Under The Hawthorn Tree. AI Mi (2012) - Plot & Excerpts
It was overall a good plot but dragged on for too too long. It was interesting to see how traditional and backwards-thinking China was then. For example, how it was deemed improper by the society that a girl is to have any sort of interaction with boys/men. The protagonist Jingqiu was extremely selfish, conflicted and hard to please kind of girl, especially when Sun was so good to her. What I found the most ridiculous is her sexual naivete. She has zero understanding of anything related to sex, which is beyond ridiculous, as a lot of it is common sense. For example, she was literally clueless how a baby was made, and what was "down there" on a man's body. I can understand the whole reserved thinking towards sex during that time; however, this naivete of hers is to the level of absurdity. This story takes place in early 1970's China, during the years of the Cultural Revolution.High school student Jingqiu is one of the many urban area students sent to the countryside to be "re-educated" under a dictate from Chairman Mao. Her father is a political prisoner, and her mother a teacher.When Jingiu arrives at the small country village, she meets Jianxin, who is nicknamed "Old Third", (He is not "old" though, he was given that nickname by a family he stayed with, who treated him as their third son.) Old Third is the son of a high ranking military officer. Despite their differing social backgrounds and a political atmosphere forbidding their relationship, they fall in love, but their star-crossed romance is cut short by fate.This story was originally published in China, and it has translated into English. In the notes, the editor that did the translation notes the author (who is wrote it under a pseudonym ) claims it was based on a true story. The story unfolded slowly, but was still very interesting, and the pace of the story made it feel believable. It was also very interesting reading about daily life under Mao's rule. This kind of book certainly makes me feel thankful that I live in a country where we have to freedom to live where we want to, and do what we want to do with our lives.I won a free copy of this book from The Reading Room.
What do You think about Under The Hawthorn Tree. AI Mi (2012)?
A beautifully written book. Sad but very nice.
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![[Hawthorn Tree Forever] (2010) by Ai Mi](/i/cover.jpg)