This Canadian/British/Taiwanese author provides a personal family history intertwined with the troubled history of the island of her ancestors, including the experiences of her grandfather, a fighter pilot in the shrinking Chinese Nationalist army in the civil war, pre 1949.
There are some brief perceptive comments about global warming, seismic activity, industrial development, biodiversity, and sea water rising as they pertain to the shores and the volcanic activity of Taiwan.
The pathos of excessive nostalgia permeates this story. Although looking back may be important to see the way forward, too much of it can paralyze you.
A book that does not fit neatly into any one genre, this one may have bits of useful information for historians, and be of interest to diverse Chinese folk, but provides little new of interest for reasonably educated others.
2/5
The Passionate Reader 