What do readers think of All the Flowers in Shanghai by Duncan Jepson? Write your own review.

This reminded me of The Secret Fan in many ways, the Chinese sense of duty to family and the unworthiness of women. Feng, the main character, makes some poor choices that are meant for revenge but only cause pain to herself. She has some people in her life that prove to be truly good people and, perhaps, are more patient with Feng than she deserves. A good story that is not tied up too neatly at the end.

The story is told as a letter from Feng, the main character, to the daughter she abandoned at birth, thru flash backs we learn the story of her arranged marriage to the Sang family whose humiliations and cruelty turn Feng into a bitter, revengeful woman. All the flowers in Shanghai is full of tradition to not “ lose face” half way thru the story we are shown bits of Chairman Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution and the birth of the People’s Republic of China and some of the terror of his regime.
Feng is hard to love after her transformation from a sweet, quiet girl into a mean spirited, bitter and regretful woman. Book clubs will love this book; analyzing Feng should lead to great discussions

In his author's insight, Jepson states that in writing this book he wanted "to explore Chinese attitudes toward motherhood, children, and family." It is a story with multiple intentions. It can be viewed as a book about hatred, an expose of the Chinese opinion that women and children are replaceable, or as a story of cowardice.

The city of Shanghai features as a dominate character. The storyline begins with a traditional Shanghai in 1932, and presents a diverse city with traditional Chinese values encountering European influences to the extent that locals cannot even take rooms in the luxury hotels. Shanghai moves from a city of elegance to a city busy with new hostilities after the Revolution.

Running through the plot is a unifying reference to flowers. Feng's story begins in a garden with her beloved grandfather teaching her the Latin names of flowers. Throughout the book we encounter phrases such as "First Wife's breath was like a stale flower."

As a debut novel Jepson does an admirable job of telling the story through the voice of a woman. Along with her story we get bits of wisdom suitable for framing, such as "You must live because someone wants you to live" and "Change becomes acceptable once you are accustomed to change itself."

Unlike so many descriptions of Mao's China that cover the punishments dealt to intellectuals, the focus here is on the poor peasants. In this case it is a group of older women who become a full production unit charged with sewing trousers and shirts for the new order. They are told that there must be more enthusiasm for scarves as they are a unifying symbol of the movement. They take Feng in when she flees Shanghai, and they must all unlearn everything they had ever known: traditions, supersititions, and old philosophies. They become consumed by productivity.

The book begins with Feng addressing someone. "I still know your face. I see it clearly as it was at the very beginning, not how it was left after I had hurt you." The reader does not get information about the identity of this face until the last third of the book.

All in all, it is a good read albeit a bit ambitious in its scope.

This was a great novel which I read in one sitting and would highly recommend it to anyone. For a debut novel it was well written.

Amy Tan and Maxine Hong Kingston's ghosts speak and guide us in their familiar histories.
"Flowers in Shanghai" does not strive or accomplish any social mores of the Chinese tradition. The main character, Feng, didn't act out, is unemotional, and just hides in her room like a dormant flower.
Feng comes to the wealthy Sang family with no experience or with any practical advice. The only beauty in the story is the garden and her grandpa. Feng is the wounded, wilting, and uncaring mother instead of the customary heroine. She needs to plot action to grow. Or does Jepson want her to appear as a non-person showing the readers the prevailing attitude toward daughters in the East? He certainly accomplished this.
The historical fiction of the new modern era verses the old China seems to come too late into the story.

After recently reading Lisa Sea's two books about Flowers-"All the Flowers in Shanghai" was lacking depth. I never felt that the main characters actions were justified and never sympathized with her self pity. However, the book moved quickly and seemed historically correct. I must admit that I may have read too many "Shanghai stories" in too little time.

I picked this book up and immediately put it down feeling uninspired to continue by the drab beginning. When I did finally pick it up, weeks later, it took on a better momentum and I found myself wanting to see what would happen next... While much of the book is predictable, and the characters seemed undeveloped I found it to be a compelling read once it got going. The story is remarkably sad, if not unfortunately, a realistic depiction of heartbreak in China during those years.

When I received this book, I was curious to read it but I was immediately put off by the cover and the title. I was afraid I had received poor imitation of some of the better books with the same setting.

But after putting it off for several weeks, I plunged in and discovered that I still held the same feelings. The story line itself might have been interesting but for some reason the minute details really slowed down the pace of the novel. Perhaps the fact that Duncan Jepson is a filmmaker and a lawyer makes prone to details but it doesn't always work in this book.

The characters and their motivations are somewhat confusing. When Feng had her first child she gives it away because she is angry. But I never really understood why she wanted her baby daughter to be raised in poverty. Then suddenly she gives in to enjoying the wealth and position of her family but it is never really clear why this transition took place.

I struggled through this book and would be hesitant to recommend it.