Customer Reviews

The China Bride

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Mary Jo Putney reigns supreme as the Queen of Romance! The China Bride contains all the elements that have made Putney soooooo popular. Troth is a beautiful, strong, proud heroine and Kyle is an amazingly sensitive, handsome hero, who just needs to be shown the true path to love. Troth is half Scottish, half Chinese and therefore a non-person in Chinese society. But the ways of China are dear to her because of her Chinese mother and the fact that she's grown up there. She also loved her big, brawny red-headed Scottish father, Hugh Montgomery, so her dream is to travel to Scotland and meet her other relatives. She has no idea if they will accept her or not. Kyle Renbourne is the twin brother of Domenic, who was the hero in Putney's recent novel The Wild Child. In fact, Domenic and Meriel are seen again in this book but it's really Troth and Kyle's story. The China Bride is a fabulous adventure with heartstopping suspense, tears (mine!) and the anguish of separation and rejection as well as a satisfying, book-hugging ending that Putney is famous for. Bravo! Mary Jo - you are the undisputed Queen of Romance Novels!

Mary Jo Putney is a great writer. This book is quite good. The hero is believable, the heroine is extremely interesting, the story moves along nicely. The technical aspects of the book are very good, for the most part. The writing is always fluent and often graceful. The characters are well-developed and distinct.

The plot was a little weak, compared to other Putney novels, and is the reason I gave the book four stars instead of five. While the final crisis is foreshadowed (just barely), it doesn't seem to fit into the novel seamlessly. That is, the dramatic crisis was jarring in the context of the book. Additionally, there were one or two moments when the heroine acted in unmotivated ways. Interestingly, these actions were usually justified after the fact. However, Troth was a viewpoint character, so it doesn't make sense that her actions should be unmotivated when they occur, and only explained by her thoughts later.

On the whole, it was a very enjoyable book, and I recommend it to anyone who wants to read a good historical romance. But it is not the equal of the books in the Silks trilogy. I *did* very much enjoy the glimpse of an older Duchess of Candover.

Although basically a formulaic romance novel (hero gets heroine somehow through trials, tribulations and miscommunications), The China Bride is so much richer due to the well-developed and interesting characters and thoroughly researched settings. The story begins with Troth Montgomery, half Chinese, half-Scottish bride of Kyle Maxwell, arriving in England to inform his family that he was shot and killed in a prison in China. The story alternates between present and past, with the present being late 1832 in England and the past being earlier the same year in China.

Kyle was completing his world travels in China, and was entranced by a young male translator who turned out to be a female (Troth) in disguise. She was used as a Chinese/English translator and spy on the visiting merchants, and was frustrated by her double-life. In exchange for financing her passage to England, he convinced her to lead him into the inner country where foreigners were forbidden. He was captured and taken to a prison. When he found that he would be shot to death, he impulsively agreed to marry her in a private Scottish ceremony in order to ensure her safe passage to England.

Troth returns to England and was accepted by his family, but never felt that she fit into their society. Since the book is only half over at this point, we realize that something else must happen in order for Troth to find happiness. Shockingly, Kyle returns to England and reports that he was severely tortured in prison, but not executed. Troth feels that she must release him from his commitment to marry her, since she believed he only did it out of kindness and not out of love. Thus begins the miscommunication and confusion that plagues the couple until the eventual happy ending.

The story is told on two continents and the settings are beautifully described with enriching cultural details. The inevitable love scenes are steamy but not tawdry, and both of the characters are so deserving of happiness that you really want this to have a happy ending, which, of course, it does.

Troth Mei-Lian Montgomery as a mixed blood of Scots and Chinese, finds herself disillusioned and trapped by the parochial shades and customs in Canton where women are submissive and subjugated. She lives a life as a spy for her benefactor Chenqua, a powerful Chinese merchant who raised her after the demise of her parents and is adept at martial arts wing chun to be convincing as a male undercover. Least did she expect destiny opens a door for her when Kyle Maxwell - an adventurer and a wealthy viscount arrives and sweeps her away in a torrent of unfulfilled dreams and passion. She is promised a gateway to Scotland to trace her roots if she brings Kyle to Temple of Hoshan - the final destination of his voyage to see the world.

Woven with intricacy, The CHINA BRIDE by Mary Jo Putney is a refreshing read with its scope on an exotic Asian culture as well as an interracial romance. The meticulous details and descriptions of Canton, Chinese traditions and ideals are written with extreme accuracy; no less sublime is her sensitivity towards Troth as the protagonist - who struggles to live her freedom and such is the triumph you will feel when she reaches Scotland to find her true destiny. There is a stage for grand romance and intrigue - Kyle is captured and almost gullotined after their trip to Hoshan goes haywired. As a Fanqui or a foreigner, he is watched and rigidly supervised by Chenqua and little did he expect that his objections on Opium trading could lead to assasinations on him....

On the emotional and romance side, Kyle and Troth are both tortured souls with wrenching emotions. Kyle believes his capacity for love is dead with the passing of his former lover; Troth faces her tough ordeal as a foreigner in Scotland with tongues wagging and discrimination rampaging - she considers herself restricted under the society's mold again.

THE CHINA BRIDE is exquisite for Ms. Putney's skilled observations on historical facts of China and her thoughtfulness in characterization - and Troth makes an irresistible heroine whose courage and straightforwardness crashes against the stereotypical domestic appeal of Chinese women. It is a riveting read with its Oriental escapade - and is high on adventures and thrills. Poignant and engaging, The CHINA BRIDE shines as a luminous pearl in the genre of historical romance.

In December 1832, a bone frozen Troth Mei-Lian Montgomery reaches Warfield Park, England where she claims to be Lady Maxwell, but faints at the sight of Dominic Renbourne. When she awakens, she learns that Dom is the identical twin of her beloved Kyle, Lord Maxwell. Troth who is half-Chinese and half-Scottish begins her story that she says ends tragically with the death of Kyle.

Wandering the world searching to soothe his soul, Kyle arrived in Macao, China. Though he enjoys the city and later Canton, he feels he could have been in any European city. He wants to visit the Temple of Hoshan, a place where a foreign devil is forbidden. The quite ordinary Jin Kang is assigned to assist or spy depending on your view Kyle in his stay. Through a series of incidents Kyle learns that the male Jin is actually the beautiful Mei-Lian. He persuades her to guide him to Hoshan in exchange for getting her to her father's relatives in Scotland. The adventures begin that lead to Mei-Lian becoming Lady Maxwell, reaching England, and she telling them Kyle died.

THE CHINA BRIDE is a great historical romance that emphasizes nineteenth century China and a mixed-blooded person from Asia adjusting to England and Scotland. The reader obtains a taste of the Orient as well as subtle prejudices that in the name of love try to turn Troth Mei-Lian into Troth just as in China duty identified her as either Jin or Mei-Lian. Kyle is a heroic individual while Troth Mei-Lian just wants to be her complete whole self. Mary Jo Putney has accomplished an incredible feat that will be loved by historical fiction fans as much as romance readers.

Harriet Klausner

I've been looking forward to the story of Kyle ever since reading "Wild Child". Ms. Putney did not disappoint. The romantic tension between Kyle and Troth, and their conflicts with the restraints placed on them by their families and cultures was well portrayed.

The only reason this book receives four stars rather than five is the end. The circumstances surrounding the death of Troth's father were only mentioned once or twice in passing, and little was made of them. The sudden action at the end was out of place and unexpected...not unexpected in the way of a good mystery, but just awkward and poorly explained or planned for in the plot as a whole.

But it was a good read, overall.

Though I really enjoyed "The China Bride", I must say, I felt it was not quite up to the standard of some of Putney's earlier novels. Putney always researches her subjects well and isn't afraid to touch sticky subjects: children of mixed parentage, racism that's practised by/aimed at Europeans as well as Asians, and eastern philosophies. The only problem in this book is that the plot is a little loose, and many subject are introduced, like the Feng Shui, that are a little forced. However, the book is a great read, and I recommend it to all, Putney fans and romance readers alike.

I read the Bride series out of order and this was the first that I read. I absolutely devoured it and consider it one of my favorite books by Ms. Putney. I guess everyone has their own opinions, but if I had to rank the books in this series, "The China Bride" would be my favorite, then "The Bartered Bride" and then "The Wild Child." All three books were great, but the action in "The China Bride" and "The Bartered Bride" seemed much more dramatic and I just like exotic locations. "The Wild Child" took place primarily in Meriel's garden and was much more of an internal struggle.

Also, being half-Chinese I think I really related to Troth and the feeling of never really belonging. Another reviewer made negative remarks about this being a story about an "oriental flower" who is rescued by a strapping "real" white man. I don't think anyone who really read this book would ever consider Troth an "oriental flower" who needed rescuing. Would it have been better if Kyle were Asian also? Either way, the relationship would be inter-racial. Why is she an "oriental flower" when she's also half-Scottish? This is the same type of thing I live with everyday. Yes, I am half-Chinese and proud of my heritage, but I'm also half-German and proud of that as well. I think this book handled that aspect of Troth's character very well.

I have always enjoyed Mary Jo Putney's work. She writes compelling stories about interesting people. Even though we romance readers know the end of the book at the beginning (hero always gets heroine), Mary Jo has consistently kept me interested in the characters and their choices until the last sentence. This time, however, I found myself becoming bored and restless as the book progressed. There were many great moments, especially in the beginning and middle in China, but when Troth comes to Scotland, book devolves into standard romance fare, with a plot device thrown in at the end that is surprising in its familiarity. I also found some similiarities between this book and one by Marjorie Farrell, particularly in the hero's revelations from his time in prison--so that felt a bit recycled. So, great to begin with, but in the end nothing new. Of course, even the "nothing new" with Mary Jo Putney is worth the read.

The China Bride is like an Oriental carpet, luxurious and rich with detail. A romantic adventure, the author, Mary Jo Putney, transcends the average tale with her well drawn characters, exotic historic locales and fluid writing style.

The story opens with Troth Montgomery, a Scottish-Chinese woman, who has been living between two cultures in 19th century China. She arrives at the English home of Dominic Renbourne to announce she is his brother's widow. Through flashback we learn how Kyle Renbourne, Viscount Maxwell, an English lord trying to escape sorrows by travelling abroad meets Troth, an English translator in China. Between them, they find understanding and passion while exploring, both figuratively and literally, forbidden ground. Misadventure occurs and Kyle, sentenced to death, marries Troth then sends her back to his ancestral home so she can discover the European side of herself. When Kyle miraculously reappears, the couple must resolve their own identities before they can accept love.

Psychologically convincing, abundant with historical background and warmed with more than a little sensuality, this is a superb read from one of the best writers of romance. Although it is a sequel to the excellent Wild Child and a pre-quel to also excellent The Bartered Bride, it stands on its own.

Ms. Putney's website reports that movie rights have been optioned for this book. If you read it, you will see why someone would want to film this wonderfully exhilarating story.