Apple An
Mother of Red Mountains: A Novel of a Woman's Journey Through Revolutionary China
Eleven year old XiaoJun Liu, enjoys helping out in her father’s store in Chifeng, northeastern China. The Liu family is close knit, but life changes when the eldest son joins Chiang Kai-Shek’s National Army to fight in the Civil War, and Mrs Liu dies suddenly. XiaoJun starts school and excels academically, but she is made homeless at the age of 17 when the government of the People’s Republic of China seize the family home. XiaoJun finds friendship and comfort with a schoolboy named Yanshao. XiaoJun changes her name to Jun, and attends a vocational school to study civil engineering with Yanshao. Jun and Yanshao develop a deep affection for one another, but dating at school is strictly forbidden. Following her graduation, Jun finds work in a prestigious civil engineering institute, and drifts apart from Yanshao. She meets a man named Binkai and becomes pregnant out of wedlock. She quickly marries Binkai, but due to their different social statuses, she is never fully accepted by his family. Jun struggles to balance work and new motherhood, and is forced to rely on Binkai’s family for support. But when the Red Guards threaten the in-laws, Jun has a difficult decision to make to protect her children.
Mother of Red Mountains: A Novel of a Woman's Journey Through Revolutionary China is a historical fiction novel by author Apple An. Set in China between 1946 and 1966, this is a powerful and poignant novel about a young girl growing up during a turbulent period of China’s history – a time marked by war, political upheaval and social change. Jun faces unimaginable grief and hardship in the new People’s Republic of China, but fights to survive against all odds to give her children a better life. Apple An masterfully blends historical moments with a deeply personal narrative, capturing the struggles of a generation alongside an individual perspective. XiaoJun Liu’s journey is both heart breaking and inspirational.
Star rating: 5 Stars
Summary: A powerful and poignant historical fiction novel that transports the reader to mid-twentieth century China.
