Tiananmen Square

by Lai Wen

An epic, deeply moving coming-of-age novel about young love and lasting friendships forged in the years leading up to the Tiananmen Square student protests, for readers of The Beekeeper of Aleppo and The Night Tiger.

As a child in Beijing in the 1970s, Lai lives with her family in a lively, working-class neighborhood near the heart of the city. Thoughtful yet unassuming, she spends her days with her friends beyond the attention of her Her father is a reclusive figure who lingers in the background, while her mother, an aging beauty and fervent patriot, is quick-tempered and preoccupied with neighborhood gossip. Only Lai's grandmother, a formidable and colorful maverick, seems to really see Lai and believe that she can blossom beyond their circumstances.

But Lai is quickly awakened to the harsh realities of the Chinese state. A childish prank results in a terrifying altercation with police that haunts her for years; she also learns that her father, like many others, was broken during the Cultural Revolution. As she enters adolescence, Lai meets a mysterious and wise bookseller who introduces her to great works-Hemingway, Camus, and Orwell, among others-that open her heart to the emotional power of literature and her mind to thrillingly different perspectives. Along the way, she experiences the ebbs and flows of friendship, the agony of grief, and the first steps and missteps in love.

A gifted student, Lai wins a scholarship to study at the prestigious Peking University where she soon falls in with a theatrical band of individualists and misfits dedicated to becoming their authentic selves, despite the Communist Party's insistence on conformity-and a new world opens before her. When student resistance hardens under the increasingly restrictive policies of the state, the group gets swept up in the fervor, determined to be heard, joining the masses of demonstrators and dreamers who display remarkable courage and loyalty in the face of danger. As 1989 unfolds, the spirit of change is in the air…

Drawn from her own life, Lai Wen's novel is mesmerizing and haunting-a universal yet intimate story of youth and self-discovery that plays out against the backdrop of a watershed historic event. Tiananmen Square captures the hope and idealism of a new generation and the lasting price they were willing to pay in the name of freedom.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, China, Historical, Asia, Contemporary, Audiobook

528 pages, Paperback

First published June 4, 2024

Reviews

[emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

my preferred way of learning history is through literary fiction about girls coming of age...

but this was just a very strange book.

it’s long, which would make sense since it takes place over like 15 years, except it’s mostly long in the sense of under-edited. we follow our protagonist from childhood to college, but she never goes through character development—just a kind of shallow pass at an abusive relationship and a fully bizarre friendship i can’t even typecast. this is filled with sweeping generalizations and weird contradictions. why would a girl whose after dark playtime led to the authorities dislocating her arm and interrogating her be shocked by the government pushing protesters around because she thought “they would never do that to us”? they did it to you already!

worse, i came out of this book feeling i know no more about the tiananmen square protests than i did before reading it. this is clunky and out of time in language, slang, emotion, culture, and history. the moments and feelings around what prompted this feel vague, an afterthought. and the ending is so crazy without anything to ground it in.

bottom line: i expected to like lots about this book, but i couldn't find much of anything.

(thanks to the publisher for the arc)

[Roman Clodia · Rating 3 out of 5]

That single figure in front of the massiveness of those tanks; it was incongruous, like seeing an iceberg float across the warm waters of Hawaii.

I can imagine this book being a commercial success as it's warm-hearted and accessible, it has an unambiguous 'villain' in the Chinese authoritarian state, and the protests in Tiananmen Square have taken on an iconic status with that image of the protestor in front of the tanks beamed around the world. But this book wasn't a good match to me as a reader as it's more family saga than political novel, with about 75% following our narrator from childhood to university student. The protests come late and are described in sweeping generalisations.

And I guess that's a comment I'd make about this book overall: it feels generic rather than specific. I didn't really get a sense of what it was like growing up in China in the 1970s-1980s other than in the most superficial way. More time is spent on friendships, on family dynamics, than the insider view I wanted: there's barely any ideology here either before or after the protests, and I wanted to know how, for example, the CCP have a purchase on education given that the protagonist spends all her time in the book either at school or university. But that isn't really where the interests of the book lie.

When we finally get to Tiananmen Square there's a similar flattening and lack of complexity. We are told, always told, that the general population supported the students, that there was tension in the military who were not, en masse, supportive of Deng and the Party but we don't learn more about this wider rebellion or dissension in the army, or the government's response. I don't know, this feels a little YA, almost like all those dystopian fantasies where a small band of friends get together to raise a rebellion to overthrow the wicked dictator - only here the revolution doesn't win: that's real life for you.

Rather than political analysis we get this sort of thing: 'I imagine Deng and his cronies, so accustomed to power, had been sent into a fit of apoplectic rage by this point' - well, maybe... but Nineteen Eighty-Four this isn't. Which is fine, it's a different, personal, 'caught in the maelstrom of history' book - but just not to my taste.

I ended the book with questions: how fictionalized is this? Was 'tank man' really a woman or is that novelization?. And the epilogue that equates Tiananmen Square with Black Lives Matter and other protests like #MeToo and abortion rights is an indicator of the loose political thinking that underpins the book.

For all my reservations, this is good on the narrator's family and the complicated ways in which they have responded to Mao Zedong, the Cultural Revolution and its aftermath. There's a warmth in the writing which is not sophisticated in literary terms: look at the opening quotation and see how that iconic image is hampered and edged out by the clumsy and puzzlingly inappropriate simile: 'That single figure in front of the massiveness of those tanks; it was incongruous, like seeing an iceberg float across the warm waters of Hawaii'.

So a mis-match between book and reader in this case - but I'm sure plenty of readers who prefer 'human interest' history to political and ideological analysis will enjoy this. 2.5-3 stars.

Thanks to the publisher for an ARC via NetGalley

[isolde ⭑ hiatus · Rating 5 out of 5]

DOUBLE WHAMMY TO THE HEART (coming of age and asian literature)

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was excited to read this book. In 1989 I was a young adult and remember the news covering the protests. Lai Wen was around the same age as I was but experienced a starkly different upbringing. I wanted to learn all about her life and how she experienced the events. I was prepared to read a memoir but what I hadn’t expected was such a beautifully written one!

As I began reading the story of her life I was overcome with joy at the beauty of her descriptions of her feelings and observations. Lai Wen mentions early on that she wanted to write. At an early age she began filling empty notebooks and she definitely has a way with words! I was immersed. I could imagine her at dinner with her family. I could see her traipsing the streets with her neighborhood friends and drinking tea with the elderly bookstore owner. Her words were like a brush painting pictures in my mind.

This is a coming of age story. I have never liked those much but this, in my opinion, is a wonderful one. Lai begins with her quirkily beloved grandmother and then adds her very interesting family members. A tyrannical, jealous Mother an aloof unemotional Father and a doted-upon younger brother.

Lai’s life is peppered with a colorful cast of characters. What I noticed most about the women is how they are devalued. In school and at home. Most men are revered and respected.

I enjoyed her life memories that built up until the point of the protests. It was a little slow during the college days but by the end I understood why that was necessary. I felt like she wanted to make sure we truly knew her characters. There were some college and teen activities that I could have done without but they seem true to that age group.

This story does not start as a political story. But Lai becomes political as she grows aware of the censorship in college. That’s when she decides to join her friends and make a stand.

I laughed and cried as I read. I especially cried at the end. It’s sad what happened to a lot of those students. And for Lai the losses were substantial.

I do not know if this is a true story but it claims to be so I will take it at face value. I will never look at the student protests the same way again and especially not “The Tank Man”

TW: profanity, sex and violence.

Many thanks to Lai Wen and Spiegel and Grau for the ARC via NetGalley.

[Stephanie Fitzgerald · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was very different from what I expected, when I requested it on Netgalley. The author’s style of writing was difficult to follow and understand. At many points I was unsure whether the narrator was a young child or a teenager; she referred to herself as a young child even in passages where I knew she was 14 or 15. And, it was just a very strange novel to wrap my head around. That’s what I kept thinking as I pushed myself through it; that it was extremely weird. I finished it, but I did not enjoy it.

[Joy D · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel tells a coming-of-age story set against a backdrop of Chinese history from the 1970s – 1990s. Protagonist Lai grows up in a poor section of Beijing and is fortunate to be taken under the wing of a bookshop owner, who provides her with books to read and return. She reads prolifically and is eventually offered a scholarship to university. The story provides interwoven details about the protagonist’s family, relationships, friendships, and cultural elements of life in Beijing, culminating in student activism and the Tiananmen Square protest.

Lai Wen is the pseudonym of a Beijing-born immigrant living in Great Britain who participated in the protest. I particularly enjoyed the literary references, and their applicability to life under a totalitarian regime. It is written in the manner of a young adult novel. While it is fiction, it represents a lived experience by the author. I think readers who are unfamiliar with this period in Chinese history will find a lot to like here.

[Susanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Being human is about remembering. We are the sum of all our memories. And yet, everyone forgets.”

Memoir or fiction? I would say memoir, written under a pseudonym to protect the author, and any family members remaining in China. This story is about growing up in Beijing in the 1970s and 80s. There is something so deeply touching, tender yet powerful in the writing.

We follow Lai on her journey as she leads us through her childhood and teenage years. She tells us of her fears, anxieties and insecurities which are so painful yet exquisitely written. Her voice is soft and sensitive. Lai introduces us to her friends, playful and innocent until an incident with the controlling regime’s police brutality forever changes her.

We get to know her family. The withdrawn father. The bitter angry mother. The rebellious, spirited grandmother whose strength grounds them all. Each character in their own way presents us with lingering aspects of the Cultural Revolution. Tiananmen Square viewed, for most of the book, from a distance, is the ever present reminder of this past. As the story develops we are witness to Lai’s awareness changing and her political activism developing while attending Peking University.

It is only there, near the end of the book, that the story brings us to the events of the student rebellion of 1989 in Tiananmen Square. Lai is our witness to the actions of the government, the military, and the consequences of her friend's involvement..

This coming of age story is compelling, haunting, emotive and written beautifully. By the end, it left me in tears. It is a book I will long remember.

Thank you to the publishers and to NetGalley for the ARC.

[Melanie Caldicott · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a book I was super interested in as it was an historic event I was keen to look at from the lens of fiction, helping me to understand the political situation more and better moved by the chatacters' involvement with the tragedy. But the writing style of this novel was distracting. I just felt it was poorly written with a repetitive use of language, weird pacing, and patchy characterisation. I wanted to journey with these characters but could not emotionally engage due to the clunky writing.
This honest review is given with thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this book.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a coming of age story based on the years leading up to the Tiananmen Square student protests and massacre.
Based on true events from author Lai Wen's own life this is a mesmerizing and haunting story of a new generation and the price they are willing to pay for freedom.
An excellent read!

[Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

An intimate look at a monumental event in world history. The book moves a bit slowly at times, but it is engaging and builds genuine connection with these young people.

According to the publisher, the author’s name is a pseudonym, and the author is a survivor of the Tiananmen Square massacre. Without knowing which parts of the book are autobiographical and which are fiction, it is difficult to accurately rate and review.

[Madison ✨ (mad.lyreading) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well this was a disappointment. With a title like "Tiananmen Square," and the author writing under a pseudonym (presumably because of the contents of the book), I figured this book would go into the politics that lead to the incident known as Tiananmen Square. But alas, this is not the case! With a few references to the Cultural Revolution through the main character's grandmother, that was about as political as it got. Lai, the main character, dates an absolute awful man who is politically radical but also elitist, and wants to make change "the right way." What led to Tiananmen Square? I don't know. What happened at Tiananmen Square? I don't know. Why did Tiananmen Square happen? I don't know. Also, the entirety of the events of Tiananmen Square occurred at about 80% in and lasted for a single chapter, so I am not expecting anyone who read this book to know the answers to any of these questions.

This made me so mad I DNFed at 82%. I feel like the publisher went with this title to trick us into thinking this was a politically-driven book, when in reality it was a fictionalised memoir of the author. I felt lied to.

Thank you to Spiegel & Grau and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

[Paulina · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5⭐️

[PiaReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entschuldigung, aber warum reden eigentlich nicht mehr Menschen über dieses Buch? Ein autofiktionaler Roman, in dem die Identität von Tank Man aufgedeckt wird! Allein das wäre schon Grund genug für Aufmerksamkeit. Aber eins nach dem anderen.

Was der Klappentext verschweigt: Er beschreibt so ziemlich die Hälfte dieses wirklich langen, aber nicht unbedingt langweiligen Romans. Der Einstieg ist stark im Coming-of-Age verankert – Lai wächst in einem lauten Pekinger Arbeiterviertel auf, inmitten familiärer Spannungen und politischer Enge. Doch gerade dieser Teil hat mich berührt: Die Familien- und Freundschaftsbeziehungen sind voller Leben, Nuancen und Konflikte – und sie bilden fast ein Panorama des chinesischen 20. Jahrhunderts ab. Vom Füssebinden über die Kulturrevolution bis hin zur aufkeimenden Demokratiebewegung.

Meine Lieblingscharaktere? Ganz klar: Die Grossmutter – kompromisslos, liebevoll, furchtlos direkt. Sie sagt, was Sache ist, auch wenn andere schweigen oder sich hinter Fassade und Konvention verstecken. Der alte Buchhändler, stiller Hüter des Wissens, war ein weiterer Lichtpunkt. Dagegen steht der Vater, tief traumatisiert und meist schweigend; die Mutter, die nur den äusseren Schein wahren möchte; und der kleine Bruder, der für die nötige Portion Chaos sorgt.

Erst ab der Hälfte wird die historische Dimension konkret – als Lai mit einem Stipendium zur Peking-Universität kommt, sich eine neue Welt auftut. Was folgt, ist keine abstrakte Geschichtsstunde, sondern ein kraftvoll erzählter, mutiger Bericht über Freundschaft, Aufbruch und die erschütternden Ereignisse rund um den Platz des Himmlischen Friedens.

Die Protagonistin macht im Laufe der Geschichte eine bemerkenswerte Entwicklung durch – von der stillen Beobachterin zur engagierten jungen Frau, die ihre Stimme erhebt. Ich danke der Person, die dieses Buch geschrieben hat, für ihren Mut. Es ist politisch, persönlich und zutiefst bewegend. Ein Meisterwerk – auch wenn es etwas kürzer hätte sein dürfen.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maybe the perfect work of autofiction, not only because it conveys the combination of beauty and banality that is everyday life with flawless verisimilitude, but because it needs to be autofiction . . it must be a truth, but not the truth, because the author cannot provide actual names and dates and times without endangering the lives of real people. Such is the conundrum of life under an authoritarian regime as duplicitous and insidious as the Chinese Communist Party. The narrator grows up in Beijing during the 1970's and 1980's engaging in tiny rebellions against a Party determined to break the will of every last citizen, ultimately getting swept up in the student movement that met such a tragic fate in the title location. (You had better not consider that a spoiler.) And you can tell that every single character, from the frog-faced grandmother to the impossibly cheerful dissident leader, is based on a real person since the author merely presents all of them in their complexity and contradiction without providing a backstory or a psychological explanation. So they speak in polemics. They grew up under Mao. They've been hearing polemics all their lives.

Anyway, a great work, the fastest 500-page read you'll download this year.

[Lady Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a masterpiece! The writing is absolutely stunning. The way she describes childhood, and what it's like to be a young adult who is stuck between childhood and adulthood is so relatable. The events that happen, the protests against censorship and oppression are so relevant even though these events took place several decades ago. She ties together little details, like the the blue dress, beautifully and with such meaning and purpose. I laughed and cried while reading; it's like you're really there. This book isn't just a story, it's an experience, and I can't recommend it enough!

[Kate Coller-Hood · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was way too long but yet still far too shallow. The characters were paper thin. I don't actually feel like I really learnt anything about what happened or why.

[biblioteca_olvidada · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hoy nos vamos a la China de los años 70 y 80, a un período marcado por la represión y el cambio.

La historia sigue a Lai, una joven estudiante que recibe una beca para estudiar en la prestigiosa Universidad de Pekín, donde se involucra en las protestas estudiantiles que han ido en aumento.

Tiene capítulos cortos que te permiten seguir la historia de manera fluida y emocionante. Una de las figuras más destacadas de la novela es la abuela de Lai, una mujer sensata que abre camino con su rechazo a las costumbres y tradiciones opresivas.

A través de las páginas ves la represión de la China del momento y el aleccionamiento desde la escuela, lo que te llama poderosamente la atención.

El libro trata temas como la familia, la amistad, la política y el amor, y te muestra cómo estos se entrelazan en un contexto de gran cambio y represión.

La revolución cultural de Tiananmén es un tema central de la novela, y me resultó fascinante conocerla a través de los ojos de la protagonista. La forma en que se describe la dureza y crudeza de la realidad que se vivió en ese momento es impactante y conmovedora… Es duro, es crudo, pero es la realidad que se vivió.

Tuve sentimientos de impotencia al leerlo, porque este tipo de cosas siguen sucediendo, y solo podía pensar que ojalá en el mundo hubiera más Madam Macaws y Annas.
Y obviamente en mi corazón se queda Anna, que me inspiró y conmovió a partes iguales.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 🌟

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was a heartbreaking and sad read because I can relate to some of what the main character Lai goes through. I feel like I know Lai as a person now because we follow her journey throughout the entire book. She was a character with many layers and you can’t help but root for her. The writing was absolutely beautiful. The author has a way with words. This book almost made me cry a couple of times.

This was a powerful read and I am glad that I was made aware of this book.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is 3.5 stars worthy… one day GR will let us rate half stars 🙄 (quarter stars would be a fkn dream).

It took me a good 150 pages to get in to this book, and even then I thought some parts dragged. However the story is important and the main character’s growth is truly impressive. This book left me wanting to know more about the historical events the book is based on - in the best way!

[roguereader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poignant and so beautifully written. It’s a timely narrative and one filled with heart and humanity.

[Saltygalreads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tiananmen Square is a moving and gentle novel about the childhood and young adulthood of a girl in Beijing during the 1970-1980s. Lai lives with her family – father, mother, younger brother and grandmother – in a crowded apartment complex in a lively neighborhood in the city, with views of the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square off in the misty distance. Lai navigates the lessons of childhood friendship, the repressive Chinese government and family dynamics, eventually going to university in Peking. There she falls in love, learns to overcome loneliness and embraces a new circle of quirky and talented friends who expand her views. As students begin to chafe against the restrictions of the Chinese state, a movement gradually begins in the student body of the University of Peking, along with other universities in China, and Lai becomes involved in the peaceful advocacy for more freedoms. This movement culminates in the tragic events in Tiananmen Square and on Chang’an Avenue during June 1989, and Lai bears witness to the heart-breaking crushing of rebellion that takes place.

This novel reads like a blend of memoir and fiction. It is a beautiful, gently flowing love letter to the Beijing of the author’s childhood, and the family and city that raised her. We all know how the cruel and violent repression of June 1989 turned out, but this novel gives an inside perspective and shows how idealistic students and everyday citizens became unintentional protestors and proponents of reform. A groundswell of dissent became a tidal wave that shook a regime and captivated the attention of the world. The novel is written from a point of view that feels deeply personal and emotional. The optimism of those students and their trust in their nation was crushed during those fateful weeks. More than thirty years later, the reader can still feel the waves of pain and loss rippling from the pages, as the author reflects upon everything she lost and pays her respects to the friends she knew during those heady days. I was overwhelmed with emotion and admiration at the courage it took for the author to recount these experiences. It is a novel that will remain with me. So much gratitude to Spiegel and Grau for allowing me to read this remarkable book.

Tiananmen Square will be published on June 4, 2024, the anniversary of the crushing of the protest.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5 Gifted by the publisher

It's rare to read Chinese historical fiction that's not about the Cultural Revolution—hence my excitement about this refreshing tale set afterward, leading up to Tiananmen Square and student protests. I particularly enjoyed the moments of solidarity between the grandma and the granddaughter and the complex friendship set against the increasingly authoritarian rule. While there are some mentions of politics, SQUARE's focus on coming-of-age and teenage drama left me wanting more historical background. The telling rather than showing style also detracts from my emotional connection with the characters. SQUARE is a solid read I'll recommend to those who want to gain a deeper understanding of modern Chinese history through a teen/tween lens.

--

notes

More of a coming of age story set after the cultural revolution that covers love, friendship, and complex family dynamics. Less focus on the politics/history.

I haven’t read much Chinese lit that’s set after cultural revolution so it’s a refreshing story. I really appreciate the grandma-granddaughter dynamics.

I enjoyed this book even though I was expecting a deeper dive on the politics and Tiananmen Square (only happened in the last 10%?). For a book that’s over 500 pages, I was also hoping for an emotional rollercoaster, but somehow it reads a bit distant. Maybe too much telling and not enough showing?

Also, what’s with the homophobia?? It came out of nowhere and didn’t really get addressed imo. Maybe I missed it but I feel it could’ve been edited out.

[Candace · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Tiananmen Square" is a moving novel about a young girl, names Lai, coming of age between China's Cultural Revolution and the Tiananmen Square massacre. Lai is a compelling narrator, part of a unsettled family living in a crowded apartment building in a poor neighborhood in Beijing. Her father is a shadow following his detention during the Cultural Revolution. Her mother is brittle and critical, her beloved grandmother earthy and inappropriate. When Chinese citizens are ordered to stay indoors and away from windows during the visit of Zbigniew Brzezinski to Beijing, Lai and a friend sneak out to see the motorcade, a misstep that will haunt her for years. She wins a scholarship to the prestigious Beijing University which may be in her home city, but is a world apart. There, she begins to understand what made her so frightened and recognize her real self.

There is a gentleness to this story that is irresistible. Lai Wen is a beautiful writer, showing, not telling us what it was like to grow up in that time and place. The humanity of her tale makes every page a treasure, very much like the classic world literature Lai discovers in the old bookstore.

I highly recommend this novel, and I hope that Lai Wen is working on another novel. Lai's story is not over, and I would love to know more.

Many thanks to Spiegel & Grau, NewGalley and Edelweiss for a digital review copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. I loved this book.

[Lindsey Bluher · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for the Arc of this book as an audiobook.

This is *such* an important story and moment in history—one I was so excited to dig into. I think overall, this was a really interesting story and I liked following the woman’s journey through childhood into early adulthood and how she slowly becomes more politicized. That said—and I feel odd saying this as the book is autobiographical but also fiction (a lil confusing was hard to wrap my head around)—I just didn’t really care for the MC or the supporting characters, and it felt more historical fiction of childhood and family dynamics of that time vs really being about the moment in history the book is supposed to be centered around, especially since the actual conflict/author’s involvement only happens in appx ~10 or 15% of the book’s conclusion.

Admittedly, Literary Fiction isn’t my genre of choice usually but I was so eager to learn more about this period and the conflict. And, I did learn and grow from reading this. But the pacing was too slow and meandering, and overall, I didn’t find any of the characters likable (her on again off again boyfriend was the actual worst). Also, trigger warnings for self harm in a big way…

Overall, I didn’t love this despite really really wanting to. I’m glad I didn’t DNF at the 40% mark like I wanted to, but… this won’t be on my “favorite books of 2024” list.

[Alisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was wonderfully written. Even knowing the events of Tiananmen Square prior to reading, I was still in shock at the end. It is a truly moving book that I think everyone should read.

[AuntieErrica (audiobooks=life) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really wanted to love Tiananmen Square, but even though it’s a great listen and exciting story, it didn’t quite hit home. There was 95% build-up for about 5% of actual Tiananmen Square plot. Which makes me feel like the title is a misnomer. The FMC is an engaging narrator with eye-opening details about growing up in this time period in China. Her experiences were intriguing and I liked listening to them, but overall I wish a lot of this book was written differently or maybe just structured differently.
The voice narrator was good. I liked the way she spoke and her timing, tone, and inflection were on point.

I received this advance listener copy from NetGalley and Spiegel & Grau by Spotify in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, Lai Wen, as well.

[Kathy Wakeling · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember this Massacre in the news when I was a teenager!
Such an interesting book about a young girl’s life growing up in China in the 70’s and 80’s.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh I wanted to love this! Unfortunately it fell short for me. I requested this hoping to learn about an area of history that I don’t have much knowledge of. Whilst it was well written, I wanted to get so much more from the first 3/4 of the book - I found it hard to get a sense of what life was like at the time, it was more about friendships and relationships that could happen anywhere. The final part of the book, about the actual events in Tiananmen Square did have some really touching bits, but most of it just didn’t have the momentum to keep the tension going.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC.

[Lydia ✨ [brujarcana] · Rating 5 out of 5]

Si pudiera darle 10 estrellas, se las daria. Porque las merece cada maldita pagina.

Como me gusta, una review extensa cuanto menos (indicando los spoilers cuando los haya no os preocupeis).

🎞️📸

Para poneros en contexto, La estudiante de Tiananmen cuenta la historia de una una chica. Lo narra ella en primera persona, sus memorias. Desde que es una niña que nsce y se cria en Pekin hasta que es adulta.

Es un libro que explora taaaantas cosas que sinceramente me llena en mas de un sentido.

💗 ¿Relaciones entre las mujeres de una misma familia? ¿Madres, abuelas? Lo tiene. Se cuenta a traves de las paginas de una manera tan real que cuesta no creerte que no eres la protagonista, porque todas enfrentamos las mismas problematicas de una u otra menera y eso nos une en nuestra esencia como mujeres.

Evidentemente, todo esta aplicado al marco contextual de la China de entonces (no tan diferente de la de ahora me temo), asi que una vision des-eurocentrista de la novela arroja detalles que hacen de toda la lectura un viaje mucho mas profundo, duro y aun asi; tremendamente real.

🎎 Si buscas tambien cómo se exploran las relaciones de amistad: lo tienes.
Los amigos que hacemos, los que perdemos porque nuestros caminos se separan, las “conexiones” que sentimos con las personas mas cercanas…
Uno de los pilares mas importantes y que personalmente mas me ha tocado.

📮 ¿Politica? Por supuesto. Cada pagina es politica, cada hecho, cada suceso del libro son politica y son historia. Desde la Revolucion Cultural hasta Tiananmen del 89; espectacular si no sabes nada de China y quieres entender y aprender un poquino mas y maravilloso si ya lo conoces de antemano (aunque habras de leer sabiendo que todo hecho politico relevante que aparece en el libro es tremendamente sesgado, pues la protagonista -la propia autora- lo vivio en sus carnes).

Es duro. Es crudo y es la realidad. Los hechos que se exponen son las tragedias que la humanidad ha tenido que vivir, las que a veces notamos tan lejanas que nos arrancan cualquier empatia que se pueda llegar a sentir.
Este libro te acerca cuanto menos a todas esas protestas, a la gente que sale a las calles a exigir ser oidos, a entender su realidad pasada y sobre todo la presente.


❣️ Hay amor. Por supuesto. Del romantico, del de los primeros besos y el que te descubre como persona pero tambien amor entre mujeres, entre verdaderas amigas. Para mi, uno de los puntos que mas me toca del libro.

Os va a hacer llorar a mas de una, porque yo acabo de terminar la lectura y me hallo con lagrimas aun en los ojos.


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Es en general un pedazo de libro que he disfrutado de principio a fin. La realidad, la transparencia en la pluma de la autora, la angustia que llegas a sentir a traves del ritmo de las palabras.
Es una lectura que recomiendo enormemente a todas, es rapida, no son demasiadas paginas y si sois lectoras veloces la deborais, pero de verdad, ¡leedla!

Se lee rapido, pero creo que superarla costara más.

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SPOILERS A PARTIT DE AQUI:

Dentro de la diversidad de personajes y personalidades que se plasman en la novela me llevo conmigo un pedacito de Anna. La chica del tanque.
Cuya historia me ha conmovido e inspirado increiblemente a partes iguales.

Me llena de impotencia que estas cosas sigan pasando, porque el mundo seria un lugar mejor lleno de Madams Macaws, de Annas.
La verdad, despues de leerlo, quiero ser un poco mas como ella.

[lauramtarrio · Rating 5 out of 5]

A veces, mientras leo un libro, no soy consciente de lo mucho que me está gustando. Esa sensación de haber tenido entre manos una historia espléndida llega después de cerrarlo, con las últimas palabras y el vacío que las sigue. Y eso es exactamente lo que me ha pasado con este.

Wen nos traslada a la China de los años 80 como solo una persona que ha estado en el lugar y en el momento puede hacerlo. En una autobiografía, entiendo, a ratos ficcionada, la autora plasma con detalle y delicadeza su infancia y los inicios de su vida adulta, que quedaría para siempre marcada por la protesta estudiantil de la plaza de Tiananmén de 1989.

No miento si digo que hacía tiempo que no leía un libro capaz de recoger con tanta precisión las sensaciones de su protagonista. Wen, destaca, a mi parecer, por su gusto por las palabras y, concretamente, por su uso de los adjetivos justos y convenientes en cada frase. Las descripciones son ricas y, me repito, precisas, porque esa es la palabra que mejor las define. Desde aquí traslado también mi enhorabuena a la traductora, Ana Belén Fletes, por su impecable trabajo.

Cuánto valor e introspección ha debido realizar la autora, también, para plasmar con tanta claridad la relación con cada uno de los miembros de su familia, en especial con su abuela, y qué forma tan digna y cuidadosa de hablar de la demencia y sus consecuencias, tanto para el enfermo como para los que le rodean.

La figura de Gen, su primer amor, me ha parecido asimismo magnífica. Las personas, por costumbre, al ver una película o leer un libro, tendemos a dividir los personajes en "buenos" o "malos". Sin embargo, Gen es de esos que no sabrías dónde incluir, y por esa razón me parece fascinante. Está tan bien construido, son tantas las sutilezas (su mirada, su postura, su sonrisa) que la autora incluye y que te permiten entenderle en todas sus facetas que puedes imaginarlo con suma facilidad, como si hubieras llegado a conocerlo.

Por último, quiero recoger que me ha impactado y gustado a partes iguales conocer de primera (más bien de segunda) mano cómo vivieron los cientos de miles de estudiantes congregados en Tiananmén la masacre de aquel 4 de junio, pero, sobre todo, la forma en que se organizaron y vivieron los meses previos. Su unión y coraje para luchar por un futuro más democrático y libre me ha conmovido profundamente, y su valentía me ha hecho pensar en todas las personas que a lo largo de la historia han dado su vida por mejorar la situación de los demás.

Gracias, Wen, por el que considero ahora uno de los mejores libros que he leído en mi vida.