The Mountains Sing

This book follows Hương (Guava) and her grandmother, Diêu Lan, as they navigate the chaos that is tearing through their home in Việt Nam due to the war. The 1970s timeline is told by Hương, and Diêu Lan tells her background from the 40s to the reader while sharing her history with her granddaughter. My one gripe is that it was sometimes hard to remember what timeline I was in because the storytelling from both ends was a little similar. This may have mostly been due to listening to the audiobook, so ymmv. Considering that this is Nguyễn’s first English book, I give her a pass.

This can be a tough read at times because of the events that occur to the characters due to the wars and Communist reform, and the overall nastiness of human nature. This is one that I would suggest checking trigger warnings on before beginning.

This was a very fresh perspective for me as I've never read anything based in the history of war-torn Việt Nam or the Communist reform that occurred. Even with the heavy topics, this was a surprisingly easy read and I became very invested in the characters. I felt like I was there witnessing what was happening and sharing their trials with them. I will be continuing to dive into the sides of the Việt Nam war that I have not been introduced to until now. Being able to start this journey by taking in the words of someone who experienced the effect of the wars first-hand is always a great thing. Definitely one that I recommend.

"Cruelty dispensed, cruelty served."

This was a sad book about Vietnam. I guess I'm slowly making my way around the world and reading books about all the worst parts in history. I have a thing for stories that need to be heard.

This book uses the dual viewpoints of Trần Diệu Lan in 1920 and her grown granddaughter Hương during the Vietnam War to tell a family story of loss. Trần Diệu Lan had 5 young kids and owned a farm during the land reform period of Vietnam's history. She was ousted from her house, beaten, separated from one of her kids, and the only reason she survived was because of the intervention of a friendly neighbor. Her land and belongings were divided up amongst her village, and she fled with no money and 5 kids to look after. Meanwhile, Hương lives with her grandma, after her uncles, father, and mother left to go fight in the war. Her family slowly comes back, but the war has changed everyone and everything, even her family.

This was a very sad story, written beautifully by the author. Very descriptive, very lyrical, it was easy to get swept up in the descriptions and feelings evoked here. I didn't particularly care for the dual viewpoints, however, because the two voices felt the same in terms of story told. But everything else about the book was fantastic. I learned a lot about Vietnam, especially about the land reform period. Good book.