A beautiful story about Tibet, China, patience and love...friendship and spirituality. Excellent! ( )

Shu Wen and her husband of four months, Kejun, were both in the medical profession. Kejun felt it would be honorable to join the Chinese army as a surgeon and help to unite China and Tibet. Soon after, Shu Wen received notice that Kejun was killed, but with no details. She decided to join the army herself to search for the man she pledged her life to. During Wen's relentless pursuit of finding the truth about her husband, she learned the nomad Tibetan lifestyle during a span of 30 years.

I wanted to like this more, but I think an almost "very good" read is still a worthy rating. Learning about the Tibetan's culture was fascinating, but too much political talk would begin to lose me. Also years would go by, but I didn't know how many, so I would lose my sense of time. Other than that, it was a compelling love story in the depths of Tibet with a cast of interesting people. (3.75/5)

Originally posted on: "Thoughts of Joy..." ( )

The love Wen has for her husband keeps her in Tibet, living a very different life that she could have ever imagined. The things that Wen endures and the patience with which she endures them are amazing. This is a beautiful story and a quick read. ( )

A beautiful love story spanning China and Tibet. The author is called to meet a lady who is Chinese but has spent most of her life living in Tibet. Her name is Shu Wen and it is her story that fills the pages of this novel. Wen has spent decades searching for her husband in Tibet. They got married in their twenties and after 100 days he left to go to war as a doctor. The next thing Wen knew is she received a letter saying he was dead along with the rest of his unit, but that no one could offer an explanation as to how he died. The wording of the letter is different from those usually sent when someone dies in battle for their country.

She does all she can by following him to Tibet to find out what really happened. Along the way her regiment is dogged by Tibetan hunters who are slowly killing them off, two each night (usually the drivers so they have less and less transport across the wild, open lands). Wen saves the life of Tibetan woman Zhuoma who is suffering from exhaustion and who the soldiers want to kill, and is repaid by her kindness over the next few decades.

The story follows both women as they become separated from the other soldiers and end up living with a nomad family. There Wen learns Zhuoma's story as well as adapting to a completely new way of life with different customs, food, marriage laws etc. It turns out Zhuoma is also on a quest for love and the two women are closley bound in their search.

A beautiful book. I loved the descriptive language, especially about Tibet which is a country I know little about. The discussion of the politics between the Chinese and Tibet was well laid out with neither side really seeming to know the truth which seemed about right! The strength of Wen and Zhuoma in spending the rest of their lives looking for their loves was inspiring. Both had not known their partners for long and Zhuoma was not married to hers or had even told him she loved him. The description of the Sky Burial was also fascinating although perhaps a little hard to understand the logic behind it coming from a Western culture. Highly recommended. ( )

Wow! What a beautiful sense of place. Sky Burial tells the story of Shu Wen, a woman who desperately seeks answers about her new husband’s death. Given no details by the government, Shu Wen feels she must know the truth of what has happened to him. Seeing no other way to find the answers she seeks, she joins the military (as a doctor) so she can be stationed in Tibet, where the death is reported to have taken place.

Due to Chinese/Tibetan conflict, she is separated from her unit and eventually spends over 30 years in Tibet, learning the language and the culture. Very different from the Chinese, the Tibetans are a deeply religious, nomadic people. Their family life seems strange to Shu Wen also. The family that takes her is a wife with two husbands (brothers — who also do the sewing!). Finally, after three decades, the family is able to help her in her quest for answers about her husband.

What makes this all the more interesting is that this book is based on an actual woman that Xinran met and spoke to about these experiences. My only downgrade to the book is that after reaching the end, it felt a little unfinished. I felt that I wanted to know more about what happened to Shu Wen. Xinran did as well, and in the afterword she writes her a letter desiring contact, but I don’t believe the author ever heard from her again.

Recommended. ( )