Chasing Hepburn, by Gus Lee

[maribou]

This is the nonfiction story of his parents' lives, which is incidentally a compelling way to discuss the politics, aristocracy, underworld, religious practices, etc. of Shanghai in the first half of the last century. If his novels are anywhere near this good, I shall have to read them soon.

(29/200)

Comments

[hhsb.livejournal.com]

This is actually sitting on my couch. I checked it out from the library but have started in on it yet.

[maribou]

Well, obviously, I would recommend that you start:). I think it took me a while to get into because I had to read it in little bits and I kept getting confused by the alternating viewpoint. But I suspect if you read it in more than 10 page chunks for the first 100 pages or so, this problem would be avoided. Or maybe you wouldn't be that ditzy about names in the first place.

[hhsb.livejournal.com]

I read Adeline Mah Yen's Chinese Cinderella which also takes place in approximately the same time frame. It's part of a set, the other half of it being Falling Leaves. I put that on reserve at the library and they gave me the copy in mandarin.

If you're looking for immigrant stories I enjoyed Paper Daughter by Elaine Mar, but Elizabeth Kim's Ten Thousand Sorrows less so.