THE MOUNTAINS SING BY NGUYEN PHAN QUE MAI

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BOOK NAME: THE MOUNTAINS SING

AUTHOR NAME: NGUYEN PHAN QUE MAI

GENRE: HISTORICAL FICTION 

PUBLISHER: ONE WORLD PUBLICATIONS

BOOK BUY LINK: https://www.amazon.in/Mountains-Sing-Que-Phan-Nguyen/dp/161620818X



BOOK COVER IMAGE




BOOK REVIEW

Women are tough, especially when they are in a position to protect their families and friends. And people who think otherwise should definitely read this book. This multigenerational war saga is an ode to such women whose stories were either forgotten or overlooked. This rippling, dual narrative told from a Vietnamese point of view of the internal turmoil called the Great Land Reform, and the war that happens later is sure to leave you devastated and humbled.


It's been a while since I finished this book, probably sometime last month, and it's still one of the most difficult reviews I will ever write. Reasons: one, because it was way too traumatic, and two, because it is a slightly challenging read as compared to many other historical fiction I have read earlier. The characters are complex and too many, and the language is tough, but it doesn't take away anything from the book at all.


The book is set in the 1920s in Vietnam during the Vietnam-American War and its aftermath affecting the Tran family. The story goes back and forth between Grandma Dieu Lan's past, set during the land reform, and to the present day, where Huong narrates the horrors of the war. Grandma Dieu Lan had to protect her six children and herself when the land reform turned their own people against them. She makes a few hard decisions, and it sure has repercussions in the future. Yes, sure, I was affected by Huong and her narrative about the war. But what left me more devastated was how much the civil war affected Dieu Lan and the harrowing effects it left on her life. Even days after finishing this book, I feel it has left deep scars inside me that I will carry with me forever. 


This is a book that everyone must read on the Vietnam-American War. Do you have any other recommendations on the Vietnam-American War? 


MY REVIEW: 4.5/5 

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