Review: Fascinating insights into China
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 09 21, 2011
The Same Moon follows the story of Pearl through her childhood and early adulthood in China to her first several years in the UK where she pursues her dream of higher studies. The first half of the book provides a fascinating glimpse into the day-to-day reality of a young person growing up in China, and her perceptions and observations of a country in transition from strict communism to a relatively more open society. The traditional culture is also brought to life through Pearl's narrative. When given the opportunity to study a Masters and then a PhD in the UK, Pearl jumps at the opportunity, at great personal sacrifice. As she struggles to adapt to a very different culture and to stay in school, she gradually discovers new freedoms she never knew could exist.China of the `70s and `80s was as different from the UK as any two countries can be, and this is very clear from Pearl's experience. There seems to be some parallels between the lives of Pearl and the author, and this provides great authenticity to the story. I often felt like I was reading someone's diary, as the writing style is personal and sometimes almost unstructured, the way a diary is, one thought leading to another. A few things are needed for this novel to get 4 stars: better editing; smoother transitions between scenes and sections; less jumping between different times and places that are described in the same section (sometimes the author skips a bit too suddenly from one thought to another). I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed `Wild Swans' or is interested in China or the experiences of an immigrant to the UK.