Svetlana's Reads and Views

Name of Book: A Hero born Author: Jin Yong (translated by Anna Holmwood) ISBN: 978-1-250-22060-8 Publisher: St. Martin's Press Part of a Series: Legend of the Condor Heroes Type of book: 1200s, China, Song Dynasty, Mongolia, Jin Empire, fantasy, wuxia, contest, betrayal, family, secrets, relationships, greats, immortals, Genghis Khan, farming, wealth, simplicity  Year it was published: 2019 (1955) Summary: The epic Chinese classic and phenomenon published in the US for the first time! A fantastical generational saga and kung fu epic, A Hero Born is the classic novel of its time, stretching from the Song Empire (China 1200 AD) to the appearance of a warlord whose name will endure for eternity: Genghis Khan. Filled with an extraordinary cast of characters, A Hero Born is a tale of fantasy and wonder, love and passion, treachery and war, betrayal and brotherhood. And then a hero is born... After his father, a Song patriot, was murdered, Guo Jing and his mothe...

General Information: Name of Book: The Little Restaurant ISBN: 978-1-60220-225-2 Publisher : Tuttle Publishing Year it was published: 2010 Summary: Wang Anyi's short stories in The Little Restaurant illuminat the emotional and intellectual complexity of the lives of the multiple generations caught up in China. Some of her short stories describe the lives of young students caught in the Cultural Revolution who were sent away to rural communities across China to be educated and tempered in a hardscrabble existence; other stories revolve around the seemingly quiet lives of ordinary citizens in the city of Shanghai. In simple language and with an eye for detail, she describes their simple physical existence and their complex nterior lives. Her descriptions are often realistic, affectionate and vivid yet somehow they remain evocative and haunting. Creating poetry out of the ordinary and the mundane, her stories are at once both stark and deeply poetic. Author: Wang A...

Name of Book: The Empress of Bright Moon Author: Weina Dai Randel ISBN: 978-1-4926-1359-6 Publisher: Sourcebooks Part of a Series: The Empress Wu Duology Type of book: Tang Dynasty, China, friendships, concubine, palace, struggles, monastery, 649-655 ME, motherhood, bareness, nature, political games, Emperor, Empress, secrets, family, filial piety, happiness, manipulation, lies Year it was published: 2016 Summary: In the captivating sequel to The Moon in the Palace, Mei must protect her people from a murderous empress The second book in this stunning duology, The Empress of Bright Moon follows Mei as she struggles for power within the Emperor's palace, risking her life to dethrone the murderous Empress and establish herself as the new female ruler of China. After Mei's lover, Pheasant, is crowned Emperor, a power struggle erupts between Mei and Pheasant's wife, Empress Wang. Both women are desperate to secure their name and rank. But when Empress ...

Name of Book: The Moon in the Palace Author: Weina Dai Randel ISBN: 978-1-4926-1356-5 Publisher: Sourcebooks landmark Part of a Series: The Empress of Wu Duology Type of book: China, Tang Dynasty, Empress Wu, 631-648, seasons, palace life, loyalty, family, filial piety, secrets, friendships, relationships, rivalry, jobs, fighting Year it was published: 2016 Summary: There is no easy path for a woman aspiring to power A concubine at the palace learns quickly that there are many ways to capture the Emperor’s attention. Many paint their faces white and style their hair attractively, hoping to lure in the One Above All with their beauty. Some present him with fantastic gifts, such as jade pendants and scrolls of calligraphy, while others rely on their knowledge of seduction to draw his interest. But young Mei knows nothing of these womanly arts, yet she will give the Emperor a gift he can never forget. Mei’s intelligence and curiosity, the same traits that make her...

Name of Book: Dissipation Author: Tang Ying ISBN: 978-1-60220-213-9 Publisher: Better Link Press Type of book: China, Malaysia, modern times, long lost love, reunions, friendships, motives, marriage, changes, reflections, Shanghai, 1990s? money, greed, finances Year it was published: 2010 Summary: This short novel by one of China's leading female writers is an intimate portrait of a woman's life, caught up in a rapidly shifting world. Dissipation is the story of Su Xiaohui, a young woman desperate to create a better life for herself. Leaving behind her friends and family in Shanghai, she travels to Malaysia, where her wealthy aunt and seemingly ideal husband offer her a chance to fulfill her dreams. But when her mother is taken ill ten years later, Xiaohui finally returns home. She finds herself in a bewildering city, infused with the images of a life she thought she had left behind. When loneliness leads her back to her former lover, her tenuous relatio...

General Information: Name of Book: Goodbye, Xu Hu! ISBN: 978-1-60220-219-1 Publisher: Better Link Press Year it was published: 2010 Summary: This collection of Chinese novellas presents two stories by the president of the Shanghai Writing Association address the question of how we must live with the past: Goodbye, Xu Hu! Twenty years ago, a man serving in the PeopleAEs Liberation Army met his first love, the energetic and charming Xu Hu. In those two decades both their paths diverged until a chance meeting in a restaurant in Shanghai. As the man recalls his time as a young soldier he wonders whether he and Xu Hu can rekindle the flame of their past. No Explanation Is Necessary Lao Wei on the surface appeared to be an ordinary hospital janitor. However, after a chance sighting at a subway station a writer learns that this simple janitor is much more than he appears to be. After returning to the hospital the writer learns of Lao WeiAEs past, his triumphs and failu...

Name of Book: When a Baby is Born... Author: Cheng Naishan ISBN: 978-1-60220-215-3 Publisher: Better Link Press Type of book: Beauty, Cultural Revolution, wealth, abandonment, first love, deep love, crush, 1960s, 1980s, Gobi Desert, China, travel, life, marriage, mining Year it was published: 2010 Summary: This fascinating novel by one of contemporary China's most prolific writers offers insight into a chaotic period in modern Chinese history. The early sixties of the last century saw the exodus of Shanghai's educated youth to the wilderness of Northwestern China. They were mainly engaged in farming there, working in appalling conditions. Tang Dawei, a high school student from a wealthy family, volunteers to go in order to flee the merciless criticism and unbearable social pressure that follow an "incident." Dawei settles down in the Gobi Desert, where he goes through countless hardships and ordeals to transform himself into a "tough guy....

Name of Book: The Golden Lotus Vol II Author: Lanling Xiaoxiaosheng, Clement Egerton, Shu Qingchun ISBN: 978-0-8048-4171-9 Publisher: Tuttle Part of a Series: The Golden Lotus Vol I was the "prequel" This one covers chapters 54-100 Type of book: 1100s, Forbidden book, death, despicable deeds, bribing, finances, affairs, falling into place, China, reparations, revenge, loyalty, surprising heroes and heroines, women as main characters, officials, greed, second chances, lust, sloth, Year it was published: 2011 (1300s) Summary: The Golden Lotus (Jin Ping Mei) has been called the fifth greatest work in all of Chinese literature and one of the Four Masterworks of the Ming novel. Anonymously written, it was admired in its own time for its literary qualities and biting indictment of the immorality and cruelty of its age. Yet it has also been denigrated as a dirty book for its sexual frankness. It centers on Ximen Qing, a wealthy, young, dissolute merchant, and ...

Name of Book: The Golden Lotus, aka Jin Ping Mei aka The Plum in the Golden Vase Author: Lanling Xiaoxiaosheng, Clement Egerton, Shu Qingchun ISBN: 978-0-8048-4170-2 Publisher: Tuttle Part of a Series: This is first part of Jin Ping Mei, spanning from chapters 1-53 Type of book: China, "dirty book" sex, 1100s, corruption, women, poetry, ambition, murder, daily life, selfishness, widowhood, connections, wealth, city life, pride, envy, gluttony, lust, anger, greed, sloth Year it was published: 2011 (1590s or afterwards originally) Summary: The Golden Lotus (Jin Ping Mei) has been called the fifth greatest work in all of Chinese literature and one of the Four Masterworks of the Ming novel. Anonymously written, it was admired in its own time for its literary qualities and biting indictment of the immorality and cruelty of its age. Yet it has also been denigrated as a dirty book for its sexual frankness. It centers on Ximen Qing, a wealthy, young, dissolute ...

Name of Book: The Three Kingdoms Vol III: Welcome the Tiger Author: Luo Guanzhong, translation by Yu Sumei and Ronald C Iverson ISBN: 978-0-8048-4395-9 Publisher: Tuttle Part of a Series: The Three Kingdoms; this is the conclusion to Volumes I and II and has chapters 75-120 Type of book: Wars, China, 219-260? conquer, Three Kingdoms of Wu, Wei and Shu, political manipulations, successors, rulers, the ultimate winner Year it was published: 1300s (this translation in 2014) Summary: This exciting new translation with footnotes will appeal to modern readers who find the twists and turns of Game of Thrones so compelling. The Three Kingdoms is an epic Chinese novel written over six centuries ago. It recounts in vivid historical detail the turbulent years at the close of the Han Dynasty, when China broke into three competing kingdoms and over half the population were either killed or driven from their homes. Part myth, part fact, readers will experience the loyalty an...

Name of Book: The Three Kingdoms Vol II: The Sleeping Dragon Author: Luo Guanzhong ISBN: 978-0-8048-4394-2 Publisher: Tuttle Part of a Series: The Three Kingdoms; this is a "sequel" to The Sacred Oath and covers chapters 36-74, while the next "sequel" is conclusion Type of book: Battles, strategies, wars, political relationships, 191?-219? , intelligence, control, China, Chinese classic, historical fiction, China divided Year it was published: 1300s (2014 with translation) Summary: This exciting new translation with footnotes will appeal to modern readers who find the twists and turns of Game of Thrones so compelling. The Three Kingdoms is an epic Chinese novel written over six centuries ago. It recounts in vivid historical detail the turbulent years at the close of the Han Dynasty, when China broke into three competing kingdoms and over half the population were either killed or driven from their homes. Part myth, part fact, readers will exp...

Name of Book: The Three Kingdoms Volume I: The Sacred Oath Author: Luo Guanzhong, (Yu Sumei and Ronald C Iverson are translator and editor) ISBN: 978-0-8048-4393-5 Publisher: Tuttle Part of a Series: The Three Kingdoms, divided into three volumes Type of book: China, 169? (189)-200s? wars, historical fiction, the three kingdoms, Wu, Wei and Shu, anthology, Chinese classic, poetry, mysticism, Yellow Turban Rebellion, strategies, plotting Year it was published: Originally 1300s, but this translation in 2014 Summary: This exciting new translation will appeal to modern readers who find the twists and turns of Game of Thrones so compelling. The Three Kingdoms is an epic Chinese novel written over six centuries ago. It recounts in vivid historical detail the turbulent years at the close of the Han Dynasty, when China broke into three competing kingdoms and over half the population were either killed or driven from their homes. Part myth, part fact, readers will exper...

Name of Book: Diamond Head Author: Cecily Wong ISBN: 978-0-06-234543-1 Publisher: Harper Type of book: Hawaii, red string of fate, 1900s-1964, funeral, China, WWII, relationships, family, father/son, husband/wife, mother/daughter, Guandong, mistakes, wealth, soul mates, destiny Year it was published: 2015 Summary: A sweeping debut spanning China to Hawaii that follows four generations of a wealthy shipping family whose rise and decline is riddled with secrets and tragic love—from a young, powerful new voice in fiction “Diamond Head takes the family saga to a new and very high place. . . . Readers will follow the fortunes of this family breathlessly, hungry for more.” —Mary Gordon, author of Circling My Mother At the turn of the nineteenth-century, Frank Leong, a fabulously wealthy shipping industrialist, moves his family from China to the island of Oahu. But something ancient follows the Leongs to Hawaii, haunting them. The parable of the red string of fate, t...

Name of Book: Vicissitudes of Life Author: Wang Xiaoying ISBN: 978-1-60220-221-4 Publisher: Tuttle Type of book: China, Shanghai, 1980s, economy, old China vs modern China vs new China, decisions, keeping face, international student Year it was published: 2010 Summary: Vicissitudes of Life tells the story of Xiaoyi, a post-graduate studying in America during the early years of China's opening up. Xiaoyi has opportunities in AMerica, but pining for his wife and determined to contribute to the building of the "new China" he decides to return home. Before he leaves a former lover reads his fortune using a traditional book of divination. She warns him that a dire fate awaits him in China. Xiaoyi ignores the warning and returns home. Back in Shanghai, he is reunited with his wife Fanfan, a singer in a local chorus, and is offered a job at his former university. However, it quickly becomes apparent that not everyone is happy about Xiaoyi's appointment...

Name of Book: Tiger Tail Soup Author: Nicki Chen ISBN: 9781457531897 Publisher: Dog Ear Publishing Type of book: China, 1938-1946, WWII, occupation, international settlement, survival, hunger, lack of medicine and drugs, marriage, nationalism, friendship, family Year it was published: 2014 Summary: When the first bombs fall, An Lee is pregnant and her husband is missing. He won't be home to stay for another seven years. It's up to An Lee to protect her mother, mother-in-law, young daughter, and soon-to-be-born son. Surrounded by the Japanese military, An Lee struggles to survive, enduring hunger, loneliness, and fear. Then, on December 7, 1941, the enemy invades and occupies their little island on the coast of China, and An Lee's strength is put to the test. In this lyrical and emotionally charged novel, Nicki Chen paints a fascinating portrait of love and resilience in a time of war. Characters: The main character would be An Lee. In childhood sh...