Four Treasures of the Sky
The compelling debut about identity and belonging in the 1880s American West
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4.1 • 7 Ratings
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- £5.99
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- £5.99
Publisher Description
A propulsive and dazzling debut novel set against the backdrop of the Chinese Exclusion Act, and one Chinese girl fighting to claim her place
'An engulfing, bighearted and heartbreaking novel' ANN PATCHETT, author of Women's Prize longlisted The Dutch House
'A sweeping adventure of identity, love and belonging' C PAM ZHANG, Man Booker longlisted author of How Much of These Hills are Gold
'An impressive and original debut' THE SUNDAY TIMES
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Daiyu was named after a ghost . . .
Little Daiyu is twelve when her parents disappear. So she runs, disguising herself as a boy, to sweep the steps of Master Wang's calligraphy school in Zhifu.
But this is just the beginning of a journey that sends her across an ocean to San Francisco and the lawless American west.
Kidnapped. Trafficked. Betrayed.
Prize virgin in a brothel.
Passion. Revenge. Freedom.
A woman in a man's world.
Daiyu fears her name is a curse on her life.
But what if it might yet set her free?
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'Brilliant and devastating . . . Weaving together myth and history, Zhang's work is both timeless and utterly necessary right now' ANNA NORTH, New York Times bestselling author of Outlawed
'An instant and necessary classic, easily among the best novels of this past decade. The story lingers long after its final pages' T Kira Madden, author of Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls
'An astonishing novel propelled by private and public histories, rich with reflections on self-making, moral calling, great love, and profound injustice' Megha Majumdar, author of A Burning
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Zhang delves into the history of violence and prejudice against Chinese people in the U.S. with her debut, a lyrical and sweeping Bildungsroman. The narrator, Daiyu, is inspired by the tragic character at the center of Cao Xueqin's 18th-century novel Dream of the Red Chamber, whose irascible trickster ghost inhabits Daiyu. In the 1880s, Daiyu's mother and father suddenly disappear from their home in China. Daiyu finds refuge in a calligraphy school, disguised as a boy, but is nevertheless smuggled to a brothel in San Francisco's Chinatown. Narrowly escaping, thanks to the ghost's fearlessness, she reaches the mining town of Pierce, Idaho, and is hired by Nam and Lum, the Chinese owners of a general store. After a violent white mob threatens them, handsome violin teacher Nelson Wong stands with them and helps rescue a wounded Nam, and Daiyu secretly falls in love with him. Her story of self-discovery is interrupted after the white proprietor of a competing store is found murdered and Daiyu and the others are arrested, then abducted by vigilantes. The author skillfully delineates the many characters and offers fascinating details on Chinese calligraphy and literature, along with an unsparing view of white supremacy. The result is fierce and moving.
Customer Reviews
Heartbreaking but incredible
Couldn't put this down. One of those books that i will never forget.