Tuesday, 1 February 2011

Wonderful Wednesdays #2 (Biographies)


Welcome to edition two of Wonderful Wednesdays.

Wonderful Wednesdays is a meme about spotlighting and recommending some of our most loved books, even if we haven't read them recently.  Each week will have a different theme or genre of book to focus on.

This week's theme is biographies.

 My pick for this theme has to be Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang.  It tells the story of Jung herself, her mother and her grandmother as they live through some of the changes China faced in the 20th century.  It starts with foot-binding, goes through civil war and a communist victory and ends with the cultural revolution.  All of this is told in clear and engaging prose.

Part of what attracted me to this book and why I enjoyed it so much is that the lives of the three women are so different from my own.  I especially enjoyed the section about Jung's mother, who is married but forced to live separately from her husband and liable to be sent anywhere for work.  The sense of optimist she had about Mao coming to power was contrasted well with the sense of disappointment and fear when things started to turn nasty and the older generation starts to fear the younger.

Whilst there was a lot of history in the book (which isn't a problem for me), it was mainly a wonderfully told story of the lives of three women.  I loved every page of it, and look forward to a re-read at some point in the near future.

How about you?
I want to hear all about your favourite biographies!  If you want to take part, grab the button above and make a post in your blog.  Then link up your blog below, so I can come, read and comment on all of your entries.



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17 comments:

  1. lisa :)1 February 2011 at 21:12

    This reminds me of a biography I really liked called Sweet Mandarin that also chronicled three generations of Chinese women, but the author's grandmother had moved to England and the story followed their business as restaurant owners and showed how each generation changed and transformed from the previous while still honoring their history and traditions.

    And on a totally different note, the best biography I've read recently is Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. I'll be reviewing it soon!

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  2. Beth1 February 2011 at 21:13

    I adore this book!! I read this years and years ago and am extremely tempted to dig out my copy now you've reminded me - it truly is wonderful!

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  3. anarmchairbythesea1 February 2011 at 21:20

    I really love this book!it's actually one of my dad's favourites,and provided one of our earliest bonding experiences,as he doesn't usually read the same kind of stuff as I do. It's definitely a close contender,but not quite my favourite! I'll put mine up tomorrow!

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  4. Stephanie (Books Are A Girl's Best Friend)1 February 2011 at 21:29

    I think I've actually only read one or two biographies and those I have have been ones simplified for children. I've read quite a few interesting autobiographies though. I've read a few Chinese set books and enjoyed them so I'll keep this one in mind.

    I completely agree with you about the cover of The Merchant's Daughter! It's actually a hand drawn one and quite old so that might explain it. It definitely deserves a better cover though :)

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  5. Playing Librarian2 February 2011 at 01:26

    Now that we're on the topic, I realized that I have not read biographies that much.The only book I have ever read was Dreams from my Father by Mr. Obama.

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  6. Darlyn (Your Move, Dickens)2 February 2011 at 13:43

    You chose a great topic this week. :) This is the first time I'v heard of Wild Swans, but I think it's very interesting. That's the great thing about nonfiction. It allows us to live the lives of real people who are completely different from even if only for brief moments.

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  7. Loni2 February 2011 at 16:44

    Interesting choice this week. From what your biography is about, you might like the novel, The Good Earth.

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  8. Sam (Tiny Library)2 February 2011 at 19:45

    @lisa :)

    I'll definitely be checking out Sweet Mandarin, thanks for the recommendation. I've not heard of Unbroken, so I'll be looking forward to your review.

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  9. Sam (Tiny Library)2 February 2011 at 19:49

    Bethan - hope you enjoy your reread. I keep meaning to get around to it too.

    Collect Dreams - it's great when books can be a bonding experience like that. I've been trying to get my sister to read Wild Swans for years, because I know she would love it, but she hasn't got around to it yet!

    Playing Librarian - I thought Dreams From my Father was a good biography. My favourite politician's biography is Bill Clinton's though.

    Darlyn - hope you do get to read Wild Swans. I think you would love it.

    Loni - Thanks for the recommendation, it's gone straight on my wishlist :)

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  10. B2 February 2011 at 22:03

    I don't read many biographies but thanks to this meme I have found a few I am interested in.

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  11. Sharon3 February 2011 at 03:42

    This sounds like the kind of story I would love. This will be one I'll be on the look out for!

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  12. TheBookGirl4 February 2011 at 15:43

    I have been reading alot of fiction set in China and Japan over the last year, so this non-fiction selection really interests me...thanks for highlighting it :)

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  13. Unknown4 February 2011 at 23:09

    hoorah! it's so good to meet you! oh do read the book it's amazing! you are my first follower that i didn't know before--hoorah! (lucky me! :P). thanks for creating such an interesting meme. i look forward to reading you choice and several others (as i am not very good at reading non-fiction). have a lovely day! :) i follow you as well!

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  14. Susan5 February 2011 at 00:40

    Great meme. I'll have to come back next Wednesday for your next theme. I missed this week even though I coincidentally posted a biography review on Thursday. (Weird, because I read very few biographies.)
    Susan from ReadingWorld

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  15. Playing Librarian5 February 2011 at 04:11

    Hi! I don't know if you accept awards, but I've just received The Irresistably Sweet Blog Award and decided to pass the sweetness to you!

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  16. Trish6 February 2011 at 23:04

    I read WIld Swans many years ago and loved it. Their stories were so interesting and different and beautifully told. I also remember being horrified by the the whole Mao movement.

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  17. lisa :)8 February 2011 at 20:38

    I guess I'm a week late, but I just posted my review of Unbroken if you care to read it!
    http://herbookself.blogspot.com/2011/02/unbroken.html

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