Wild swans

It's no surprise that this incredibly captivating autobiographical book by the Chinese author, who has lived in Great Britain since 1978, became an instant bestseller upon its release in her new homeland and the USA. The work skilfully combines a brilliant, factual depiction of 20th-century Chinese history, full of unbelievable twists, with a soberly and modestly described, yet moving, personal history of three generations of women in the author's family. The story begins with the fate of her grandmother, born in 1909, the most beautiful girl in a small town, whom her father “married off” as a concubine to an old general to increase his prestige and gain wealth. It continues with the life of her mother, who became a Communist official, and culminates with the author herself, born in 1952, who, like other family members, went through all the horrors and cruelties of the so-called Cultural Revolution. She later studied English at university, won a British scholarship, and became the first Chinese person to earn a PhD. She is now the successful author of several bestselling titles.