Red Azalea

This started out as a heartbreaking look into a woman's life under Chairman Mao Tse-tung. Parts 1 and 2 were poignant, touching, and often very sad. Part 3 didn't quite have the same effect. In fact, I skimmed quite a bit in Part 3. I had a problem with the writing as well. Some of her passages were romantic and tearjerking, especially those dealing with her love for Yan. However, she doesn't use quotation marks, which made reading dialogue often confusing and awkward. I cried a couple times reading this book, and I think it will sit on my heart for a while. It could have been better written, though.