All the Flowers in Shanghai - by Duncan Jepson (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

"Duncan Jepson magically inhabits the life of a young Chinese woman in 1930s Shanghai....I thoroughly enjoyed this book."
--Janice Y. K. Lee, New York Times bestselling author of The Piano Teacher

"Breathtaking....A great work that will move its readers."
--Hong Ying, international bestselling author of Daughter of the River

Readers previously enchanted by Memoirs of a Geisha, Empress, and the novels of Lisa See will be captivated by Duncan Jepson's marvelous debut, All the Flowers in Shanghai. Evocative, sweeping, yet intimate historical fiction, Jepson's novel transports us to a China on the brink of revolution, and witnesses this colorful, tumultuous world through the eyes of a woman forced into a life not of her choosing and driven to seek a bitter revenge. This epic journey into the heart of Asia is sure to mesmerize fans of Shanghai Girls and Snow Flower and the Secret Fan.

From the Back Cover

For every young Chinese woman in 1930s Shanghai, following the path of duty takes precedence over personal desires

For Feng, that means becoming the bride of a wealthy businessman in a marriage arranged by her parents. In the enclosed world of the Sang household--a place of public ceremony and private cruelty--fulfilling her duty means bearing a male heir.

The life that has been forced on her makes Feng bitter and resentful, and she plots a terrible revenge. But with the passing years comes a reckoning, and Feng must reconcile herself with the sacrifices and terrible choices she has made in order to assure her place in the family and society--even as the violent, relentless tide of revolution engulfs her country.

Both a sweeping historical novel and an intimate portrait of one woman's struggle against tradition, All the Flowers in Shanghai marks the debut of a sensitive and revelatory writer.

Review Quotes

"Jepson...evokes time and place well as he describes the life of privilege that Feng comes to take for granted only to have her life veer dramatically and be overtaken by the Great Leap Forward." -- Booklist

"[Jepson] does a solid job of voicing a female character." -- Library Journal

"Strong on detail and emotional intensity." -- Kirkus Reviews

"[A] riveting storyline." -- Publishers Weekly

"Poignant and elegantly written." -- Romantic Times

"An accomplished first novel. Duncan Jepson magically inhabits the life of a young Chinese woman in 1930s Shanghai, following Feng's unlikely evolution from neglected second daughter to first wife of the rich and powerful Sang family and her unexpected epilogue. I thoroughly enjoyed this book." -- Janice Y. K. Lee, New York Times bestselling author of The Piano Teacher

"This story is breathtaking. Like a poem or a painting, it reveals the old Shanghai. It's a great work that will move its readers." -- Hong Ying, international bestselling author of Daughter of the River

"The life of this novel's main character is splintered into thousands of pieces, each of them reflecting the changes of Chinese history, yet all of them coming out in Duncan Jepson's poetic, passionate writing." -- Qiu Xiaolong, author of the Inspector Chen mysteries

"A beautifully poetic story. Duncan Jepson creates a poignant set of characters and follows the journey of one woman who attempts to stop the cycle of history in the only way she knows how, but with dire consequences." -- Geling Yan, author of The Banquet Bug