UNDER THE HAWTHORN TREE (AI MI)

 

 

Review:

 

House of Anansi Press Inc.|April 6, 2013|Trade Paperback|ISBN: 978-1-77089-350-4

 

Under the Hawthorn Tree takes place in 1974 during the heart of the Cultural Revolution in China.  Jingqiu is a high school student who is very good at writing essays and is chosen as one of the students to travel to a small village to interview the people, write up her conversations so that they may be used as new textbooks. 

 

While there she meets Old Third and falls hopelessly in love but is his love ‘true’ and returned at the depth to which hers is?  Love is a funny thing and at times people do all sorts of things they wouldn’t normally do all in the name of love.

 

The story was so well-written, so engrossing that I couldn’t turn the page fast enough.  I was totally lost in the novel.  I’ve had it on my ‘to be read’ pile for a while and now wish I had of read it much sooner than I did.  This is a book that would definitely be enjoyed by everyone.  I might just read it again myself.