Review by BWHarold -- The Sound of Spring by G.X. Chen

[BWHarold]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Sound of Spring" by G.X. Chen.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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I love historical romance! I picked up The Sound of Spring by G.X. Chen, because the book’s description said it was set during China’s Cultural Revolution (circa 1976.) I’m not familiar with the period but that is why I enjoy the historical romance genre. I find it interesting to see how a setting affects a basic human relationship such as courtship. The Sound of Spring explores this in spades!

Du Chun Ming is hopelessly in love with Fang Si Jun, her supervisor at work. Si Jun is climbing the ladder at the factory and makes it very clear that he wants to take Chun Ming along for the ride as his lover. The couple have been dating for four years when the story begins and Chun is now considering introducing her boyfriend to her family. Chun Ming is the only child of an engineer and a school teacher. Her father is a modern man, educated abroad, who dreams of building a contemporary China. He hopes to do this by improving the telephone infrastructure of the country. The problem is, it is considered counter-revolutionary and a dangerous step toward capitalism by the current government.

When Chun Ming introduces her parents to Si Jun, it doesn’t go as expected. As her father’s health suffers and the latest government over-turn presses in on Chun Ming’s world, she wonders what kind of world she and Si Jun will be facing.

I have to say, I enjoyed this book. This is how romance should be written; simple and to the point. The story of Chun Ming and Si Jun has such an innocent quality to it. Part of this is because Chun Ming is a very proper (stereotypical) Chinese girl. She is naive and very childlike (even at the age of 22.) She is a devoted daughter and exhibits the qualities of a good person. That naivete is grating to an older reader like myself. I’m speaking as a Westerner though and I realize that Chinese family dynamics are very different from what I am used to culturally.

That is not my chief complaint about the book. I rate this book a 3 out of 4 stars. I’m giving it a 3 because it reads like it was translated from the original Chinese, which surprisingly, is one of the reasons I enjoyed it! I did notice some minor typos but that could be explained away by the fact that these characters would not be speaking English in reality. Small things like referring to a reflection on the water as a “shadow” could be considered mistakes but it could be lost in translation. That voice gave the narration a sort of charm for me. I like the fact that I felt like I was reading a translation.

My main complaint of the story is Chun Ming had a habit of launching into melodramatic monologues about her feelings for Si Jun and her father. The sweeping emotional asides distracted me from what was happening and I found it irritating. She is an immature girl, and it fits with the character so maybe other readers won’t mind it as much as I did. I think teenage girls will enjoy this story because it is a glimpse into another culture and its views on romance.

If you are looking for a different cultural viewpoint, then The Sound of Spring is a good introduction to Chinese culture during an important time in their history. It’s a chaste story that looks at what love is and how it shapes people.

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The Sound of Spring
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