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Loading... The Concubine's Childby Carol Jones
None No current Talk conversations about this book.  CathyGeha | Apr 21, 2018 |  no reviews | add a review
An evocative, multi-generational tale of a family haunted by the death of a young concubine. For fans of Dinah Jefferies and Amy Tan. In 1930s Malaya a sixteen-year-old girl, dreaming of marriage to her sweetheart, is sold as a concubine to a rich old man desperate for an heir. Trapped, and bullied by his spiteful wife, Yu Lan plans to escape with her babyson, despite knowing that they will pursue her to the ends of the earth. Four generations later, her great-grandson, Nick, will return to Malaysia, looking for the truthbehind the facade of a house cursed by the unhappy past. Nothing can prepare him for what he will find. This exquisitely rich novel brings to life a vanished world- a world of abandoned ghost houses, inquisitive monkeys, smoky templesand a panoply of gods and demons. A world where a poor girl can be sold to fulfil a rich man's dream. But though he can buy her body, he can never capture her soul, nor quench her spirit. WHAT READERS ARE SAYING: 'Compelling, atmospheric and emotional' 'Well-written, compelling ... A tale of duty, treachery, misery and superstition' 'Wonderfully drawn characters, searing emotion, powerful intensity and nail-biting drama'. No library descriptions found. |
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Wikipedia in English
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As I began to read this book I was afraid it might not hold my interest but at 3am in the morning, after being unable to stop reading, I decided that indeed it had caught and kept my interest after all. That said, it was a sad book that left me thinking that all of the women in the book seemed to have more sorrow than happiness in their lives.
In 1930 Yu Lan is sold at sixteen to become a concubine thus dashing all her hopes and dreams of a happy life. The author then takes us to 2016 where we meet her great grandson Nick who seems to be longing for roots and the child his wife Sarah is not ready for. The story flips between the past and present weaving the life stories of the characters together seamlessly while painting their backgrounds and personalities with a vibrant if sometimes dark palette.
All of my senses were engaged as well as my mind as I read of what is now Malaysia – past and present. I thought of the difficulties faced by each female character in the book and how she chose to deal with what she was facing. I thought of the relationships between the women and those that were part of their lives and then thought of the choices they made, why they made them and whether or not they would have been my own if I found myself in their situation.
This was a multi-layered, thought provoking, rather depressing look at life with only a bit of hope given that the final characters in 2018 and beyond might lay their ghosts to rest and find their way to a happier future.
Thank you to NetGalley and Aria-Head of Zeus for the ARC – This is my honest review.
4-5 Stars (