The Concubine's Children

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Summary: Debby, 31-03-1998
Review: Allthough the story in general is very good, I had to wrestle myselve throught the pages. Too many facts, names, places and dates and not written in a pleasant way. If you're interested in story's about China, I'd rather recommend the writer Amy Tan, or Lulu Wang with her beautifull new book "Het Lelietheater". Unfortunately only available in the Netherlands at the moment.

Rating:
Summary: A rich tale of a family's struggle at the Golden Mountian
Review: Being a 1st generation Chinese Canadian I feel very close to this story. Although my circumstances are not as dark as that of the people in the story, I feel a certain kinship.

Denise Chong is honest and her story is remarkable. I read that book in one night and had to miss school the next day because I could not put the book down. The pictures in the book gives a dimension to the characters.

Rating:
Summary: A Captivating Read
Review: I may be a white, teenaged, american male, but I still can appreciate the value and hard work that went into this book.

This book was absolutely wonderful in that it covered the family history so well, leaving out very few details, even though it was all put together by word of mouth, letters and photographs!

This must have been an extremely difficult book to write for all parties involved, and for that the author and her relatives have my deepest respect.

This book is absolutely beautiful and represents Chinese culture very clearly and in an interesting manner. I would recommend this book to ANYBODY

Rating:
Summary: The most compelling book I read in '96
Review: The Concubine's Children is the story, of a woman from China who came to Britsh Columbia, Canada to be the concubine, (not wife) of a rather unimaginative, and very traditional man. Her story, which really isn't a happy story, gives the reader an unusual insight into the imigrant experience of Asian Americans, and is written by the granddaughter of the "Concubine" . This book was so good, I read it in one night. I then sent it to my mother who did the same

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Summary: A compelling look at the pressures on Overseas Chinese
Review: The strength of this book is in the human drama of a family split apart. On another level, it is one of the clearest and most compelling descriptions I have ever encountered of the conflicting ties Overseas Chinese have between their adopted homelands and their ancestral homeland; the conflicting forces of family sentiment and the need to earn money to support the family; and the disparate economic opportunities at home and abroad. Like other economic sojourners who travel abroad to work, the author's grandfather faces tremendous pressures from those back home who expect him to give them the world on what are really very low wages; and he risks loss of face if he does not meet their expectations. The author paints her family members not as saints nor sinners but as real people and does an amazing, touching, fascinating job of bringing to life the story of a family pulled apart over the span of three generations.