Half a Lifelong Romance
Shanghai, 1930s. Shen Shijun, a young engineer, has fallen in love with his colleague, the beautiful Gu Manzhen. He is determined to resist his family’s efforts to match him with his wealthy cousin so that he can marry her. But dark circumstances—a lustful brother-in-law, a treacherous sister, a family secret—force the two young lovers apart. As Manzhen and Shijun go on their separate paths, they lose track of one another, and their lives become filled with feints and schemes, missed connections and tragic misunderstandings. At every turn, societal expectations seem to thwart their prospects for happiness. Still, Manzhen and Shijun dare to hold out hope—however slim—that they might one day meet again. A glamorous, wrenching tale set against the glittering backdrop of an extraordinary city, Half a Lifelong Romance is a beloved classic from one of the essential writers of twentieth-century China.
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A tragic love story set in Shanghai in the 1930. It's a good portrait of what life was like at that time. When family politics and societal conventions were worth more than a daughter's happiness. A time when more was thought and assumed, then spoken out loud.
While the first half of the book is very tender and slow, the second half almost becomes a dramatic series of tragedies, regretful life choices and missed connections. It's very engaging. The ending is a double punch of emotions.
