In Full Bloom

Name: In Full Bloom
ISBN: 9787550218048

卢庚戌 / 饶泽佳Beijing United Publishing Co., Ltd. · ChinaApr 2017

3.6

Word count: 161K words
Chapters: 15
ISBN: 9787550218048

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Summary

Ma Lu is a mid-level white-collar worker at a dating website. The pressure of work and the banality of his family life have drained his enthusiasm for living. One day, his quiet life is shattered by a phone call from Li Ai, his first love from twenty years ago, who suddenly gets in touch. Ma Lu and Li Ai arrange to meet several times, but various obstacles prevent it from happening. Yet the emotions and memories of his youth have already been unlocked: scenes from the days when he played in a band for Li Ai's sake come back vividly, and the song he wrote for her back then but never sang remains a regret buried deep in his heart. In the course of remembering, Ma Lu gradually recovers the passion and dreams of his youth. He reunites with old friends to re-form the band and sings the unfinished song by the sea; several middle-aged people achieve another full flowering in their lives.

Editor's review

This is a novel built around midlife crisis and memories of youth. The protagonist, Ma Lu, is a mid-level white-collar employee at a dating website; work pressure and the mediocrity of family life have drained his enthusiasm, and a phone call from Li Ai, his first love from twenty years earlier, shatters his calm. Several attempts to meet fall through, but his memories are fully opened: the days when he played in a band for Li Ai, and the song that was never sung, become his deepest regret. The story's readability lies in the rhythm of its interwoven dual lines—the hesitation of reality and the passion of memory mirror each other, giving an apparently ordinary reunion story emotional weight. The collaboration between the authors Lu Gengxu and Rao Zejia gives the writing about music, bands, and the stage a vivid sense of immediacy, and the unfinished song becomes the emotional pivot running through the whole book. In the end, the novel has several middle-aged people re-form a band and sing that song by the sea, completing a spiritual "blooming." It is suited to tired nights, reminding readers of their own unfinished wishes; but it does not offer cheap success-formula answers. Instead, it places regret and recovery side by side, leaving the aftertaste to the reader.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Novel readers interested in themes of youthful memory and midlife mood
Readers who enjoy music and band elements woven into stories
People in a period of burnout at work and in life who want to rediscover enthusiasm
Readers who prefer emotionally delicate novels with dual-line narration

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer strong plot and fast-paced suspense or science fiction
Readers expecting deep analysis of realistic social issues
Readers impatient with a dual-line structure that alternates memory and reality

Reading tips

Pay attention to the switching points between the reality line and the memory line, and feel the rhythm of Ma Lu's emotional changes.
Slow down when reading about the band's past; the song that was never sung is the key to understanding the book's emotions.
After reading, recall your own unfinished wishes and write down a few thoughts; this can deepen your understanding of the ending.
It is best read over several consecutive evenings to keep the emotional thread continuous and avoid long interruptions.

About the publisher

Beijing United Publishing Co., Ltd. China · Founded in 1993

Beijing United Publishing Co., Ltd. is a publisher known for its literature and history titles, with 2,065 books in the collection. Its publishing covers foreign literature, contemporary Chinese prose and essays, history, folk literature, and cultural books. Its list ranges from Sima Qian's complete edition of the Records of the Grand Historian to foreign classics such as The Book of Disquiet, All Quiet on the Western Front, Snow Country, The Stranger, and Jean-Christophe, as well as modern Chinese works including Teahouse and Dawn Blossoms Plucked at Dusk. Its authors and translators include Yasunari Kawabata, Fernando Pessoa, Erich Maria Remarque, Jin Xinyi, Zhou Miao, and Chen Chao. Public information is limited, but its catalogue reflects a balance between Chinese and foreign literary classics and historical and cultural works.

第一章尘世嘈杂
第二章白衣飘飘1
第二章白衣飘飘2
第三章饕餮盛宴
第四章光辉岁月
第五章昨日重现
第六章梦中花园
第七章枯木遇春
第八章天亮睁眼1
第八章天亮睁眼2
第八章天亮睁眼3
第八章天亮睁眼4
第九章血色将至1
第九章血色将至2
第十章梦如迷宫

FAQ

Is this book a love story?

Love is an important thread, but the book is more than that. The phone call from his first love, Li Ai, opens Ma Lu's memories of youth, the band, and the unsung song, and the story ultimately lands on his action of re-forming a band with old friends and rediscovering passion. Rather than a reunion romance, it is a middle-aged man using memory to complete a self-awakening.

What role does the song repeatedly mentioned in the book play?

The song written for Li Ai back then but never sung is a symbol of Ma Lu's deep regret and the emotional pivot running through the whole book. At the end, the band sings it by the sea, giving all the earlier memories a landing point; readers can understand it as unfinished business finally being faced.

Does the plot of several middle-aged people re-forming a band seem idealized?

The novel's treatment is clearly lyrical; its focus is not on how a band is run realistically but on presenting the characters' spiritual process of rediscovering passion. Readers who measure it by realist standards may find it too smooth; read as an emotional parable, this section carries more weight.

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About the author

卢庚戌 Author

Lu Gengxu is an author who has come to readers' attention through his writing in youth literature. Public information about him is currently limited: details such as his birthplace, educational background, and writing career are not found in reliable records, making it difficult to sketch a complete biography. Among the available book materials, the one work confirmed is Nufang (Blossoming), which is classified under youth literature. Judging from this thematic orientation, his writing tends to center on the experiences of growing up and the emotional ups and downs of youth, focusing on young people's hesitation and choices between ideals and reality, with a lyrical tone that readily resonates with readers of the same age. Since only one of his works is held in the collection, it is not yet possible to present his writing style and creative trajectory in full, and his literary profile awaits further works and materials.

饶泽佳 Author · Chinese

Rao Zejia is a Chinese author about whom little public information is available; her dates of birth and death, English name, and personal background are not clearly recorded. According to the library's holdings, she has only one work, Nufang (In Full Bloom), which falls under the category of youth literature and may be regarded as her representative work. Youth literature generally centers on adolescent growth, emotional experience, and self-discovery, so the subject matter of Nufang is likely to revolve around life and psychology during youth. The title itself suggests vigorous growth and passionate blossoming, echoing the theme of youth. Because no further verifiable information is available, it is not possible to offer a specific assessment of her writing style, creative development, or the influence of her work. Readers who wish to learn about this author can currently begin only with Nufang and, through reading it, appreciate her narrative orientation and emotional expression.