This felt like a very autobiographical novel. The writing had a memoir vibe at times. The story was very solid and gave a clear picture of China in the 70’s and 80’s, but was overly long at times and could have been a bit more focused.

Wow, where do I even start with this. I truly didn't know what to expect when I started reading but I was just blown away by what this book was. Tiananmen Square is an amazing amalgamation of friendship, family, tragedy, war, and emotion. Told over the span of multiple years, it follows Lai as she goes through changes and growth in her life. I'm always down for a good historical fiction, and this book tackled a very real set of events, told in riveting prose that I simply could not stop reading.

The way this story is told is absolutely beautiful. There is a sense of ominosity in the narration since Lai's childhood, and each part of this story covers a prominent part of her life, all leading up to the revolution and how it affected Lai and the people in her life. I liked Gen's presence in her life and I think he played a huge role in her growth and maturity. It was interesting to see her grow into her own person and realize and make her own decisions. I also loved her journey with her family. It was so realistic to see the representation of an Asian family and how tensions are always there, but at the end of the day, the love is also always there.

I just loved all the characters; all of Lai's friendships were portrayed so well, and the transition from subtle struggles of living in the society she was in, to being in college and witnessing the revolution firsthand really made the book what it is. Lai made for a great protagonist, and even though much of this story was narration, her monologue never made it seem boring.

Tiananmen Square is a 500+ pages long book but it never felt like it. I've only read fantasy series' with books this long, but something about this one just hit the spot and I finished it in a single night. I haven't had many 5-star reads this year but this is definitely that (actually, more like 6 stars) and I am so glad I stumbled upon this to request and got to read it in advance!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Spiegel and Grau for my copy of Tiananmen Square by Lai Wen in exchange for an honest review. It publishes June 4, 2024.
This book was so interesting. I found the style that it was written in to be very readable, and I just wanted to keep going. At times I struggled to connect with some of the characters, especially once she went to college. However, I loved the buildup to this major historical event, and I also loved how the different characters were involved. It felt much more realistic than many other historical fiction novels that I've read.
This book does not cover an easy subject, or an easy time in history, however, I think it is an important book and an important story to tell and to keep alive.

1970’s Beijing, Lai is a child growing up in a post cultural revolution world. Her father’s spirit, like many others, was broken during the cultural revolution and is a shadow of himself, her mother throws herself into patriotism with everything she has. Her grandmother is the grown up that Lai admires most, a rebel who makes Lai believe she can do great things. But China is not a place for rebels, on scary night and a trip to the police station as a child will forever impact Lai and the other children in the neighbourhood. As she grows and stretches beyond her home, into the world of books thanks to a kind bookseller, and eventually to university Lai’s perception of herself, those around her, and her country will shift continuously. Until she becomes apart of an event that will mark history, Tiananmen Square.
I love reading historical fiction, it’s an amazing way to get to view past times and places and people through different lenses. But sometimes one of the downsides is you know how things are going to end, and it’s like watching a run away train pick up speed with characters you are becoming increasingly attached to are trapped inside. This book was one of those books.
Lai is a character that endeared herself to me immediately. A child caught in a time in history where her country was shifting and the grown ups are Lund her were struggling but she is still just a child and she wants the things all kids do. To be loved and feel safe, to play with and be accepted by other kids. The neighbourhood kids and Lai are all aware to an extent of what is going on in their country but it takes a real incident to drive home for them how truly scary that could be for them. As Lai grows she becomes more aware but at the same time she still wants to have a regular life, a boyfriend, a job, good grades, but the politics of her country invade these things more and more.
Thank you to @spiegelandgrau and @netgalley for letting me have a copy early in exchange for a review.
#tiananmensquare #read #historicalfiction #readersofinstagram #bookrecommendations #bookreview #bookworm #readers #reading #booklover #bookish #history #bookcommunity #bookblogger #bookstagrammer

4.5 🌟

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was a heartbreaking and sad read because I can relate to some of what the main character Lai goes through. I feel like I know Lai as a person now because we follow her journey throughout the entire book. She was a character with many layers and you can’t help but root for her. The writing was absolutely beautiful. The author has a way with words. This book almost made me cry a couple of times.

This was a powerful read and I am glad that I was made aware of this book.

This coming of age story leads up to Tiananmen Square. This novel is about author Lai Wen's life growing up in China and how the Cultural Revolution changed the world of her father and how small acts of individualism lead Lai Wen to gain knowledge from literature where that and friendship and love lead to new thought and actions and demonstration. This is a powerful read about a time that most of us only watched as news reports on television. This is a haunting story of a family trying to exist in a world of turmoil.

I was unfortunately quite disappointed by this one! I was looking forward to reading about Tiananmen Square as it is something I've heard of but do not know much about. I found that while it reads somewhat like a memoir, this novel dragged on. In a memoir you can sometimes forgive that as the author needs to share the important parts of their backstory with the reader, but a novelist has the ability to create an interesting story and start wherever they feel makes the most sense. As I slugged through I eventually decided to DNF and as a result, do not know much more about Tiananmen Square than when I picked this book up. Perhaps it would be a good fit for other readers but it just could not hold my interest. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to at least give it a try!

Reading this book I had a problem and I still have my doubts that this is just a novel and not a memoir because it, totally, reads like a memoir. Reading the experience of Lai from when she was a little girl playing outside with her friends while the world around was changing slowly after Mao but still not understanding fully all these changes it felt real. Then we go on this journey with her of transforming herself in one teenager with dreams to a young adult with more dreams and ready to take action. And it shows how the events that took place in Tiananmen Square affected her and led her and all those around her to different kind of actions in life, maybe not intended in the first place.

"Tiananmen Square" by Lai Wen is a gripping and poignant novel that immerses readers in the tumultuous events surrounding the 1989 protests in China. Wen's vivid storytelling evokes raw emotions and offers profound insights into history's impact on personal lives.

Author Lai Wen offers readers her first-hand experience of life leading up to and including the nightmare at Tiananmen Square. Readers meet her as a child living with her family, including her beloved grandmother, in Beijing in the 1970s and follow her as she matures. She grows up in the heart of the city with a father who is distant and passive and a mother who is focused on gossip and the Chinese way. But her grandmother, feisty, strong-willed, and quietly rebellious, gives Lai an example to follow and thus the confidence she needs to make her own decisions.

With the insight only a person who has experienced something brings, Lai’s memoir delves into patriotism, Communism, idealism, conformity, and the power of literature. Lai is emotionally challenged by the works of Hemingway, Camus, Orwell, and others while navigating the rocky terrain of adolescent friendships and love. I admire the courage she had to go her own way.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance reader copy.

I was excited to read this book. In 1989 I was a young adult and remember the news covering the protests. Lai Wen was around the same age as I was but experienced a starkly different upbringing. I wanted to learn all about her life and how she experienced the events. I was prepared to read a memoir but what I hadn’t expected was such a beautifully written one!

As I began reading the story of her life I was overcome with joy at the beauty of her descriptions of her feelings and observations. Lai Wen mentions early on that she wanted to write. At an early age she began filling empty notebooks and boy does she have a way with words! I was immersed. I could imagine her at dinner with her family. I could see her traipsing the streets with her neighborhood friends and drinking tea with the elderly bookstore owner. Her words were like a brush painting pictures in my mind.

This is a coming of age story. I have never liked those much but this, in my opinion, is a wonderful one. Lai begins with her quirkily beloved grandmother and then adds her very interesting family members. A tyrannical, jealous Mother an aloof unemotional Father and a doted-upon younger brother.

Lai’s life is peppered with a colorful cast of characters. What I noticed most about the women is how they are devalued. In school and at home. Most men are revered and respected.

I enjoyed her life memories that built up until the point of the protests. It was a little slow during the college days but by the end I understood why that was necessary. I felt like she wanted to make sure we truly knew her characters. There were some college and teen activities that I could have done without but they seem true to that age group.

This story does not start as a political story. But Lai becomes political as she grows aware of the censorship in college. That’s when she decides to join her friends and make a stand.

I laughed and cried as I read. I especially cried at the end. It’s sad what happened to a lot of those students. And for Lai the losses were substantial.

I do not know if this is a true story but it claims to be so I will take it at face value. I will never look at the student protests the same way again and especially not “The Tank Man”

TW: profanity, sex and violence.

Many thanks to Lai Wen and Spiegel and Grau for the ARC via NetGalley.

"Tiananmen Square" by Lai Wen offers readers a deeply personal and compelling coming-of-age story told in the author's own voice. In this poignant memoir, Lai Wen takes readers on a journey through her experiences, from childhood to young adulthood, against the backdrop of the political strife in China leading up to the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989. Through her own voice, she provides a unique perspective on the events that unfolded during that tragic time in Chinese history.

Lai Wen's narrative is raw, honest, and intimate. She draws readers into her world as she navigates the complexities of adolescence, challenging relationships, grief and loss during a time of great conflict. Lai’s unique perspective adds authenticity to the story, allowing readers to connect with her on a profound level as we journey with her through her evolving sense of self; experiencing her growth and self reflection.

I recommend "Tiananmen Square" to readers who appreciate heartfelt coming-of-age and personal reflection stories highlighted by historical backdrops. I appreciated its emotional depth, authentic voice, and compelling storytelling,

Thank you Netgalley & Spiegel& Grau for an eARC ♥️

Meet Lai, a young woman growing up in 1970s Beijing, where the echoes of the Cultural Revolution still linger in the air. As she navigates the treacherous landscape of family secrets, first loves, and friendships, Lai's journey will draw you in and leave you breathless.

With each turn of the page, you'll be swept up in the intoxicating world of literature, as Lai discovers the forbidden fruit of Hemingway, Camus, and Orwell. Feel the thrill of rebellion as she and her friends dare to dream of a life beyond the suffocating grip of the Communist Party.

As the protests swell and the regime cracks down, Lai's story will leave you on the edge of your seat, wondering what will happen next. Will she find her voice, her courage, and her true calling? Will she and her friends survive the brutal crackdown?

This book is more than just a historical novel - it's a love letter to the human spirit, a testament to the power of ideas, and a reminder that even in the darkest moments, hope can never be fully extinguished ♥️

"Tiananmen Square" is a moving novel about a young girl, names Lai, coming of age between China's Cultural Revolution and the Tiananmen Square massacre. Lai is a compelling narrator, part of a unsettled family living in a crowded apartment building in a poor neighborhood in Beijing. Her father is a shadow following his detention during the Cultural Revolution. Her mother is brittle and critical, her beloved grandmother earthy and inappropriate. When Chinese citizens are ordered to stay indoors and away from windows during the visit of Zbigniew Brzezinski to Beijing, Lai and a friend sneak out to see the motorcade, a misstep that will haunt her for years. She wins a scholarship to the prestigious Beijing University which may be in her home city, but is a world apart. There, she begins to understand what made her so frightened and recognize her real self.

There is a gentleness to this story that is irresistible. Lai Wen is a beautiful writer, showing, not telling us what it was like to grow up in that time and place. The humanity of her tale makes every page a treasure, very much like the classic world literature Lai discovers in the old bookstore.

I highly recommend this novel, and I hope that Lai Wen is working on another novel. Lai's story is not over, and I would love to know more.

Many thanks to Spiegel & Grau, NewGalley and Edelweiss for a digital review copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. I loved this book.

The hardships of the Chinese people are given space in Tiananmen Square and our heroine Lai is a sad character. I found the novel a little hard to relate too and that's probably because it was written for Chinese people. I did follow it with interest and found myself moderately rewarded.
thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

First let’s address the fact that Lin Wen is a pseudonym. This reads like a memoir but is categorized as historical fiction, which makes me think that she doesn’t want her family or students (or China?) knowing this was her life.

This was difficult to read, not just because of the aggression by the government, but because of Lin’s teenage years. Her mother was cold and cruel, she experienced a huge loss, and her boyfriend was a selfish asshole.

I usually get bored with long books (528 pages) but this one pulled me along the whole time. It clearly paints a picture of what it was like to live in China in the 80s and why the conflict at Tiananmen Square happened. The first 75% of the book was Lin’s story, the last 25% is her involvement in the protests.

Even more than the political theme, it is a story of growing up and deciding what you stand for in an environment that likes to dictate how you should think, talk, and act.

AGAIN it’s a difficult one to read, but it’s worth it.

Content warnings:
R for language, violence, self harm, and sex (brief scenes, not even close to as graphic as Fourth Wing)

Side note for the editor:
Could’ve taken out about 20 “all at once”s.

The novel tells the story of the post - Cultural revolution and unrest leading up to the events in Tiananmen Square. The protagonist tell her story and while reading it, I was always wondering if this is really a novel or an autobiography. Nevertheless this book gives a good insight about the historical event. I found some parts quite confusing and couldn't really follow, but overall I liked the novel.

Tiananmen Square is a moving and gentle novel about the childhood and young adulthood of a girl in Beijing during the 1970-1980s. Lai lives with her family – father, mother, younger brother and grandmother – in a crowded apartment complex in a lively neighborhood in the city, with views of the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square off in the misty distance. Lai navigates the lessons of childhood friendship, the repressive Chinese government and family dynamics, eventually going to university in Peking. There she falls in love, learns to overcome loneliness and embraces a new circle of quirky and talented friends who expand her views. As students begin to chafe against the restrictions of the Chinese state, a movement gradually begins in the student body of the University of Peking, along with other universities in China, and Lai becomes involved in the peaceful advocacy for more freedoms. This movement culminates in the tragic events in Tiananmen Square and on Chang’an Avenue during June 1989, and Lai bears witness to the heart-breaking crushing of rebellion that takes place.

This novel reads like a blend of memoir and fiction. It is a beautiful, gently flowing love letter to the Beijing of the author’s childhood, and the family and city that raised her. We all know how the cruel and violent repression of June 1989 turned out, but this novel gives an inside perspective and shows how idealistic students and everyday citizens became unintentional protestors and proponents of reform. A groundswell of dissent became a tidal wave that shook a regime and captivated the attention of the world. The novel is written from a point of view that feels deeply personal and emotional. The optimism of those students and their trust in their nation was crushed during those fateful weeks. More than thirty years later, the reader can still feel the waves of pain and loss rippling from the pages, as the author reflects upon everything she lost and pays her respects to the friends she knew during those heady days. I was overwhelmed with emotion and admiration at the courage it took for the author to recount these experiences. It is a novel that will remain with me. So much gratitude to Spiegel and Grau for allowing me to read this remarkable book.

This book was fine. I didn't love it and I found the revelation at the end was very contrived. You did get a sense of what it must've been like at the time and she told the story well but I really disliked the ending.

This book was very different from what I expected, when I requested it on Netgalley. The author’s style of writing was difficult to follow and understand. At many points I was unsure whether the narrator was a young child or a teenager; she referred to herself as a young child even in passages where I knew she was 14 or 15. And, it was just a very strange novel to wrap my head around. That’s what I kept thinking as I pushed myself through it; that it was extremely weird. I finished it, but I did not enjoy it.