Potential not realised

I recently listened to 'China' by Edward RutherfurdI, a good story line and narration of a story set 19th century fiction skillfully blending fact and fiction. I was hoping to experience something similar in 'Wuhan' as an account of the concurrent experiences of primarily a peasant family and a famous Chinese author (Lao She) during the first stages of the Sino-Japanese War 1937-45.

The story started off well enough but as real historical characters were introduced it went off the rails with compounding myths about well known personalities or giving them views which are difficult to believe. One myth that has been discredited is that of Feng, the Christian general who supposed baptised his soldiers 'en masse' with a fire hose. Not true according to contemporary sources. Another relates to NZ citizen Rewi Alley widely lauded as a great humanitarian. His initial life in China was creditable but he was, apart from Chairman Mao, one of the few to put on weight during the Cultural Revolution.

So, while the story had great potential and is a good value read/listen I found myself annoyed by historical inaccuracies or portrayals far from the truth. On a positive note I thought the descriptions of the battle of Taierzhuang and the plight of refugees fleeing the Japanese well covered. So, OK but fell short of the potential it promised.

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