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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
adventurous
informative
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Happy to be introduced to Rutherfurd’s writing - what a perfect example of solid characters driving a plot to develop in believable ways. The fact that he puzzle-pieced those characters’ stories together both to let history unfold while also giving distinct slices of culture and life simultaneously is dazzling. Now I’m going to always have some reservations about people not of a culture (and in this case a white man) speaking to the experiences of a group not their own. That did get in my way a few times while reading, being critical of the pov, but overall R. felt incredibly well researched, thorough, and in his own ways acknowledging of the brutal and troubling colonizing presence of westerners throughout. Looking forward to reading more from him, because I am quite lacking when it comes to world history knowledge and learning like this is very much attainable for me.
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I really enjoy Rutherford books because he has an incredible capacity for writing historical events in an appealing way. China covers most of the 19th century following a few Englishman caught up in the Opium Wars, a scholar who is working under Commander Lin to stop opium smuggling, a palace eunuch, a Hakka woman who married for love, a young boy turned smuggler and pirate, and a Manchu warrior. Each story overlaps to explain the turmoil happening in the country from missionaries attempting to turn the pagans Christian to internal wars that ultimately lead to the end of a great emperor and ruling dynasty.
Reasons I Recommend:
1) Rutherford is a master at writing fiction within a historical setting
2) Shows China’s attempt to modernize with the rest of the world and the problems this led to and
3) Covers Chinese immigration to America to build railroads and the tragedy that brought and hints at how one man was the cause of the last emperor’s death.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
#briereads #brierecommends #2024goodreadsreadingchallenge #reviewedongoodreads #reviewedoninstagram #bookworm #lovetoread #idratherbereading #historicalfiction #edwardrutherford #china
Reasons I Recommend:
1) Rutherford is a master at writing fiction within a historical setting
2) Shows China’s attempt to modernize with the rest of the world and the problems this led to and
3) Covers Chinese immigration to America to build railroads and the tragedy that brought and hints at how one man was the cause of the last emperor’s death.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
#briereads #brierecommends #2024goodreadsreadingchallenge #reviewedongoodreads #reviewedoninstagram #bookworm #lovetoread #idratherbereading #historicalfiction #edwardrutherford #china
(Note: I received an advanced reader copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley)
Up until now, the only Edward Rutherfurd work that I had read so far had been New York several years ago. So I was quite excited to be able to read his very latest book for my second visit to his popular historical fiction novels.
Now whereas several of Rutherfurd’s historical fiction epics span over hundreds of years and several generations within a particular location, China covers a comparatively smaller period of time - just a little over sixty years. This results in a cast that remains fairly stable through the story. However, this narrower historical scope doesn’t make for a less interesting collection of intersecting plots, because the relatively shorter setting is a mightily turbulent stretch of China’s long history that starts with the First Opium War and ends shortly after the Boxer Rebellion.
Once I was finally fully engrossed, it only took me a few days to sweep through the book’s several hundred pages. However, although it was overall an enjoyable read, I also won’t hesitate to call it an uneven read as well. The cast of China is a mix of Han, Hakka, and Manchu men and women from China itself and an array of Europeans and Americans, with a primary focus on the merchant John Trader and the various men and women in his orbit. The latter’s various tales and plots take up a much larger share of the book than I expected, though to be fair this period of China’s history is marked in particular by the many ways in which the ailing last imperial dynasty was battered and squeezed by various outside nations. So I shouldn’t have been all that surprised by Rutherfurd’s choice to give his western characters so much attention. Unfortunately, I frankly found these characters to be not nearly as engaging as their Chinese counterparts, nor their various plotlines nearly as interesting. When the book’s focus turned to Trader or his compatriots, it felt less like I was reading and more like I was waiting until the narrative returned me to the plot of Guanji the Manchu bannerman, or “Lacquer Nail,” the eunuch. However, when the storyline finally did as so, it was never that long until I became immersed back into the setting as I absorbed the lives of these men and women.
So overall, Rutherfurd has written a solid new addition for his historical fiction epics. I am intrigued to see where he decides to go next, and definitely hope that he chooses to do another foray out of Europe and the US.
Up until now, the only Edward Rutherfurd work that I had read so far had been New York several years ago. So I was quite excited to be able to read his very latest book for my second visit to his popular historical fiction novels.
Now whereas several of Rutherfurd’s historical fiction epics span over hundreds of years and several generations within a particular location, China covers a comparatively smaller period of time - just a little over sixty years. This results in a cast that remains fairly stable through the story. However, this narrower historical scope doesn’t make for a less interesting collection of intersecting plots, because the relatively shorter setting is a mightily turbulent stretch of China’s long history that starts with the First Opium War and ends shortly after the Boxer Rebellion.
Once I was finally fully engrossed, it only took me a few days to sweep through the book’s several hundred pages. However, although it was overall an enjoyable read, I also won’t hesitate to call it an uneven read as well. The cast of China is a mix of Han, Hakka, and Manchu men and women from China itself and an array of Europeans and Americans, with a primary focus on the merchant John Trader and the various men and women in his orbit. The latter’s various tales and plots take up a much larger share of the book than I expected, though to be fair this period of China’s history is marked in particular by the many ways in which the ailing last imperial dynasty was battered and squeezed by various outside nations. So I shouldn’t have been all that surprised by Rutherfurd’s choice to give his western characters so much attention. Unfortunately, I frankly found these characters to be not nearly as engaging as their Chinese counterparts, nor their various plotlines nearly as interesting. When the book’s focus turned to Trader or his compatriots, it felt less like I was reading and more like I was waiting until the narrative returned me to the plot of Guanji the Manchu bannerman, or “Lacquer Nail,” the eunuch. However, when the storyline finally did as so, it was never that long until I became immersed back into the setting as I absorbed the lives of these men and women.
So overall, Rutherfurd has written a solid new addition for his historical fiction epics. I am intrigued to see where he decides to go next, and definitely hope that he chooses to do another foray out of Europe and the US.
I enjoyed sections of this book, particularly those that were focused on the women and their lives in China. I was less interested in the parts about trade/war/etc… the description of how foot binding was done was brutal to read.
Slow start but excellent nonetheless. Thoroughly enjoyed this and looking forward to reading his others.
adventurous
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Epic fictionalised historical saga, spanning multiple countries and generations, and exploring the relationship between China and the westerners of Europe and America, encompassing the origins of the opium wars and the aftermath.
My first book by this author and I was surprised at the sheer volume of detail crammed into these ~800 pages.
Interesting story lines and a useful overview.
My first book by this author and I was surprised at the sheer volume of detail crammed into these ~800 pages.
Interesting story lines and a useful overview.