I did not have much time to review this; however, it took me very little time to read. Lost in the Long March is a fantastic work that is very concentrated and focused...it speaks about the lives of three people and how they survived ideological and a physical warfare, ensuring that they stuck together no matter what. One gets a great sense as to what China was going through during the 1930s...and it provides a clear understanding of history and Marxist philosophy. I was impressed by the character development throughout...the book is broken up into three parts and each part focuses on one character...and the book spans decades but in a way that is easy for the reader to follow. I really appreciate the novel when it is done well...and it is done well here. Michael X. Wang's work is one to read.

What a terrific read this is! Ping and Luo, both orphans, left their gang and joined up with Mao's forces, where they met Haiwu and Yong- and this is their story as well as the story of Ping and Yong's son Little Turnip who was lost during the Long March. Ping, a gun smith, befriends Haiwu, who loses his leg in an early battle but remains with the troops thanks to a prosthetic made of dolphin bone (who knew). He falls for Yong, an ace shot who is bereft after the death of Luo. Everything changes when she becomes pregnant, including her attitude toward others, especially another pregnant woman. Still, they are forced to leave their son behind for the safety of all concerned and then Little Turnip follows a different army. All of them tell the story, in first and third person, allowing the reader to get the different perspectives. Know that the emotion level -which could be off the charts given the plot turns- is relatively low and it's a little detached. It's an interesting and informative novel which, while it might compress history a bit, is also one which educates with characters who resonate. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. This won't be for everyone but it's one I highly recommend.

<u>Lost in the Long March</u> focuses on a difficult period of time in China, looking at both the immediate and long-term impacts of political upheavals and war both inside and outside the country. Starting in 1934, the novel begins with the story of Ping, a gunsmith recruited in the Communist army who falls in love with Yong, a skilled marksman. Yong, however, has develops a relationship with Ping's good friend Luo, and in a drunken and jealous stupor, Ping sabotages the gun of his best friend - causing Luo to lose his life. In the aftermath, Yong instinctively goes to Ping to share in her grief, and the two eventually become a couple, leading to a surprise pregnancy.

The first two sections of this novel cover Yong and Ping's perspectives, and is followed by Haiwu's story. A formerly jilted lover of Yong who risked his life for her and lost his leg, he finds recourse in helping raise Little Turnip, their child. From all of their stories, we see the difficulty of war and the impossible decision soldiers and civilians must make, including the eventual decision to leave Little Turnip behind so that they can continue forward in the Long March. Their intentions to return for their son, but Little Turnip also has intentions to find his parents as well...

I commend Wang for the extensive amount of research he put into this novel; it's clear in the details of their use of weapons, the detailed locations the army journeys to, the different groups of Chinese civilians that they encounter. This period of time for China is also one I don't find written about often, either, which is one of the main reasons I gravitated towards this novel. I did struggle with the writing style at times though; Wang's tone can be very neutral and at times bland, and many passages felt like a series of events and dialogue that didn't focus on the actual characters. While I'm sure it was intentionally done, the ending was also inconclusive, which frustrated me a little.

I think for those who enjoy plot-driven novels in the historical fiction genre, this will be a promising read, but it isn't one I'd recommend to everyone.

DNF @ 47%. I found the politics and the historical detail of this novel to be very interesting. Where it broke down for me was the characters — I wasn't connected to any of them at nearly halfway through the story, and I decided to stop reading. Ping is pretty awful, killing his best friend by sabotaging his weapon, all over the affections of a girl they're both interested in. And Yong herself, initially pretty cold-hearted, starts feeling empathy and this is "blamed" on her pregnancy. Haiwu I find sort of pathetic, though admittedly I stopped reading pretty early into his part of the tale. On the upside, I think the book itself is written well and clearly, and I enjoyed learning about this specific facet of Chinese history.

Thank you to Michael X. Wang, The Overlook Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

If you love multigenerational historical novels, the kind that invoke profound and simultaneous sensations of sadness, regret, and compassion or which bring to light uncomfortable truths about ourselves, our objects of love, our innermost desires, then Lost in the Long March is for you.

At first pass, Lost in the Long March did not grip me; the first few chapters were interesting, but did not give a clue to the deeper nuances that would come later. I am glad I persevered and read on; I was rewarded. By the last page I was very nearly in tears. There is deep heart-wrenching pain in this novel, the kind that is brought on by very common, mundane processes, in this case, the heartbreak of being a parent, the heart ache for the love of one's child.

Wang's novel is about the banal horrors of war; not the violence of combat, but the long arm of suffering that extends beyond the battlefield, long after the skirmish is over, when the victor is fooled by the passing of time into believing that they have won. They have not. Lost in the Long March revolves around the conflicts of the Chinese Civil War between the Kuomintang and the Communists (the Long March occurred in 1934-1935) and the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945); but this is really a novel about compassion and humanity and the ways in which wars and political movements can destroy them or create situations for their manifestation. Friendship, love, connection, loyalty -- the interconnections between people -- this is the core of this novel.

It is Wang's unwavering focus on this universal core of the human experience which makes the novel so powerful, so moving, so profound. Wang's prose delivers the message with perfect pacing and with ease; the prose is succinct, but the words and the silences Wang leaves between them could cut open a vein with deadly accuracy. On occasion, it took this reader a moment or two to feel the new wound, so sharply and subtly were the words and their meaning delivered. By the time I reached the end of the novel, as Wang came to the story's inevitable end, I was unsure if I could survive it. I will not give the ending away, but I will say that it did leave this reader in a state of metaphorical exsanguination.

Lost in the Long March is well-worth the grief. As with many good books, it is the heavy sense of loss they inflict which is the reader's gain.

Wang tackles a heartfelt story of soldiers who were on the Long March with Mao. The year is 1934, and a young soldier falls for the crack shooter in his unit that happens to be a woman. She has had a few past relationships, but this one forms as her last boyfriend is accidentally killed.
They produce a child, and this occurrence creates another story, as the child is given up so the parents can continue to fight the Kuomintang and then the Japanese.
Mao also gave up his children for the cause and doing so didn’t seem so radical.

The book builds the story of their son, Little Turnip, and of course the main couple, Ping and Yong as they survive the war and have grown powerful within the Communist party.

Wang has done his homework, so there are many rich detailed touches in the book, and we know he did his research. It is an interesting story and certainly gives us a greater insight into the suffering of real people as they stayed loyal to the cause and how they suffered consequently.

For people who love history and want to know more about China, this is a great story.