The Taiping Rebellion Book

Wintry Night is a fascinating novel and a must read for anyone interested in Taiwan's history from late 19th century until the end of WWII. The book is divided into two parts, which are the abridged translations of the first and third volumes of the Wintry Night trilogy by Li Qiao. Skipping the second volume left a gap of almost five decades between the two parts. The first part traces the lives of the Pengs, a Hakka family when they first settled in Fanzai Wood, a mountainous village in Hsinchu County, while the second part, which focuses on the final years of WWII, talks about the agony of the descendants of the Pengs and other Fanzai Wood settlers, who were conscripted by the Japanese to serve in the Philippines and the Pacific.

This novel deserves five starts for its historical value and its portrayal of the late settlers to Taiwan and their struggles during the Japanese occupation. It is truly an amazing and very well researched novel. As a work of fiction, however, the novel was slow at times, which probably explains why it was abridged. My biggest qualm with this novel is the sheer misery that it portrays. It is extremely sad and heartbreaking, and it only gets worse with every page. If you enjoy bleak, heart wrenching novels then this is the one for you.