Concubine of Shanghai [Paperback]

Hong Ying (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 20, 2008

It's China, 1907. Sixteen-year-old orphan Cassia is sold by her aunt to a brothel. There, she works as a lowly maid for Madame Emerald until a powerful and dangerous client plucks her from obscurity. Master Chang is the boss of the fearsome Shanghai Triad and he always gets what he wants. Despite her unbound feet and breasts, Cassia swiftly becomes Chang's favourite mistress. He showers her with luxuries as he embarks on her sexual awakening. But Chang's world is violent and precarious, and those such as Cassia who depend on him are bound to his fate...

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A brilliant and sensitive writer -- Jung Chang, Author Of Wild Swans A fascinating, full-blooded yarn which has the reader rooting for its heroine, a kind of Chinese Moll Flanders, every inch of the way Independent on Sunday A beautiful and gripping writer -- Tariq Ali Independent --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Hong Ying was born into a sailor's family in Chongqing on the Yangtze River in Southwest China. An author and poet, she began her career as a full-time writer in the early 1980s having studied creative writing at Lu Xun Creative Writing Academy and Fudan University. She is best known in the English-speaking world for her novels: K: The Art of Love (which won the Prix de Rome in 2005), The Concubine of Shanghai, Peacock Cries and Summer of Betrayal. Her autobiography, Daughter of the River, has been translated into twenty-nine languages and many of her works have been turned into television series and films. Her latest memoir, Good Children of the Flowers, a sequel to Daughter of the River, won Asia Weekly's Top Ten Books of the Year Award 2009. She lives in Beijing with her husband and daughter. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Marion Boyars Publishers Ltd (July 20, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0714531804
• ISBN-13: 978-0714531809
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,754,192 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Poor translation, but gripping story, July 5, 2008

By 

S. Daniel - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Concubine of Shanghai (Paperback)

After reading this author's K The Art of Love, I bought this book expecting another fascinating trip into the China of bygone days. On one level, I was not disappointed. The story begins in 1907 with 16 year old Cassia being sold by her aunt to a Shanghai brothel. The rest of the tale unfolds in early 20th century Shanghai, giving the reader of rare glimpse at at city changing rapidly in terms of foreign influence and local custom. The novel is poorly translated--which is a rather large flaw-- damaging a truly gripping story. It was Hong Ying's talent in telling a yarn (based in fact) that kept me reading a book which needs to be retranslated so that more can enjoy it. What would have been a 5 star book, warrants only 3 due to the translation.

5.0 out of 5 stars traveling mad bomber review, June 5, 2009

By 

Brent Reynolds "the mad bomber" (Annandale, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Concubine of Shanghai (Paperback)

what a great book. I've traveled for 30 years in and out of China and Hong Ying really evokes the China and Shanghai I have known. Well-written, nice verse, easy read, historical, interesting, emotional.
fine work.