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A review by wendohendo
A Single Swallow by Ling Zhang
4.0
I'm not entirely sure how this ended up on my Kindle, I suspect I accidentally clicked it whilst browsing the Unlimited section. I am so glad I did.
Wow! I love books featuring stories from the far east and throw in a four-way love (square) story and the WW2 background of the Chinese fending off the Japanese and it's a compelling and utterly mesmorising story.
Three very different characters at very different stages of their lives come together as the battle to hold off the Japanese invasion increases, all irreversibly touched by the same young girl. Vowing to meet up after they have all died at the village where they all met, each one takes us through their personal journey and how Ah Yan's troubled and often painfully brutal and heart-rending life had intertwined with theirs.
The men don't come out as heroes here, far from it. In fact, their selfish obsession with Ah Yan often serves to cause her further hardship and pain - both physical and emotional.
It's an incredibly sad tale, told from 4 different aspects (including somewhat bizarrely by a couple of dogs at one point), but it's a riveting read with some genuine gut-wrenching moments.
Wow! I love books featuring stories from the far east and throw in a four-way love (square) story and the WW2 background of the Chinese fending off the Japanese and it's a compelling and utterly mesmorising story.
Three very different characters at very different stages of their lives come together as the battle to hold off the Japanese invasion increases, all irreversibly touched by the same young girl. Vowing to meet up after they have all died at the village where they all met, each one takes us through their personal journey and how Ah Yan's troubled and often painfully brutal and heart-rending life had intertwined with theirs.
The men don't come out as heroes here, far from it. In fact, their selfish obsession with Ah Yan often serves to cause her further hardship and pain - both physical and emotional.
It's an incredibly sad tale, told from 4 different aspects (including somewhat bizarrely by a couple of dogs at one point), but it's a riveting read with some genuine gut-wrenching moments.