Swans' has had on her life.
Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China features in the following genres: Biographies & Autobiographies, eBooks of the Month, Biography, Literature and Literary studies, Recommendations
Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China is available in Paperback
Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China was written by Jung Chang and published by HarperPerennial an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China has 720 pages
£11.69
