coming late to the party after a week of no internet, but just in case there is still time I nominate
Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China, by
June Chang. Along with the stories of the authors, her mother and her granmother, it also sweeps through the history of 20th century China. As for its literary value,
Penelope Fitzgerald praised it in the London Review of Books. More reviews extracts
here and
here.
Available as ebook, it is originally in English.