Which timeline did you enjoy the most?

Was Dieu Lan's stories or present reality more intriguing to read and why?

I think her stories were more intriguing. The background of her family and the success they once had made her future troubles so much more heartbreaking.

I found Dieu Lan's stories remarkable, especially those about her extraordinary efforts to ensure her children's safety and survival by having to leave them with others/strangers and then her search to find them.

I found the timeline stories of all of the brothers and Huong's mother to be compelling. Each individual story added to the overall understanding of the human responses to the devastations of war and the strength of familial love.

Dieu Lan's stories set the tone for the whole book. Her stories took us back to the beginning of the families plight. The stories revealed how love, loyalty and family can survive through adversity.

Well...I don't know if 'enjoy' is the correct verb here...but the story concerning Land Reform and what Dieu Lan's family suffered was quite horrifying to me. Having to escape from her own neighbors, being disguised, leaving her children in various places so that she and her baby could reach Hanoi...all of this is something I cannot imagine experiencing. I did not know about Land Reform and its effect on families such as Dieu Lan's.

I agree with you rosienick! The land reform was a tough to read concept and the suffering of Dieu Lan's family. Some villagers even tried defending the family, but it seemed to be mob mentality and it was all taken away and destroyed. It was interesting that the story comes full circle with returning the homeland and it is just in tatters. So sad.