- #1
I liked how this story is very different from the usual back to the 60s/70s stories. The “kids” are all grown up with wives & children, all with their own set of problems & issues. This made each character multi dimensional, and very human - no one is a saint or a villain, and the everyone has shades of gray.Was also surprised that this novel was anti-romance all the way to the end. I could say that the MC was a reflection of feminism, as she stands firm in her beliefs & independence.The part that surprised me the most was the author’s criticism of the Cultural Revolution, the policy failures of the 60s, no blind nationalism (like in other books) or reviling of foreigners. The author actually managed to portray a very balanced & non glorified perspective of that age. How did this pass china’s censors? (Lol)