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Letters In The Jade Dragon Box (2011)

by Gale Sears(Favorite Author)

3.96 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

1606412485 (ISBN13: 9781606412480)

languge

English

genre

Historical Fiction

publisher

Deseret Book

review 1: I really liked this book a lot. I read it in under a week, which means it was REALLY good. Most books take me a month or more to read because I just don't have the time. But I MADE time for this book! The pace of the story is on the slow side, but the writing is excellent quality, so it never drags. It just isn't an action-packed page turner. Still, I had a hard time setting it down. The characters are well-developed. The letters from Wen-shan's mother and the art from her grandfather keep you wanting to read more. The ending is positive and uplifting, without being fairly-tail saccharine. Historically, this book is so enlightening. I know very little about the Cultural Revolution and the era of Mao. I was horrified at the brutality of Mao against his own people... more and his insane beliefs about everything that is sacred to human beings (familial love, respect for art, preservation of the past, protection of human life). Why is it we all know so much about the Nazi atrocities, and even some of the Russian ones under Lenin and Stalin, but we never hear about the horrific years of Mao's China, which are so much worse than Nazi Germany in a lot of ways? It makes me want to check out a lot more books on the subject. And it makes me intrigued about how China got from Mao's socialism to the relatively open situation in socialist China today.Sorry, tangent. Anyway, this book is well-written, character rich, description rich, historically provocative, and really an all around good read. I only took off 1/2 a star (no halves allowed here, but I would have given it 4 1/2) for the LDS stuff. This is not an LDS book. And the references to anything LDS were very minor. They didn't really infringe on the story (and it is based on the life of a real person who did convert to the LDS church), but for me, it made me feel uncomfortable to have religious stuff interjected into an otherwise non-religious story. It didn't spoil it, but it did detract slightly. For me. I would still highly recommend this book, but just be aware of the occasional religious references.
review 2: such a great historical fiction. I learned about China and during the horrible reign of Mao Tsu tung. I know this is an lds book but I was surprised how small of a part the gospel played in the story. But the story was amazing. I felt all the emotions Wen-shan felt as each painting and letter was revealed or read. I anticipated each letter and wanted to know the story of her family in mainland China. GS described those paintings so well, I could picture each one. I wish these painting are real, since this story is based on real life events of an early convert in Hong Kong. I don't want to give too much away, so I should stop now. But I will say, this isa great book and great story that I am so glad I got to read and learn more about China's rich cultural history and how communism came to be in China. less

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