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The Piano Teacher by Janice Y. K. Lee
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The Piano Teacher (original 2009; edition 2009)

by Janice Y. K. Lee

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2,2311157,014 (3.32)149
In the epic tradition of The English Patient, this gripping tale of love and betrayal is set in war-torn Hong Kong. It is 1942, and Will Trusdale, an Englishman newly arrived in Hong Kong, has fallen headlong into a passionate relationship with Trudy Liang, a beautiful Eurasian socialite. But when WWII strikes, Will is sent to an internment camp, while Trudy remains outside. Trudy is forced to form dangerous alliances with the head of the Japanese gendarmerie, whose desperate attempts to locate a priceless collection of Chinese art lead to a chain of terrible betrayals. Ten years later, Claire Pendleton comes to Hong Kong and meets the enigmatic Will. As long-buried secrets start to emerge and she begins to understand the true nature of the world she has entered, Claire learns that sometimes the price of survival is love.… (more)
Member:chrissybob
Title:The Piano Teacher
Authors:Janice Y. K. Lee
Info:HarperPress (2009), Edition: Paperback Edition, First Printing, Paperback, 304 pages
Collections:Your library, To read
Rating:
Tags:tbr

Work Information

The Piano Teacher by Janice Y. K. Lee (2009)

  1. 10
    Fragrant Harbour by John Lanchester (sungene)
    sungene: Same setting, similar plot and structure (two time periods), thoroughly researched, a love song to Hong Kong, deeply felt characters.
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» See also 149 mentions

English (111)  Spanish (4)  Catalan (1)  All languages (116)
Showing 1-5 of 111 (next | show all)
La maestra de piano
Janice Y. K. Lee
Publicado: 2009 | 292 páginas
Novela Realista

Casada con un funcionario destinado en Hong Kong, Claire Pendleton llega a la colonia británica con el entusiasmo y la ingenuidad propios de una joven dispuesta a descubrir un mundo diferente. Al poco tiempo, cuando una prominente y acaudalada familia china la contrata como maestra de piano de su pequeña hija, Claire se ve inmersa en la embriagadora vida social del lugar y, fascinada por un ambiente tan ajeno a sus orígenes, no tarda en relacionarse con Will Truesdale, un hombre enigmático cuyo carácter reservado oculta una historia que se remonta diez años atrás, durante la traumática invasión japonesa de la isla. Así pues, el pasado resurge en torno a figuras como Reggie Arbogast, un empresario inglés empeñado en cumplir una misión inconfesable, y, sobre todo, Trudy Liang, una belleza eurasiática cuya personalidad arrolladora e impulsiva centraba la atención del más selecto y hermético círculo social de la colonia. Pero cuando las fiestas en las mansiones de las colinas y los clubes junto al mar acaban de forma abrupta a causa de la ocupación nipona, la frivolidad y la displicencia dejan paso a una sorda y feroz lucha por la supervivencia.
Situada en dos momentos claves de la historia de Hong Kong, en vísperas de la invasión japonesa y durante el renacimiento de la ciudad posterior a la guerra, esta primera novela de Janice Y.K. Lee se desarrolla en dos planos superpuestos. Bajo el aparente esplendor de la vida de la colonia extranjera en la ciudad, evocada con extraordinaria riqueza de matices, las complejas relaciones entre los personajes conforman un carrusel de intereses y pasiones propios de personas sometidas a las tensiones de una crisis histórica.
  libreriarofer | Feb 17, 2024 |
As the Elizabeth Glibert quote on the back cover says, it "...transports you out of time, out of place..." into the world of Hong Kong during the Japanese occupation in WWII and then again in the years following the war. The story begins in 1952 with an English piano teacher and her Chinese student. There is love and romance, secrets and betrayals, society parties, war and survival and memories of the past....lots of things going on. I was curious about the characters and wanted to understand the secrets behind each of their behaviors. Everything eventually unfolds at the end although it wasn't quite the ending I hoped for but curiosity kept me flipping the pages pretty quickly. ( )
  ellink | Jan 22, 2024 |
I quite liked the setting and the history. The story is very fine for the type, but that's not at all what I enjoy. My aunt gave me this book and I fully appreciate that she enjoyed it, I'm glad to have a little more insight into what to get for her. ( )
  Kiramke | Jun 27, 2023 |
This book was in my library at home. I’m not sure where I got it from. I made it through part 1 but stopped at part 2. It simply wasn’t interesting enough. It may have had a good story down the line but it took too long to get there. It’s also historical and those kinds of books never interest me to begin with. ( )
  Curlyzha | Oct 8, 2022 |
Historical Fiction set in Hong Kong during WWII, then 10 years later. Will Truesdale, an Englishman newly arrived in Hong Kong, falls headlong into a passionate relationship with Trudy Liang, a beautiful Eurasian socialite. When the Japanese invade, British will is sent to an internment camp, while Trudy remains "outside". Ten years later, Claire Pendleton comes to Hong Kong and is hired by the wealthy Chen family as their daughter’s piano teacher. A provincial English newlywed, Claire is seduced by the heady social life of the expatriate community. She meets Will and begins a secret affair...that isn't so secret after all in the end. And the social community has quite a few secrets buried in the war and post war years. ( )
  nancynova | May 22, 2022 |
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In the epic tradition of The English Patient, this gripping tale of love and betrayal is set in war-torn Hong Kong. It is 1942, and Will Trusdale, an Englishman newly arrived in Hong Kong, has fallen headlong into a passionate relationship with Trudy Liang, a beautiful Eurasian socialite. But when WWII strikes, Will is sent to an internment camp, while Trudy remains outside. Trudy is forced to form dangerous alliances with the head of the Japanese gendarmerie, whose desperate attempts to locate a priceless collection of Chinese art lead to a chain of terrible betrayals. Ten years later, Claire Pendleton comes to Hong Kong and meets the enigmatic Will. As long-buried secrets start to emerge and she begins to understand the true nature of the world she has entered, Claire learns that sometimes the price of survival is love.

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Book description
In the sweeping tradition of "The English Patient" comes this gripping tale set in war-torn Hong Kong.

Rich with intrigue, romance, and betrayal, this wonderfully written, utterly captivating novel dazzles . . .--Chang-rae Lee.

In 1942, Will Truesdale, an Englishman newly arrived in Hong Kong, falls headlong into a passionate relationship with Trudy Liang, a beautiful Eurasian socialite. But their love affair is soon threatened by the invasion of the Japanese as World War II overwhelms their part of the world. Will is sent to an internment camp, where he and other foreigners struggle daily for survival. Meanwhile, Trudy remains outside, forced to form dangerous alliances with the Japanese - in particular, the malevolent head of the gendarmerie, whose desperate attempts to locate a priceless collection of Chinese art lead to a chain of terrible betrayals.

Ten years later, Claire Pendleton comes to Hong Kong and is hired by the wealthy Chen family as their daughter's piano teacher. A provincial English newlywed, Claire is seduced by the heady social life of the expatriate community. At one of its elegant cocktail parties, she meets Will, to whom she is instantly attracted - but as their affair intensifies, Claire discovers that Will's enigmatic persona hides a devastating past. As she begins to understand the true nature of the world she has entered, and long-buried secrets start to emerge, Claire learns that sometimes the price of survival is love.
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