Perspective

The story is written in first person from the point of view of the author who has heard stories of her mother and grandmother, with the final sections of the book written from the author's own point of view. The method is appropriate because it is the three generations of the author's family that is at the heart of the story.

The book is set in the real world of China from the 1940s through the 1970s. The places and events are real. Many of them are described to the author while she is calling up her own memories for others. The houses, people, and happening are generally described in great detail, which makes it easy for the reader to become caught up in the story.

For some readers, the descriptions of World War II, the civil war, and the political factions always vying for power may become...