Book Review – February Flowers
I’m predictable in the sense that I will almost always read fiction written by Asian or Asian-American women. No doubt I’m looking for characters that I can relate to in some way. An additional bonus is the possibility of gleaning a bit of history and/or exploring a perspective I wouldn’t normally glimpse. So, it was with these expectations that I picked up February Flowers, written by Fan Wu.
The novel is set in China in the early 90’s, and centers around two young women attending college. It opens with the tidbit that the women – who were very close during college – are no longer in contact. It would be a stretch to say it’s suspenseful, but the mystery of why they eventually part ways is somewhat intriguing.
After a slow, meandering start of contrasting the qualities of women in an unlikely friendship, the book begins to provide some possible answers to why these women are attracted to each other at all.
The younger student, Chen Ming, is the narrator. She’s studious, comes from an intellectual family, and is somewhat cautious when it comes to dating and life in general. We learn quickly that she’s somewhat withdrawn compared to her peers. She is portrayed preferring books to people, until she meets Miao Yan. The author teases us with details about the mysterious Yan (who is four years older than Ming). We learn about her bit by bit, as Ming does. Though we know right away she’s a wilder, sensual, less traditional figure from the start. Their glue seems to be a curiosity about each other, as their approaches and choices are diametrical. Since their friendship isn’t borne out of a sense of similarity, as a reader, you know that at some point they’ll be at odds with one another.
It seems these women could be metaphors for old China and
modern China, and how the traditional population and those with modern ways of
thinking are attempting to co-exist and learn from each other. The passages in this novel describing the
Chinese city of Guangzhou were insightful and intriguing. The city itself is transitioning from old to new, just as the girls are becoming women.
In summary, this is a coming of age story, as well as a perspective of the complicated nature of young female friendship. They fall in infatuation with each other, the way only young people can. For whatever reason I never fully invested in either of the characters. So, personally the novel lacked the emotional draw that characterizes fiction I'll re-read and savor. Though I would still recommend this book to anyone who is interested in reading about China, and/or coming of age stories.
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also, i hate those asian movies. they're always SO cheesy. the only one i liked was The Motel. other than that, unless they're kung fu flicks or hong kong/thai action movies, i can't stomach them. hehe.
i'm such a hater. ;P
i recall not hating it. but i can't remember if i actually LIKED it, ya know? :)
This sounds interesting. I may have to pick it up. I don't come from an Asian background, but I love reading books written by Asian or Asian-American authors. I loved The Hundred Secret Senses by Amy Tan. I also love reading books set in China or Japan, especially historical fiction like Snow Flower and the Secret Fan.
I think the reason I like Asian literature so much is the opposite of the reason you do. It is so different from my cultural background, and that's what makes it so fun to read.
I too tend to gravitate toward fiction wriiten by Asian & Asian American women. My faovrite female authors are Banana Yoshimoto, Maxine Hong Kingston & Amy Tan. Even though, my ancestry hails from all over Europe, I have always felt at home with these writers and I love how they expand my world.
I am excited to check out February Flowers - thanks!!
Oh, I LOVE Joy Luck Club. I can see how some might think it's emotionally manipulative, but I love it anyway. I also enjoy reading Asian and Asian-American authors--Kazuo Ishiguro is one of my writing heroes. Banana Yoshimoto is pretty great, too.
Oohhh, Never Let Me Go, definitely. It's a quick read, too. Not everyone I've talked to feels the same way, but what I like about Ishiguro is his subtlety--he leaves a good amount of room for reading between the lines. It's a haunting story.