Daughter of Hong Kong by Siobhan Daiko

                                            

Hardback:  320 pages

Genre: Historical Fiction, Romantic Fiction, WWII, Hong Kong,

Publisher:  December 2024 Boldwood Books

Source:  Tywyn Library

First Sentence:  A chill wind whipped around Will as he stood on the promenade deck of the P and O liner RMS Carthage.

Review Quote:  'A convincing and very moving romance, a fascinating slice of history. Coupled with the most wonderful story-telling, this book delivered everything I could have possibly wanted.'  Reader Review

My Opinion:  

This novel was recommended to me by a friend, due to my connections with Hong Kong.

'Daughter of Hong Kong' starts with the protagonists, William Burton and Constance Han meeting on an ocean liner bound for Hong Kong in the spring of 1939.  Their shipboard friendship makes them determined to continue to see each other in Hong Kong, despite knowing that any relationship between them would be fraught with difficulties.  As the inevitable outbreak of war draws closer, Will and constance both become involved in the defence of Hong Kong. Their lives become ever more intense as danger increases and their survival looks unlikely.

Although fictional it is based on historical events that happened during WWII when the Japanese invaded Hong Kong. I found the descriptions to be very evocative of Hong Kong, despite being set in an era well before any time I have spent there.  A moving story of determination that love will overcome, recommended to readers who enjoy romantic novels set in WWII.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

Based on a true story, a tale of love and survival against all the odds set in Hong Kong at the start of the Pacific War. Can love conquer all?

Spring 1939 - dashing young William Burton and the beautiful Constance Han set sail from London on the same ocean liner to Hong Kong.

Connie is intrigued by Will’s talent for writing poetry, and as romance blossoms she offers to give him Cantonese lessons to help him with his new job — a cadet in the colonial service.

But once in Hong Kong, Connie is constrained by filial duty towards her Eurasian parents, and their wish for her to marry someone from her own background.

When war breaks out, Connie and Will find themselves drawn into a wider conflict than their battle against prejudice. Can they survive and achieve a future together? Or will forces beyond their control keep them forever apart?

A sweeping tale of love and perseverance, perfect for readers of Dinah Jefferies, Fiona Valpy and Ann Bennett

Previously published as The Flame Tree

Author Profile

                                                       

                                                            Courtesy of Amazon

Siobhan Daiko is a British historical fiction author. A lover of all things Italian, she lives in the Veneto region of northern Italy with her husband, a Havanese dog and a Siberian cat. Siobhan was born of English parents in Hong Kong, attended boarding school in Australia, and then moved to the UK — where she taught modern foreign languages in a Welsh high school. She now spends her time writing page-turners and living the dolce vita sweet life near Venice. Her novels are compelling, poignant, and deeply moving, with strong characters and evocative settings, but always with romance at their heart.

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Amazon Author Page.  Author Official Website.   Goodreads Author Page

Twitter Profile

How to Hong Kong by Lena Sin and Nicholas Tay

Hardback: 124 pages                                                                                                 
Genre: Hong Kong, China, Art, Photography, Social History,
Publisher: Blacksmith Books 2017
Source: Amazon
First Sentence: If nostalgia is hereditary, then mine must come from my mother who's prone to reminding me time and again how much better the Hong Kong of her childhood was - a time when the streets felt wide and breezy, the city more a village than a metropolis.
Setting: Hong Kong
My Opinion: I absolutely love this delightful book, an illustrated travel journal of Hong Kong a place that I have grown to love. Thanks to my daughter moving to live in Hong Kong I have had many opportunities to visit this city that is seen by many as just a modern and commercial city. The couple have successfully portrayed the more intimate side of a place they obviously love with a passion. Full of Lena's memories of her upbringing in Hong Kong, plus stories from locals, stunning illustrations and photographs the different neighbourhoods come alive on the page. Many of the places they visit are familiar to me but there are also plenty of for me personally undiscovered delights which I will have to explore on my next trip.
Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys virtual travel, or is planning a trip there or if you are like me already in love with this city.


Précis Courtesy of Goodreads:

In this joyful travel sketchbook, Hong Kong is captured through the hearts of a writer and an artist. From the winding, incense-filled streets of Sheung Wan to the pandemonium of a wet market in North Point to the sleepy island backwater of Tai O, Lena Sin and Nicholas Tay take you on a wonder-filled journey that shines a light on the softer, more romantic side of this chaotic city. Filled with tales of growing up in Hong Kong, Lena weaves personal anecdotes and conversations with locals into richly illustrated watercolours and photographs by herself and her artist husband Nicholas. The result is an intimate portrait of a city that is at once vibrant and energetic as well as charming and nostalgic.



Author Profile

Photo courtesy of Papaya Voyage. website started by the couple to share their passions of art, travel and storytelling.  Their first book, How to Hong Kong: An Illustrated Travel Journal, was published in 2017. 

Lena Sin is a journalist who was born and raised in Hong Kong. However, her first love was always art and she spends much of her time illustrating in watercolour, often while downing copious amounts of milk tea. She is a two-time Jack Webster Award nominee for her journalism.
She lives in Vancouver with her partner Nicholas Tay who studied illustration at Art Center College of Design in California. This education prepared him for a lack of sleep and his career as an art director and artist on several video game franchises including Need for Speed, NBA Street and SSX. Recently, Nicholas has added fine art gallery shows, teaching and advertising illustration to his expertise.


Photographs, Trailer and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites.

Amazon   Blacksmith Books Link to Book   Instagram Profile   Lena Sin on Twitter

The Authors Official Website - Papaya Voyage

Tai O - Love Stories of the Fishing Village by Wong Wai King

Paperback: 185 pages                                                                                             
Genre: Non-Fiction, Social History,
Publisher: Wong Wai King, 2000
Source: Purchased in Tai O from the author.
First Sentence: Lantau is the largest island in Hong Kong and Tai O is situated at its south west.
Favourite Quote:Stilt houses have been in Tai O for more than 200 years.
Setting: Tai O, Lantau Island, Hong Kong.
My Opinion: Tai O is an old fishing village on Lantau Island in Hong Kong. I purchased this directly from the author on my last visit to Tai O. It is a delightful social history of the village in Chinese and English with lots of photographs and covers the period from 1920 until the publication date of 2000. It is well worth reading if you have ever visited, or plan to do so, or you are interested in travel and social history. This atmospheric village on stilts that although much changed still feels it is living in a time warp.  A very special place, that visitors to Hong Kong should try and visit to help appreciate that there is so much more to explore in Hong Kong beyond the city.


Video ' Tai O Village ' Courtesy of YouTube and Ed Pal

Author Profile

The author Wong Wai King was born in 1958. She grew up in Tai O and the book is her true memory of the fishing village. She spent years gathering valuable information which along with  photographers contributions has made this book possible.

Education: Finished Form 3, Ming Yuen Secondary School
Profession: Housewife, Mother of two sons
Community participation experience: Since 1982 she has participated in Community Work in Tai O and in 1992 The Young Most Outstanding Young Volunteer Women Award.
In 2000 she was a present member of the Tai O Culture Workshop.

I have no up to date information beyond 2000 when the book was published as when I spoke to her in Tai O I did not think to ask, maybe next time I visit, I will have the pleasure of meeting her again.


Photographs: Are My Own and those of Christopher Cheng.
Trailer: About the village is from YouTube, credits above. 
Biographical Information courtesy of the book itself.

You Tube Video     


Facebook Search for Wong Wai King turned up this public post. With thanks to Christopher Cheng 

7 January 2016 · 

Every place needs its own heroes. In one of the city’s oldest fishing villages Ms Wong Wai King is that sort of person. An ambassador of local culture and heritage, who for the past 20 years have been fighting against capitalist forces of grandiose developement or should I say destruction. She is a local hero; passionate in what she does, a messager, and voice of the community. She has a heart of gold. Hong Kong needs more people like you! Thanks for coming to one of my favourite places --Tai O, Jenni and exploring the rest of Lantau Island with me as well. Trust you had a great day and leave with many favourable memories of Hong Kong!

The Expatriates by Janice Y.K. Lee

Paperback: 336 pages                                                                                               
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: Viking January 12th 2016 
Source: Lovereading Review Panel Member
First Sentence: The new Expatriates arrive practically on the hour, every day of the week.
Review Quote: “One of the novel’s strength is Lee’s exploration of the sometimes subtle interplay between different layers and types of privilege; another is her empathy for the loneliness that her characters must endure.” — The Financial Times (UK)
Main Characters: Margaret, Hilary and Mercy
Setting: Hong Kong
My Opinion: I really enjoyed this, as I did the authors previous novel The Piano Teacher probably more so as Hong Kong holds a very special place in my heart. I actually read this in December 2015, just in advance of publication courtesy of Lovereading, so it has taken me a ridiculously long time to get this review published. Having just returned from a trip to visit my daughter, herself an expat in Hong Kong, I was spurred into action!  
I found this to be a touching and fascinating read as the lives of the three protagonists unfold as they learn to survive in a very different world from the ones they left behind in America.


Précis Courtesy of Goodreads:

Mercy, a young Korean American and recent Columbia graduate, is adrift, undone by a terrible incident in her recent past. Hilary, a wealthy housewife, is haunted by her struggle to have a child, something she believes could save her foundering marriage. Meanwhile, Margaret, once a happily married mother of three, questions her maternal identity in the wake of a shattering loss. As each woman struggles with her own demons, their lives collide in ways that have irreversible consequences for them all.

Author Profile

Janice Y. K. Lee was born in Hong Kong, to Korean immigrants and lived there until she was fifteen. She went to the United States for school and graduated from Harvard College with a degree in English and American Literature and Language.

After college she moved to New York and worked for several years as an editor at Elle and Mirabella magazines before getting an MFA from Hunter College and starting her first novel. The Piano Teacher was published to critical acclaim from the New York Times, People, and O magazine, among others. It spent 19 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, was a Richard and Judy Summer Read pick (UK), and was translated into 26 languages worldwide.

Janice’s writing has appeared in ELLE, Mirabella, Glamour, and Travel and Leisure, as well as numerous other publications.

She lived in New York City with her husband and four children but has since returned to live in Hong Kong since writing her first novel.



Photographs and biographical information courtesy of the following sites.


Author Official Website   Lovereading - Author Profile    Goodreads - Author Profile

Janice Y.K Lee - Twitter

The Piano Teacher by Janice Y.K. Lee

                                          

Paperback:  331 pages                                                                                               
Genre: Historical Romantic Fiction
Publisher: Harper Collins 2009
Source: Oxfam Bookshop Salisbury
First Sentences: It started as an accident. The small Herend rabbit had fallen into Claire's handbag.
Review Quote: 'Former Elle editor Lee delivers a standout debut dealing with the rigours of love and survival during a time of war, and the consequences of choices made under duress…The rippling of past actions through to the present lends the narrative layers of intrigue and more than a few unexpected twists. Lee covers a little-known time in Chinese history without melodrama, and deconstructs without judgement the choices people make in order to live one more day under torturous circumstances' Publishers Weekly
Favourite Quote: “And in the end, I think, we're all just trying to survive, aren't we?”  

Main Characters: Claire Pendleton, Melody Chen, Victor Chen, Will Truesdale, Trudy Liang

Setting: Hong Kong
My Opinion: I enjoyed this probably more so as Hong Kong holds a special place in my heart. A powerful love story set in Hong Kong during the second World War, an interesting portrayal of life in Hong Kong during that unsettling period. The story of Will and Trudy's love during the war years was the part of the novel I enjoyed the most. It is a much stronger narrative than the part about Claire, the Piano Teacher of the title. This novel will probably appeal to those interested in not only a moving love story but also Hong Kong.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads:

"A rare and exquisite story...Transports you out of time, out of place, into a world you can feel on your very skin." -Elizabeth Gilbert


In the sweeping tradition of "The English Patient," Janice Y.K. Lee's debut novel is a tale of love and betrayal set in war-torn Hong Kong. In 1942, Englishman Will Truesdale falls headlong into a passionate relationship with Trudy Liang, a beautiful Eurasian socialite. But their affair is soon threatened by the invasion of the Japanese as World War II overwhelms their part of the world. Ten years later, Claire Pendleton comes to Hong Kong to work as a piano teacher and also begins a fateful affair. As the threads of this spellbinding novel intertwine, impossible choices emerge-between love and safety, courage and survival, the present, and above all, the past.



Video Trailer for 'The Piano Teacher' Courtesy of YouTube

Author Profile


Janice Y. K. Lee was born and raised in Hong Kong, the child of Korean immigrants. She went to the United States for school and graduated from Harvard College with a degree in English and American Literature and Language.

After college she moved to New York and worked for several years as an editor at Elle and Mirabella magazines before getting an MFA from Hunter College and starting her first novel. The Piano Teacher was published to critical acclaim from the New York Times, People, and O magazine, among others. It spent 19 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, was a Richard and Judy Summer Read pick (UK), and was translated into 26 languages worldwide.

Janice’s writing has appeared in ELLE, Mirabella, Glamour, and Travel and Leisure, as well as numerous other publications.

She lives in New York City with her husband and four children.

Photographs and biographical information courtesy of the following sites.

Goodreads - Author Profile    Janice Y.K.Lee - Twitter 

Author Official Website

YouTube