October 24, 2007 at 1:32 pm · Filed under Book Reviews, Favourite Books, Fiction and Literature, World Literature
109. Night of Many Dreams by Gail Tsukiyama (Fiction) 288 p.
I always enjoy Gail Tsukiyama’s books, so it’s not surprise that I liked this one. Her novels tend to follow individuals or families through many years, as this one does. In this case, the main characters are Joan and Emma, the two children of a wealthy Hong Kong businessman and his society wife. World War II and the Japanese occupation change the family’s fortunes, but they always manage to get by. Emma goes to school in America, while Joan begins a career in Chinese cinema. Through it all, they have the support of the older women in the household.
If you’re going to try any of Tsukiyama’s books, this isn’t a bad place to start, although the duology of Women of the Silk and The Language of Threads is probably her best work.
Books read: 109
Pages read: 32,412
Tags: 50 Book Challenge 2007, Gail Tsukiyama
June 9, 2007 at 9:03 am · Filed under Book Reviews, Favourite Books, Fiction and Literature, Historical Fiction, World Literature
54. The Language of Threads by Gail Tsukiyama (Historical Fiction) 276 p.
World Lit Challenge: China
The sequel to Women of the Silk, and I actually enjoyed it even more than the first book. The Language of Threads follows Pei and her extended family to Hong Kong in their attempt to escape from the Japanese invasion of China during World War II.
If you enjoy the first one, there’s no question that you’ll like this one, too.
Books read: 54/100
Pages read: 15,745/25,000
Tags: 50 Book Challenge 2007, Gail Tsukiyama, World Lit Challenge
June 9, 2007 at 9:02 am · Filed under Book Reviews, Favourite Books, Fiction and Literature, Historical Fiction, World Literature
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
June 1, 2007 at 1:03 pm · Filed under Book Reviews, Favourite Books, Historical Fiction, World Literature
47. The Samurai’s Garden by Gail Tsukiyama (Historical Fiction) 211 p.
World Lit Challenge: Japan
A young man from Hong Kong, sent home from university when he gets TB, goes to his family’s summer house in Japan to recover, and ends up staying for a year.
I really enjoyed this book, more than I expected, especially since it didn’t have much plot. It was more a meditation on love and human relationships than anything, but Tsukiyama handles the subject so well that it never feels slow or forced.
Books read: 47/50
Pages read: 13,395/25,000
Tags: 50 Book Challenge 2007, Gail Tsukiyama, World Lit Challenge
