I enjoyed this book a great deal, although i found the beginning a tad on the slow side the ending had me swinging back and forth between sad, angery, and hopeful. A warning for readers out there: have tissues ready for the end, if your like me you'll need them.

I had high hopes for this novel, but was disappointed after the 1st few chapters. Reads like a teenage romance novel and lacks any depth to its characters. The protagonist is constantly pining for the boy she likes, yet whines and plays hard to get - seriously ! for an adult novel.

Our book club did not enjoy this book at all. It read like a particularly bad Harlequin romance. This was a big disappointment as it is a Heather's pick and we have generally enjoyed most of those in the past.

I absolutely loved this book except for one fatal flaw. It really screamed fairy-tale to me. I read through it in 2-3 days, I just couldn't put it down! I won't lie either, there were points where I did cry. You should also keep in mind that this book takes place in China. I know it seems counter-intuitive but I've had many friends who stated they disliked a book because they didn't understand cultural differences. There are some things that you will read and think are bizarre or backwards, but this is indicative of the culture and not the author making up some strange world. Now to further explain my fairy-tale stance. I love romance, but I like it to seem realistic. Most of the time I was reading and would think to myself that this would never happen. Maybe this falls under the cultural differences clause, but I had a hard time believing in their love. I will reiterate though that I absolutely loved this book and I would read it again in a heartbeat. Despite its sense of real-ness, it is truly a sweet story. And warning, you WILL cry.

This book was a very good read. I loved the storyline and the characters. A lot of it was a bit of a culture shock and an eyeopener of how the cultural revolution in China affected so many people in different ways. I don't want to compare it to Shanghai Girls but I have to. In some ways the characters in this novel were harder to indentify with. It was bizarre to read a book about this time and to have the people living in it accepting their fate for what it was and not wanting to do anything about it. THis book was well written and I didn't want to put it down, until the end. I felt that it ended too quickly. There could have been more development in the final plot concerning "Old Third". I also would have liked more backstory on our heroine's future.