Rating: 
Summary: Loved it!
Review: I loved every page of this book. I first read it several years ago and re-read it again last year. The second time was even better than the first. I loved the simplicity of the writing, and the caring, touching romance between Pei and Lin.
Rating:
Summary: Beautifully written...
Review: I must agree with the others that have reviewed this book. It was an elegant and sophisticated book that left me wishing there was more to read- After finishing the book, I went out and bought her other book which I look forward to reading. :)
Rating:
Summary: Moving, yet gentle story...
Review: I so enjoyed this book....wept at the end. I felt so for the young Pei as a child, being deserted by her parents at such a young age. I found the backdrop of China in the early 1920-30s very interesting. The characters made the time and situation real,and not just some historical footnote for which one has no feelings for. The characters were interestingly drawn , with their individual and unique strengths and weaknesses.The times and the character's personalities/traits lead them down differing paths, some happy and some sad. Life ends for some, yet goes on despite it all for those remaining. The book reminded me how one should appreciate the here and now and each other (especially the latter).
Rating:
Summary: Lovely
Review: I started to read this book and was quickly drawn into the story. The tale takes place during the early 1920's through the 1930's. A young girl whom goes by the name of Pei is growing up in a small village in China along with her sister Li and her Mother and Father. They live in a farm in a simple manner and hardships lead Pei's father to make the decision to send Pei to a silk factory for an extra income. From Pei's young teen life to mid-adult hood she works in a silk factory where she makes many friends and soon becomes quite happy and loved with her new family of fellow silk workers. Her life at the silk factory brings forth many happenings such as losses, happiness, and relief. This is a fantastic book.
Rating:
Summary: Lovely
Review: I started to read this book and was quickly drawn into the story. The tale takes place during the early 1920's through the 1930's. A young girl whom goes by the name of Pei is growing up in a small village in China along with her sister Li and her Mother and Father. They live in a farm in a simple manner and hardships lead Pei's father to make the decision to send Pei to a silk factory for an extra income. From Pei's young teen life to mid-adult hood she works in a silk factory where she makes many friends and soon becomes quite happy and loved with her new family of fellow silk workers. Her life at the silk factory brings forth many happenings such as losses, happiness, and relief. This is a fantastic book.
Rating: 
Summary: I would never underestimate this author
Review: I was immediately engaged by the simplicity and delicate phrasing of Gail Tsukiyama as she introduces her readers to Pei, a farm girl whose wages are necessary in order for her poverty- riddled family to live. One of only two babies who survived their birthing, Pei, as the youngest, is also the most curious. Had her parents not been so cold and distant, she would have constantly asked questions in her natural effort to learn and understand. But both parents are emotionally impoverished and unable to enjoy this daughter so full of life. Pei finds herself on a one-way journey to a house of girls in the village of Yung Kee. There she is left by her father, who has arranged for Pei to work in a silk factory that will send most of her wages to the family. Over the years, Pei finds comfort and safety in the house of Auntie Yee and the other girls. She makes a dear friend, Lin, who becomes like the sister she has lost to the past. Pei discovers that in this house she has an opportunity to determine her own fate, as do many other young women, chosing a life of celibacy over forced marriage. The author offers a sense of each day at the silk factory, young women comforting eachother and finding strength in a common bond. But war is on the horizon, and the Japanese troops get nearer every day, forcing the young women to make decisions whether to flee to an unknown life or stay and hide in the countryside. These are young girls who have very little say in the determination of the future, girls who are to be thrust suddenly into an unexpected and dangerous world. One of the strengths of this novel is found in the bonding between "sisters" and their willingness to aid one another. They actually find the courage to form a strike at the silk factory, unfortunately successful only after one of them is killed. With the impending Japanese invasion, Pei has nowhere to go, and is unable to locate her parents or married sister, but her dear friend Lin makes plans to take her with them to Hong Kong. Pei is afraid, but will attempt anything with Lin's guidance. At the last minute, there is a fire at the silk factory, and Lin is trapped inside this ashen grave. Pei is struck numb with grief, unable to continue but for the need of another young woman, Ji Shen, taken into the house when she was found at the side of the road, nearly dead. The ending is particularly sad as Pei moves on towards life, realizing that Lin would expect her to help care for Ji Shen. There is such tenderness and yet such strength in the book, that I was sorry to finish the story. I look forward to reading more of Gail Tsukiyama's novels. Her writing is both elegant and powerful with the deceptive simplicity that women so often bring to their life's endeavors.
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Summary: Razorback is wrong...this is a WONDERFUL book!!!
Review: I won't bore you with the details of the story, as all of the previous reviewers have already given you that information. Suffice it to say that this is a beautiful book that left me wanting to know more about the fate of the main characters. (I've already put the "sequel" on my Wish List for my next order from ... ) I really enjoyed it, as did a number of my friends. A perfect "beach" read for those so inclined (I live in the Pacific so every day is a good day for a beach read) or a good read for a rainy day or a nice cozy day in front of the fireplace. I really liked this book. Razorback should put her "razor" away....
Rating: 
Summary: A real disappointment, despite rave reviews.
Review: I'm really not too sure why so many reviews of this book praise it so highly- granted, it took me awhile to catch on, but this book (Tsukiyama's first) is completely flat and emotionless. In fact, if I hadn't been forced to read "Women of the Silk" for class, I doubt even my morbid curiosity about so many ill-fated, undeveloped characters would have kept me going. Tsukiyama's characters seem to be in place in order to lead the author to some sort of cathartic understanding of the resilience of women in general, and the culture of southern Chinese silkworkers, specifically. As such, they are nothing more than talking cutouts, forming the extremely shaky foundation upon which an otherwise captivating plot is built. The reader is left wondering exactly what the agenda of the author was- clearly, the simple telling of human drama, having taken no shape in this book, was not her goal. The unmistakeable hints at a lesbian relationship between the main character, Pei, and her best friend, Lin, are never allowed to take on any detail or life of their own. It's almost as if Tsukiyama is fencing in what, in other circumstances, could have been a delightful book, by preventing the characters any meaningful interaction with one another. I would not recommend this book to anyone, unless it is to be used in a study of Asian-American authorship, and the pitfalls of writing about a culture with which the author is unfamiliar.
Rating:
Summary: A novel of loss, hope and courage.
Review: If there is anything that makes a vow of celibacy attractive it is this novel. The characters of the novel, despite their cold exterior and deep traditional values, evoke strong emotions in the reader. Pei, the protagonist, is sold into the Silk Workers' Sisterhood where she learns the value of female friendship, independence and communal bond. The girls' home is a center of support where the residents receive constant nurturing from each other, learn endurance, and give love. Pei eventually chooses to enter the "hairdressing" ceremony, where she and her friend Lin enter the women's home choosing celibacy over the traditional norm of marriage and children. Their argument against marriage is a logical one--afterall, most marriages they see in their immediate surrounding imprisons the women into a life of servitude and pain. In the end, Pei faces a turning point in her life. She is only around 27 years old, she has lost all who had been important to her and she's fleeing the Japanese invaders. As she embarks on a trip to Hong Kong, we know that there is no need for us to wonder; she has the strength to pull through and make a new life for herself.
Rating:
Summary: A Story of Friendship, Love, Courage, and Silk
Review: In her first novel, Women of the Silk, Gail Tsukiyama weaves a beautiful tale about a young girl, named Pei, growing up in 1930's China. The novel is historical fiction, but the author does such a wonderful job of capturing the reality of the times, that it is hard to believe it is not true. Women of the Silk is a story of love, friendship, war, and women. This book is a fantastic read, and I would suggest it for anyone who enjoys a good book.
The war going on in China, during the period that the novel is set, is the Second Sino-Japanese War. This was a war between Japan and China fought for control of the Chinese mainland. During this time, economy in China suffered great loss and threw many workers into hard times. Tsukiyama shows brilliantly the effects of war on Chinese society, and also how women were treated in 1930's China. Her characterization is wonderful; she makes each character believable individuals, although the book lacks male characters. The book is full of imagery that is touching to the soul. The only element that the book lacks is a strong ending.
The story is told mainly from the perspective of Pei, a precocious young Chinese girl, the daughter of a fish farmer. When money becomes scarce, her father is forced to give up one of his daughters: "The fortuneteller had as much as predicted that Pei was of a nonmarrying fate. An unmarried woman had little in this world without a husband and his family to care for her" (15). Because of this, Pei's father sends Pei to work in a Silk Factory to earn money for her family. This line also begins one of the most important ideas of the work: the choices that women were given in Chinese society. Pei meets many friends at the Girls' House where she lives, and some of the most poignant images in the book are those of the friendships that are forged. After a good friend dies, Pei decides to go through the Hairdressing Ceremony, a ceremony like a marriage that marries the girl to her work, with her best friend Lin. The working conditions become worse, and Pei and her friends form a strike, the first one ever seen in rural China. They are successful, and life gets better for them, until the invading Japanese get closer to Yung Kee, the village in which they live. At the end of the book, Pei is making her way to Hong Kong to avoid the war.
This book succeeds in enlightening its readers both to the struggle of Chinese women in the 1930's, and also to the struggle of China as a whole. It shows, through Pei, that although most women were expected to marry and serve their husband, other things were possible, namely independence. The characters in the book are magnificently crafted and very real. The only thing missing in the book are strong male characters. With the exception of Pei's father, Pao Chung, all male characters are minor and one dimensional. This is done because the book focuses on women, however it would be more realistic if there were some more believable male characters. The only other unrealistic part of the book is that it is implied that perhaps Pei and Lin are more than just good friends. This part of the book is overdone, and in my opinion unnecessary. The strongest images in the book are those of the friendship between Pei and Lin, and when anything more than friendship is implied, it is unbelievable. Tsukiyama is a master of language; the words she uses create vivid images that can be either heartwarming or heart wrenching.
Women of the Silk is a story of love, courage, and beauty, but it is clear that none of this comes without a price. Many people in Pei's life die, or are harmed, but in the end there is hope, and Pei is sailing towards Hong Kong in search of a new life. The end, however, does not seem to be complete. Throughout the book time is taken to tell the story, and then the end comes abruptly. It seems almost as if the author were out of time. However, there is a sequel, and perhaps that is why the book ended so abruptly, causing the reader to yearn for more.
Tsukiyama's novel is magnificent. It touches on issues such as the choices women had in 1930's China, and the effects of war on Chinese society and economy. It also shows the strength of love and friendship. The characterization is mainly good, and the author's use of language and imagery is superb. I enjoyed this book and am excited to read the sequel, The Language of Threads, which will follow Pei's life in Hong Kong. I recommend this book to anyone, and more strongly to all women. It is a wonderfully well crafted novel, and is a joy to read.
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