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A Concubine for the Family A Family Saga in China edition by Amy Kwei Literature Fiction eBooks

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The novel covers a tumultuous era in Chinese history beginning in 1937 and ending in 1941.  It also explores the circumstances surrounding the true-life event of my grandmother's gift of a concubine to my grandfather on his birthday to enhance the chance of an heir to the Family.

A Concubine for the Family A Family Saga in China edition by Amy Kwei Literature Fiction eBooks

I highly recommend this book. At first I had a hard time connecting with and feeling engaged with the book because it begins with the traditional, quiescent, and cosseted life of an upper class Han Chinese wife and mother with bound feet, at the early onset of WWII. The book gains momentum and interest as her life and the lives of her family, relatives and close servants are impacted dramatically by the events leading up to full blown world war. This takes them from their serene family compound in their quiet village, to Shanghai, then Hong Kong, and then beyond, as countries and cultures clash and erupt into mayhem and invasions. The title of the book does not really capture what the book is really about. The reader sees the family, the disintegrating Chinese government and nation, the missionaries, the colonialists, the invaders, and Chinese traditions through the eyes of this upper class Han Chinese wife and mother, as events unfold. Through her perspective I saw the institution of concubines as no more than surrogate wombs to produce male heirs as part of Chinese patriarchy traditions. (Unfortunately, the bias for males still persists today in China and in overseas ethnic Chinese communities created by the diaspora.) There are many interesting characters in the book, such as the Westernized brother and his resourceful and opportunistic mistress. The main character’s changing perspective and increasing empowerment is what held my interest, as the long held traditions, including concubinage, no longer hold logic or reason within the context of war and survival. To me, Purple Jade became the heroine and symbol of female empowerment, much like Rosie the Riveter.A Concubine for the Family: A Family Saga in China

Product details File Size 1120 KB Print Length 396 pages Publisher TATS Publishing (August 21, 2012) Publication Date August 21, 2012 Sold by  Digital Services LLC Language English ASIN B0090VYT70

Tags : A Concubine for the Family: A Family Saga in China - Kindle edition by Amy Kwei. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading A Concubine for the Family: A Family Saga in China.,ebook,Amy Kwei,A Concubine for the Family: A Family Saga in China,TATS Publishing,Fiction Asian American,Fiction Historical
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A Concubine for the Family A Family Saga in China edition by Amy Kwei Literature Fiction eBooks Reviews

Well-written, lots of details on traditional Chinese life but especially interesting to look into how new Western ways slowly changes and is accepted into the "old" way of Chinese life. I found the ending disturbing because the story suddenly stopped. What happened? Then I discovered there is a sequel!
An interesting book but not over-the-top wonderful. Gives a perspective of Chinese life and culture from the standpoint of the elite. It is interesting how the family -- particularly the main character -- adjust to the changing times and conditions of their life.
A Concubine for the Family A Family Saga in China

This novel covers the period from 1937 to 1941 I was too young to experience myself but fortunately, I was able to live it through the memories of my late parents. It is a tapestry of traditional values, culture transition, politices and history. The author masterfully weaved all of the rich elements via a series of vignettes, a few are worthy of recapitulation.

The underlying theme is the historical importance of the male offspring of any Chinese family; it was important then and remains to be so today. The matriarch of the Huang family was not able to produce a male heir, subsequently she offered her handmaiden to her husband with the hope to produce a male offspring. Alas destiny did not cooperate, 2 more daughtere were the rsult! This importance of the male heir is ever important in China's single child policy of today, which have caused a major gender in-balance, infanticide, and forced late abortion.

Historically, WWII for China and Japan was a much longer period of 8 years. Our author gave a vivid description of the Xian Incident, which was an attempt to bring the Nationalists and Communists together to confront the Japanese invaders. The Chinese people suffered greatly as a result of the Japanese invasion, and Japan never apologized for its atrocites and transgressions. Much of this animosity surfaced during the recent dispute over the islands in the South China Seas.

Our author also gave a vivid picture of life in the foreign concessions in Shanghai during that period, there was a detailed description on the use of table utensils and good table manners while visiting a western restaurant.

In summary, for anyone who have lived through, and have an interest in modern Chinese culture and history, obtain a copy of Amy S Kwei's "A Concubine for the Family", it is a jewel of enjoyment, and it'll stretch your insight of a people that'll play an increasingly important role in all of our lives!
I enjoyed very much reading this book. I could not put this interesting family saga down! Amy Kwei's imagination brilliantly makes the characters come to life. She calls it a novel, yet it is obviously the story of her family. I learned much that I did not know about Chinese culture and tradition as well as life in the 1930s to the beginning of World War II. The facts were well researched. This is a most moving account of the tragic binding of women's feet and its consequences on one woman - the grandmother. I never understood why a country so highly
civilized and refined in art and poetry could afflict such cruelty on the women in its upper class. How the grandmother as a child yearned to have fun running around with her brother, but was prevented to do so by her crippled feet.

The description of the war and hardshiops of the Japanese occupation is vividly narrated and the upheaval war brought upon China. Yet the humanity of some Japanese-Americans is also
beautifully described. Despite all these tragic happenings, the author keeps a positive and
hopeful attitude.

The novel is full of suspense and I hope the author is already working on a sequel and will not disappoint her readers, who are anxious to know how her family fared in the future.
This book is a treasure!
I highly recommend this book. At first I had a hard time connecting with and feeling engaged with the book because it begins with the traditional, quiescent, and cosseted life of an upper class Han Chinese wife and mother with bound feet, at the early onset of WWII. The book gains momentum and interest as her life and the lives of her family, relatives and close servants are impacted dramatically by the events leading up to full blown world war. This takes them from their serene family compound in their quiet village, to Shanghai, then Hong Kong, and then beyond, as countries and cultures clash and erupt into mayhem and invasions. The title of the book does not really capture what the book is really about. The reader sees the family, the disintegrating Chinese government and nation, the missionaries, the colonialists, the invaders, and Chinese traditions through the eyes of this upper class Han Chinese wife and mother, as events unfold. Through her perspective I saw the institution of concubines as no more than surrogate wombs to produce male heirs as part of Chinese patriarchy traditions. (Unfortunately, the bias for males still persists today in China and in overseas ethnic Chinese communities created by the diaspora.) There are many interesting characters in the book, such as the Westernized brother and his resourceful and opportunistic mistress. The main character’s changing perspective and increasing empowerment is what held my interest, as the long held traditions, including concubinage, no longer hold logic or reason within the context of war and survival. To me, Purple Jade became the heroine and symbol of female empowerment, much like Rosie the Riveter.A Concubine for the Family A Family Saga in China