China Archives - The Gilmore Guide to Books

The Poet Empress

Catherine — Mon, 02 Feb 2026 08:28:19 +0000

The Poet Empress is a debut by Shen Tao, set in 650AD China in the kingdom of Tensha. The current emperor is dying and two of his sons are vying for the throne. One of them, Terren, needs a bride and concubines, so a nationwide search is begun. During the approval process he randomly chooses […]

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A Song to Drown Rivers

Catherine — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 07:42:58 +0000

There is a Chinese folk tale about four sisters so beautiful they could be denied nothing. One of those sisters is Xishi and in Ann Liang’s novel, A Song to Drown Rivers, she is called upon to use her beauty for vengeance and destruction. For Xishi, growing up in a tiny village in the […]

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River East, River West

Catherine — Thu, 04 Apr 2024 07:01:12 +0000

In the search for fiction that takes me out of my own experiences Aube Rey Lescure’s River East, River West was just what I wanted. Alva and her mother Sloan have always been partners, the two of them against the world. A daunting task made even more so by the fact that they live in […]

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Lady Tan’s Circle of Women

Catherine — Fri, 09 Jun 2023 07:39:02 +0000

Lisa See’s depictions of the women of China and Southeast Asia have always been entertaining and educational reading so I was pleased to hear about her new novel, Lady Tan’s Circle of Women. Set in 15th century China it’s the story of one of China’s first female doctors. Yunxian Tan is a little girl when, […]

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Peach Blossom Spring

Catherine — Fri, 25 Mar 2022 04:43:37 +0000

I’ve done my fair share of fictional reading about World War II. What I’ve never heard much about is Chinese history at the time. Peach Blossom Spring goes some way towards rectifying that as it spans one family’s journey from mainland China in the mid-20th century all the way up to America in 2015. In that […]

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Rich People Problems

Catherine — Mon, 22 May 2017 07:28:51 +0000

If you’re stopping by for the first time, here’s some critical information before I get into my review of Rich People Problems: I’m a die-hard Kevin Kwan fan. I tore through his debut novel, Crazy Rich Asians like it was a Chanel sample sale and I had an AmEx Centurion card. It was love […]

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The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane

Catherine — Fri, 07 Apr 2017 07:08:21 +0000

I have always enjoyed Lisa See’s novels for their intimate portrayals of women in China at various points in its history. The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane is her latest and, once again, See brings to life the stories about people and places about which I knew nothing. The novel is set in the […]

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How I Became a North Korean

Catherine — Mon, 08 Aug 2016 07:27:54 +0000

How I Became a North Korean by Krys Lee is a lot like the Korean delicacy kimchi—a confounding blend of elements that, until it has fermented, can be confusing and difficult to appreciate. But, just like kimchi, by halfway through the novel the three disparate main characters have released their identities to make the story […]

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China Rich Girlfriend

Catherine — Mon, 15 Jun 2015 07:44:01 +0000

As summer appears in all its sweltering glory China Rich Girlfriend is the sumptuous equivalent of a decadent ice cream in book format. The novel is Kevin Kwan’s follow-up to his biting and over-the-top debut Crazy Rich Asians about people with more money than brains and taste. In China Rich Girlfriend, much of the […]

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Diamond Head

Catherine — Fri, 15 May 2015 07:39:18 +0000

Diamond Head is an ambitious debut from the school of Amy Tan multi-generational Chinese family drama. The Leongs are the premier family living on Oahu where they settle after leaving China prior to World War I. First time novelist Cecily Wong does an admirable job portraying the inter-generational relationships amongst the Leong women. She […]

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