And The Ancestors Sing (publication day 2/3/2026) by Radha Lin Chaddah transported me back to 1978 to post-cultural revolution China, to the farm workers and their families and the newly arrived migrants from the country to the city, and all of the issues they had to deal with. From arranged marriages to prostitution, from earthquakesContinue reading “And The Ancestors Sing”
Tag Archives: China
The Magnolia Sword
The Magnolia Sword: A Ballad of Mulan (2019) by Sherry Thomas is a satisfying YA retelling of the Mulan story, set in 5th century China. I was introduced to Thomas through her newest novel, The Librarians, which I loved so much that I had to check out her backlist. As the book opens, the protagonistContinue reading “The Magnolia Sword”
Lady Tan’s Circle of Women
As usual, Lisa See has crafted an engaging historical fiction novel centering on women and their relationships in Lady Tan’s Circle of Women (2023). In the late 1400s, in China during the Ming dynasty, child Tan Yunxian witnesses her mother’s death because of infection in her bound feet and the lack of medical care forContinue reading “Lady Tan’s Circle of Women”
The Fox Wife
The Fox Wife (2024) by Yangsze Choo (The Ghost Bride, The Night Tiger) completely charmed me from the second page with these lines: I exist as either a small canid with thick fur, pointed ears, neat black feet, or a young woman. Neither are safe forms in a world run by men. Thus we meetContinue reading “The Fox Wife”
Reading While Fat 