A family saga about 3 generations of women, spanning from French colonialism through the American war with Vietnam, from a perspective I have never experienced before. The story is tragic interwoven with threads of family and humanity and an abundance of Vietnamese language and culture.

Getting through Ngoc's diary, a North Vietnamese doctor in the fields searching for her husband, is one of the harder parts of this book. The perspective of how the rich landowners were devoured by communism provides an interesting rounding out to Ayn Rand's pro-capitalist perspective.

Quê Mai doesn't soften the atrocities of war but she doesn't dwell either. There's always another hardship to transition into. The prose is tell heavy but I learned a lot and greatly appreciate the experience.