Memoirs of a Eurasian — Vivian Yang

With Book Club Guide and Chinese excerpts, Vivian Yang's award-winning novel depicting the turmoil of 20th-century Chinese and Russian diasporas is called by PUBLISHERS WEEKLY as an engaging exploration of a world unknown to most Westerners. ... Readers will find this fascinating novel very enjoyable and readable. As the plot of this evocative novel set in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Tokyo, St. Petersburg, and Warsaw twists and turns through the lost glorious days of Old Shanghai, the Sino-Soviet ideological split, the Cultural Revolution, the economic reform that ensued, Japan's bubble years, and the 20th century immigration, a captivating tale of one girl's extraordinary journey unfolds. Themes of beauty, identity, race, romance, friendship, food, and cannibalism are vividly fleshed out in this unique tale of a private life heretofore untold in English literature. This is a triumphant work of fiction: utterly captivating, seductive, and original. Editorial ReviewsVivian Yang is one of the Most Important English-Writing Chinese Authors writing today. -- San Diego Chinese Historical MuseumThis latest novel (Memoirs of a Eurasian) from Yang (Shanghai Girl) is an engaging exploration of a world unknown to most Westerners. ... Readers will find this fascinating novel very enjoyable and readable. -- Publishers Weekly The reader experiences 20th-century China -- the Cultural Revolution, the industrialization of the coastal regions and the transformation of Hong Kong - through (Memoirs of a Eurasian protagonist)'s struggles and triumphs and the novel progresses competently from episode to episode. This gives Memoirs of a Eurasian a pleasing, consistent tension ... The novel is structured as an Asian woman recounting her life story to a Westerner, and as such brings to mind Arthur Golden's massively successful Memoirs of a Geisha. Despite these superficial likenesses, the protagonists of the novels are entirely different. While Geisha gave a delicately crafted look at the exotic, Yang's tale is more relatable ... (and) provides a unique perspective on an under-explored era. -- Kirkus ReviewMemoirs of a Eurasian is a complex novel spanning four decades of cultural upheaval in China. ... One particularly bold narrative detour is when a character leaves for Japan and then falls prey to cannibalism. Yang presents the event with little sensationalism. ... The moments of sensuality in the novel are recounted less as sexual awakenings and more as empowering moments for the female characters of the story. These moments serve as some of the most powerful of the story, and demonstrate Yang's willingness to take her narrative beyond a comfortable zone. -- Hyphen MagazineShanghai Girl is superb literature ... one of the best of contemporary novels written by Chinese authors ... (Yang is a) Shanghai success ... We eagerly await Yang's next literary feat. -- EVE MagazineShanghai Girl - a feat in itself ... Yang puts a new, often lighthearted spin on frequently covered topics like Chinese identity, the U.S. immigrant experience and reverberations of the Cultural Revolution. -- HK Magazine A novel that is hard to put down once you've picked it up ... Yang masterfully transports the living onto the page in a way that is sure to make any writer jealous and any reader sit up and take notice. -- Blogcritics.orgYang brings with her an expanded array of journeys and experiences, reflective of not only a changing America, but also of a world in transition. -- The Museum of Chinese in AmericaCompelling story ... Fiercely feminine voice ... Great description ... Inherently fascinating locale ... Very likable narrator ... Strong language ... A pleasure to read. -- The New Jersey State Council on the Arts Another 'Tale of Two Cities' ... Paris and London played roles in Dickens' famous novel A Tale of Two Cities. In Shanghai Girl, it is Shanghai and New York. -- The Sampan (Boston)A new voice from Shanghai. -- The Hong Kong Sta