53. Women of the Silk by Gail Tsukiyama (Historical Fiction) 278 p.

World Lit Challenge: China

Another Gail Tsukiyama novel, this time one set in China. Pei is the second daughter of Pao and Yu-Sung, a fisherman and his wife in a tiny village in southeastern China. She is taken by her father to work in a silk factory in the small town of Yung Kee. At the time (in the 1920’s), harvesting and spinning silk thread was done exclusively by women, mostly unmarried girls and celibate women.

Women of the Silk is the first of two novels that trace Pei’s life within the “silk sisterhood”. After reading so many excellent but depressing books about China (The Good Earth, The Good Women of China, Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress), I knew there had to be some people in China who enjoyed themselves at least some of the time.

Books read: 53/100
Pages read: 15,469/25,000

Tags: 50 Book Challenge 2007, Gail Tsukiyama, World Lit Challenge