Women of the Silk - Gail Tsukiyama

The many praises and reviews got me to read this book. Gail Tsukiyama’s first novel, Women of the Silk deserves all those praises. It is a moving, quiet and yet intense coming-of-age novel of a young Chinese woman, who is sold to a house of silk by her poor parents.

Pei is born as one of the many daughters, into a patriarchal family, dominated by her father. She tries to have as much fun as she can in the constrained household. Pei is the most talkative, curious and opinionated girl among her sisters and according to a fortune teller, the “non-marrying” one. Another girl child is born into the family and Pei’s mother is sorry and father, displeased. Soon, she sees the death of the little baby. Her father determines Pei’s fate and leaves her at a silk house run by a warm, motherly woman, Auntie Yee. The arrangement is that, she would work at a silk factory, stay at the silk house and her family would get most of Pei’s salary.

She meets many girls of similar fate at the silk house. In fact, many poor families keep a girl child aside for silk work so that, she could provide for the family in difficult times. Failed marriages and aversion to arranged marriage also lead some girls to this place. These girls live together, work hard, earn good money, make strong bonds with one another and look forward to retiring as spinsters at an early age.

The effect of war with Japan begins to touch the village and the silk house. It results in the death of some girls and Auntie Yee at the silk house. Pei visits her parent’s house for the first time after she was left at the silk house. She forgives them and re-bonds with her mother. After many tragedies, Pei takes the brave step of escaping to Hong Kong in search of a new life.

The characters in the book have gentle, quiet charm. The author takes you through the personal losses Pei faces and you begin empathizing with her and her friends at the silk house. As the pages go by, the story picks up pace and Pei’s drama and her universe engulf you. Even after having read a bunch of books set in China, this one strikes me as exotic.

The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini

The Kite Runner is an exceptional first novel by Khaled Hosseini. The single thread that runs thru the entire book is the story of the friendship between Amir and Hassan. As the first few pages unfold, you see that there are multiple layers of this friendship - of friends, of master and servant, of the cowardly betrayer and the brave protector.

Hassan is the son of Ali, Amir’s father’s servant. He cooks Amir’s breakfast daily. Then Amir is driven to school in the family Mustang while Hassan stays back to cook and clean. He is a loyal friend to the lonely Amir whose mother is dead and father is busy. He protects his friend from the local bullies. Amir reads Hassan heroic Afghani folk tales and they make a great team in the Kite fighting competitions. Hassan is the best Kite Runner in the region - he can tell where is falling kite is going to land.

On a winter evening, when Hassan runs the prestigious last kite to fall in the tournament, he is brutalized by some teenage bullies and Amir’s cowardice stops him from protecting his friend. This incident would haunt Amir for the rest of his life. Due to the guilt, Amir is unable to look Hassan in the eye and leads Ali to leave his home of 40 years along with Hassan. Soon after this, there is political unrest and a civil war breaks. Amir sees more cruelty before he and his father (Baba), seek political asylum in United States of America.

Amir starts school and his Baba works at a gas station. On weekends, they sell junk at the local flee market where most sellers are Afghans. This weekend event, for most former lawyers, doctors and the like, is also a place to socialize with other Afghans. They recreate for themselves, a mini Afghanistan of the pre-revolution times - with lively get-togethers, humor, kebobs and Afghani and Hindi music. Amir settles into America and into a happy but childless marriage. His cowardice continues to haunt him and he worries about Hassan.

Amir visits Pakistan to see his father’s dying friend and discovers about Hassan’s tragic death and more. He sheds his cowardice and visits the Afghanistan, torn apart by war and finds his penitence.

Khaled Hosseini’s prose is a pleasure to read and it creates images of all that being described. In his depiction of the Afghanistan of 1970’s, before the attack by Russians and take over by Taliban, Khaled shows Afghanistan of warmth, charm and humor much like most good childhood memories. This is in stark contrast with the one depicted now - with fear, brutality, blood shed and inhumanity. Khaled’s depiction of the Afghani community in California is also very lively.

The Kite Runner is exceptional, touching and passionate.

I’ve bought Khaled Hosseini’s second Novel – A Thousand Splendid Sons. Thanks to J for recommending both books.

Shopaholic Ties the Knot - Sophie Kinsella

Throw together a shopaholic like Rebecca Bloomwood (Becky) and a wedding together and thats a great potential for good chick lit. This books exploits the potentia well.

Shopaholic Ties the Knot by Shophie Kinsella is the third book of the Shopaholic series and is set in New York. Boyfriend Luke Brandon joins Becky to set up the second branch of Brandon Communications at New York. At her best friend Suze’s wedding, Luke pop’s the question in the most romatic way ever and before she realizes it, Becky finds herself in the middle of cake tasting, grooming, shopping for the wedding dress and other such bridal activities. Wedding preparations are in full swing and she only has some minor details to figure out - like which continent to get married in. Yes, two weeks to the wedding and the preparations are at a fairly advanced stage on either side of the Atlantic scheduled for the same day. Luke’s mother, Elinor has planned a sophisticated plaza wedding with the theme, Snow White and Becky’s mother has planned a good wedding at a local church inviting people Becky cares about. Becky cannot say no to Elinor’s bash else she’ll be sued and she does not have the heart to say no to her mother’s bash. This is the problem Becky tries to get out of in the rest of the book.

The letters from Becky’s bank manager (in response to her’s) are much more hilarious in this book than the previous ones. There are some good take aways from this book - for instance, accidental spilling of tomato ketchup is a good way to hide certain critical words/numbers in your credit card bill. Again, a good feel-good book.

Three daughters of Madame Liang - Pearl S Buck

Three daughters of Madame Liang, published first in 1969 is one of the last pieces of Pearl S Buck’s work. I’ve read more than half a dozen of her pieces of work and, this one is as lucid, as deceptively simple and yet deep as others.

Through the book, Three daughters of Madame Liang, Pearl S Buck takes you into the story of a family, the family of Madame Liang. After her husband takes a concubine, because she could produce no son, Madame Liang leaves him. She sets out on her own and opens a gourmet restaurant in Shanghai. In the times of great turmoil, when good food is scarce, her restaurant survives by providing the best food to the Who’s who of People’s Republic. She, prudently keeps her opinions of the Republic to herself and lives in constant fear. She sends her three daughters - Grace, Mercy and Joy to a much safer world - America.

Grace, the eldest of them is summoned by the government to serve the nation. She returns to immerse herself into her service as a doctor and studying ancient Chinese medicine to compare it with the modern medicine in which she was trained. Grace falls in love with Liu Pang, a young physician despite knowing, he is narrow minded and has been brainwashed into communism. She adapts herself to new China.

Mercy, the younger daughter, a musician convinces her husband John Sung, a rocket scientist to return to China for self-fulfillment. They flee from America. Though, a communist China does not have any use of a musician, she could make use of the services of Mercy’s husband. But John sung refuses to create weapons and gets himself into trouble. Mercy’s experience with new China, forces her to escape.

The bitter sweet chemistry between Grace and Mercy, motivated by their changing loyalties to China is interesting. Madame Liang is deeply saddened by the two sisters growing apart but resigns since she could not live their lives for them.

Joy, the youngest daughter stays in America, never to return. She finds love in a fellow Chinese artist and settles down.

Pearl Buck paints a picture of Cultural Revolution through the very personal accounts and view points of people in Madame Liang’s family. The story is fast paced and the book, un-put-downable.

LibraryThing

Found this site called, Library Thing using which, you can create an online Catalog of your library. It has a user base of about a quarter million and a book base of around 17 million.

It has reviews, forums, ratings, tags and loads of statistics. It also shows the % affinity with other users based on the common books we own and it is so user friendly and so fast. I am immensely pleased. Today is my second day on LT and I cant seem to be able to log off it.

I’ve started to Catalog my books. The link to my catalog is : http://www.librarything.com/catalog/deeyes (also in the pane on the right)

Shopaholic Abroad - Sophie Kinsella

Shopaholic Abroad by Sophie Kinsella is a sequel to Confessions of a Shopaholic. But then it does not really matter that it is a sequel. You can read this anyway, just like you can watch any episode of FRIENDS at random.

Rebecca Bloomwood (Becky), is in the limelight with her high flying career in television and got out of debts. She is slowing falling back into debts yet again and is not able to get along with her new Bank Manager. She accompanies her boyfriend Luke to New York and discovers she was born on the wrong side of the Atlantic. She was made for New York - especially for the shops there. Currency being different from pound only helps her shop - it feels like getting all the stuff for money which more like that in monopoly. With her shopping, this time she gets both herself and Luke into trouble. The rest of the book is about how she gets out the mess.

What I like about this book and the first one is, When I was reading them and burst out laughing suddenly, A asks, “What happened?” and I go “You know what Becky did?…”. Almost always, after a while, I hear - “What is Becky doing now?”. You see, I am not the only one addicted.

Many humorous pieces of soliloquy are spread across this book too. A good book - though, I found Confessions of a Shopaholic better.

Steve Jobs Stanford Commencement Speech 2005

Perhaps I’m the last person in the world who saw this video. Posting this just in case, I’m not.

Thanks to the friend who passed on the link.

Confessions of a Shopoholic - Sophie Kinsella

In the last few days, I have read three books of eight by Sophie Kinsella. As a chick lit book website says the books of this genre are, I found them personal, light and humorous. I was slightly apprehensive about trying out Chick Lit. But then, an inclination for shopping made me try and I’m glad I did.

The first one in the series is - Confessions of a Shopoholic. This is about Rebecca Bloomwood, who lives in London’s trendiest neighborhood and owns clothes and accessories of best brands. She spends most of her free time shopping for shoes and clothes and scarfs and everything else they sell. Only, she cannot afford any of it. Somehow she just does not seem to be able to stop herself from shopping. According to Becky, credit card bills should come in more colors than black and red and, banks should have a January sale. However, her current aim in life is to pay off her credit card bills. After all, becky is a financial journalist of the magazine, Successful saving.

She finally decides, it is time for her to save money or make more money. Her attempts are hilarious. Becky tries to cook for herself to save money and in the process, buys a whole range of cooking apparatus. In another attempt to save, instead of going shopping, she visits a museum and opines, museums would be more lively if they put price tags on everything. Somehow, all her attempts backfire and her financial problems continue to grow. She finds herself sinking deeper and deeper into the mess. The rest of the book is about how she gets out of the trouble.

This is surely a good book to cuddle up with. However, be warned - this would turn you into a Shopoholic. I bought this and found myself googling for a bargain on the whole series. Looking forward to reading more such stuff.

Imperial Woman - Pearl S. Buck

Imperial Woman is a biographical story of Tzu Hsi (or Cixi), the last empress of China, written by Pearl S Buck. Tzu Hsi’s claim to fame is that, she was a fierce, efficient, intelligent and a very controversial empress.

The story starts when Tzu Hsi is a child. Orchid is her childhood name. She is the daughter of a low-ranking Manchu official of Yehonala clan. As was the practice then, a set of young girls are chosen out of who, a wife and some cocubines are picked for the Emporer. Orchid and her cousin, Sakota are both picked as expected and go to stay in the Forbidden City - never to return. While Sakota is given a the rank of the Emporer’s primary wife because, her elder sister was at a high rank, Orchid (now known as Yehonala) earns a high rank. To be noticed, she makes an effort to stand out. She bribes the enuches and is good to the Dowager Empress (Emporer’s mother).

While Sakota gives birth to a girl, Yehonala gives birth to a boy and rises to the position of the “Fortunate Mother”, the mother of the heir. Thru sheer guile and ambition, she continues to be the favorite of the Emporer. Pity is the only emotion she has for the sickly and weak Emporer. Her love is always for her kinsman - Jung Lu, to who she was betrothed. Jung Lu is a guard at the gates of Forbidden City.

Yehenola reads history, learns affairs of the state, painting and poetry. She takes interest in matters of state and the Emporer is soon dependent on her for most decisions. She learns to trust no one but only those closest to her. After the death of the Emporer, though She and Sakota together rise to the position of Regents, Yehenola is the de facto ruler. Yehenola gets the Title of Tzu Hsi (or Cixi, The empress of the eastern palaces) and Sakota gets the title of Tzu An ( or Cian,The empress of the western palaces)

There are rumors that her son is born thru Jung Lu. Her life and her son’s life are in danger. The nation is under attack. She has to protect herself, her son and the Empire. With the demands of countries like France, England and Russia increasing, with the missionaries converting Chinese into Christians, with the number of rebels from within the nation increasing, there is unrest all around.

Tzu Hsi learns and grows as a ruler gaining the trust of her subjects. People call her “The old Budhha” - thus rising her to the position of God. In a time of great change and cultural upheaval in China, she is a relic of the past - always resisting change. The Boxer Rebellion marks the beginning of the end of Tzu Hsi.

The story is written in lucid prose - it flows thru the story of Tzu Hsi, thru the death of her son, her crowning a nephew to be the next Emporer and when he fails, taking the throne back for herself. She grows old and begins to accept change as she realizes, she has no other way to retain her empire.

This book provides a good insight into a critical phase of Chinese History. After having read it, I’m tempted to visit the Forbidden city. The book is worth hunting for.

Women React - Project Blank Noise

Here is a link to stories of action heros:

http://blanknoiseproject.blogspot.com/2007_02_01_archive.html