Author: Pai Kit Fai
ISBN-13: 978-0312355210
Publication Date: September, 2009
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Book Length: 496 Pages
Acquired by Me: Bookstore Purchase
Description Courtesy of Goodreads:
“In the bestselling tradition of Memoirs of a Geisha, a riveting saga of early twentieth-century China, where a mother and a daughter fight to realize their destinies in a world where woman could still be bought and sold.
Lotus feet. He would give her the dainty feet of a courtesan, a princess stepping from a golden palanquin. He smiled to himself.... And it would stop her from running away.
Perhaps a 70-year-old spice farmer in southern China in 1907, should know better than to purchase a 15-year-old concubine, especially one who has the presumption to read and write. Still, she is beautiful, an exquisite plaything to replenish his youth and give him more sons….
When the concubine gives birth to a daughter, she kills herself, believing that the child will be put to death as a useless girl. But Li X’ia survives, at the mercy of her father, who sees her only as a source of future profit. When the farmer orders his wives to bind the girl’s feet to increase her value, Li outwits them and escapes the bandages. At the age of eight she is sold to the silk weavers at Ten Willows, where she faces a life of degradation—but Li manages to escape that too, and finds a way to continue the studies that mattered so much to her lost mother. In time she marries an English sea captain, Ben Devereax, only to be murdered by his enemies on the day she gives birth to their daughter.
That daughter, Siu Sing, is spirited to safety by the Fish, a devoted old servant of her parents'. The Fish takes Sing to Master To, a great teacher who watches over the child and trains her in spiritual wisdom and martial arts. But when Sing is approaching young womanhood, the Master is slain by a jealous former pupil, who sells Sing into slavery. Finding temporary refuge at an opium den where she is tutored in the arts of pleasing men, Sing refuses to settle for life as a concubine. Determined to find her English father, she calls upon all her courage and wisdom to embark on an adventure that will take her from great peace to great danger, and from remote mountain refuges to the perils of Shanghai and Hong Kong on the eve of World War II.”
My Thoughts:
The Goodread’s book description pretty much sums up the extent of the story about The Concubine’s Daughter. I admit that the story blew me away. It is simply beautiful and tragic. Words don’t provide enough description for how intense the feeling is when you read it. A mother and daughter forever separated by a horrific event, each one with a story of her own. They are linked, yet separate from one another. Li X’ia broke my heart. I remember sobbing by the time I reached the end of her tale. I hoped for a better outcome, but realize that it was necessary to the overall plot of the book. Despite all that her life was cruel to her, her spirit dominated anything set in her way. I found her to be a true heroine.
Siu Sing, Li X’ia’s daughter, is the central character of the second half of the book. In her own right, she experiences just as much of the world’s cruelty, but has been blessed by her mother’s legacy: a fighting spirit. She refuses to accept her lot in life and slowly builds a way to escape it. She is just as strong and fierce. I was happy to see the story end better for Siu Sing than it had for her mother. I wanted her to be happy. I wanted to see her power through every evil event in her life. She triumphs and for that I was able to close the book with a tremendous amount of relief and hope for her.
I heartedly recommend this book, particularly if you are a fan of Asian fiction. It will not disappoint. The author is brilliant and will sweep you up with his tale. I don’t think it is a big stretch to compare this to a story like The Thornbirds. I think it is a powerful saga of the First Order.
The thoughts expressed in this post are solely based on my personal opinion and have not been influenced by any other entity or being. Use of my statements may not be reproduced without permission from me, the author of Fall In Love With Books.
I was not really aware of how many amazing piece of Asian fiction are out there until recently. I am currently taking an Asian American lit class and it seems like a lot of other bloggers are also becoming more aware of the powerful stories of Asian experiences. I am excited to see my list of future Asian read growing bigger every day.
ReplyDeleteI loved this book. I think the hardships of life in China, particularly turn of the 20th century (which is the setting for most of the stories I have read)creates a very powerful impact on the reader. Especially what life had in store for women in China. Such tragedies!
ReplyDeleteThank you for stopping by, Jennifer! I always appreciate your comments!!