- Historical fiction
- Books set in China
- Female characters
Ties that Bind, Ties that BreakBy Lensey Namioka
YA F NAMIOKA
Ailin's life takes a different turn when she defies the traditions of upper class Chinese society by refusing to have her feet bound.
Women of the SilkBy Gail Tsukiyama
F TSUKIYAMA
Spanning the years between the world wars, this tale of a young Chinese girl forced to work in a silk factory describes the sisterhood of workers she discovers there.
BoundBy Donna Jo Napoli
YA F NAPOLI
In a novel based on Chinese Cinderella tales, fourteen-year-old stepchild Xing-Xing endures a life of neglect and servitude, as her stepmother cruelly mutilates her own child's feet so that she alone might marry well.
Shanghai ShadowsBy Losi Ruby
YA F RUBY
From 1939 to 1945, a Jewish family struggles to survive in occupied China; young Ilse by remaining optimistic, her older brother by joining a resistance movement, her mother by maintaining connections to the past, and her father by playing the violin that had been his livelihood.
Snow Flower and the Secret FanBy Lisa See
F SEE
A story of friendship set in nineteenth-century China follows an elderly woman and her companion as they communicate their hopes, dreams, joys, and tragedies through a unique secret language.
The Last EmpressBy Anchee Min
F MIN
Follows the last empress of China, as Empress Orchid copes with tragic personal losses as she struggles to save her crumbling empire.
When it comes to best works of Chinese historical fiction as both a scholar independent and spomething of a literary criti, I am surprised to find two immense works (just read the world reviews on the paperback covers--THE COURT OF THE LION and DECEPTION by same author) ommitted from your list-- if you canfind a better work quoting more real literture of China and citing real events placed in the most imaginative framework, Please please let me know and update (Excuse if you have a second letter from me--appears the computer lost my first)
ReplyDeleteThese aren't comprehensive lists; they're just lists put together when library patrons have certain requests for topics, genres, etc. Patrons to take a look at your suggestions as well, although the Provo City Library doesn't own Deception.
ReplyDelete