Customer Reviews

Everything Under the Sky: A Novel

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Matilde Asensi is one of the queens of the historical novel - the problem is, Everything Under the Sky is only the 2nd book of all her books to be published in English - The first book, The Last Cato, is one of my all time favorite books - it dealt with quests in and around the Mediterranean - great read if you haven't read it already -
Everything Under the Sky is as great a book as Cato, but it is not the rollercoaster action of Cato, rather immerses you in the Chinese culture and legends, and in its own way sends you on another equally dazzling quest.
Elvira De Poulain, a Spanish painter living in Paris circa 1920 is travelling to Shanghai with her prudish niece Fernanda. Elvira has been notified her husband is dead. She does not know his death wasn't more than an accident.
After a harrowing journey, Elvira finds her husband incurred a crushing amount of debt. Selling everything she owned will not cover a minute part of the debt.
At a fete an Irishman approaches her that the lives of her and her niece's are in danger - that her husband was murdered because he had in his possession an artifact so precious it could clarify history and make the owner filthy rich to boot!
After finding Tichborne's story is correct, Elvira meets an antiquarian, Mr. Jiang, they embark on a journey to find the lost mausoleum of the First Emperor of China and the riches it holds!
The care Asensi writes with to paint a picture as eloquently as a Chinese calligraphy is amazing - the details of the trip through China to find the mausoleum, the description of the tomb itself, it so beautifully presented, you will want to stop and take in the intricasy and ease it was presented to you.
It is as wonderful as The Last Cato, but in its way, it has adopted the quiet dignity of the Chinese culture and shown an exciting quest in those eyes.
An excellent read.

I meant what I said in the title; "Everything Under the Sun," reads like an Indiana Jones adventure, except it has the mistiness, darkness and speed of "The Maltese Falcon." You might even include a little "Star Wars," since a good part of the book is about people finding their way in a new frontier, in hopes of bettering life for others.

Elvira is a young Spanish painter who finds herself in deep trouble in the Shanghai of the 1920s, due to her husband's weakness for drugs, women and other amusements. With her teenage niece, her servant, a very learned Chinese antiquarian and an Irish journalist, she sets out to unify the pieces of a cultural treasure which will earn her enough money to pay off her husband's debts and return to Paris.

The reader learns a great deal about Chinese culture, literature, history and ways of thinking as Elvira and her partners are attacked by the Green Gang, learn more about their treasure in a Chinese monastery, exist on rice balls and hot tea as they journey closer to their treasure and suffer all kinds of indignities in the process.

A little less description would have been fine but I enjoyed "Everything Under The Sky" and would definitely read another by the author.

I Read The Last Cato quite some time ago, and having thoroughly enjoyed it, was thrilled to find that another of Asensi's books had been translated into English. Without repeating the general story line, I found reading this book to be like watching Romancing the Stone or Indiana Jones. It would make a great movie in that genre, or possibly a video game with lot's of puzzles and riddles to solve. It is easy to read, touches on some of the concepts of Taoism and gives you a sense of what China was like back in the 1920's. There are also references to China's long and fascinating history mixed in with the action. Just enough information to get your curiosity up and perhaps propel you to delve deeper into China's history, culture and philosophies on your own.

With few chapters or breaks and a very fast pace, you'll find yourself searching for a place to stop so you can grab something to eat. This isn't easy as each section segues into another adventure almost immediately. A very enjoyable and fun read!

I've just started to read this book. It's quite entertaining with a good dose of historical background on China and Indiana Jones - like adventure. Some people believed this book was like Da Vinci Code, but I disagree. It can stand quite independantly. I am looking forward to Asensi's second book published in English.

Spanish artist Elvira De Poulain is notified that her husband Remy was murdered by the Green Gang assassins in China. Stunned but not shocked as her late debauched spouse seemed to get into trouble all the time, she leaves accompanied by her orphaned niece Fernanda from Paris for Shanghai to bring his body home for burial.

In Shanghai, Elvira feels out of place and looks forward to returning to the comfort of Europe. However, she quickly realizes she has major issues to deal with as her self-indulgent husband ran up unbelievable debts due to his vices of gambling, hookers, and opium. She learns he was killed because he owned a priceless box that allegedly contains clues to the burial location of China's First Emperor and his treasure; others demanded he hand over his find, but he refused and died for his stubbornness. Elvira considers seeking the booty and soon finds allies: fiftyish pot bellied Irish journalist Patrick Tichborne, a white bearded Celestial local antiquarian Mr. Jiang and an orphaned young servant Biao.

This is an entertaining 1920s saga that fans will enjoy as the no nonsense European and her niece slowly acclimate to China while seeking the tomb and dodging killers. The story line is driven the by the quintet who consists of the artist, two youths and two older men; whereas their adversaries are professional assassins. EVERYTHING UNDER THE SUN is an entertaining tale as the audience wonders whether Elvira will survive her physical ordeal and solve the complex clues, get killed, or flee back to France.

Harriet Klausner

Elvira, and Fernanda, aunt and niece, drift lazily down the Yangtze River in the early 1920's. An odd place indeed for a free-spirited Spanish senorita and her ward, but peculiar and unusual circumstances conspire to have these ladies traveling to exotic Shanghai. Before the story begins, Fernanda, our dowdy young niece, is thrown into the life of her Bohemian aunt due to the recent death of her parents. Also before the first chapter reveals the nature of their adventure, strong-willed Elvira has been recently notified of the death of her estranged husband who has resided in China for many years. Soon after, Elvira, niece in tow, is immediately outbound onboard a cruise ship heading for the Orient. Her intensions are to quickly settle her husband's affairs so that she can do an about-face back to her bungalow in Paris where she happily paints to her hearts delight, living the carefree spinster life.

Disembarking after a lengthy voyage, Elvira is brought to her husband Remy's oriental home, only to encounter more tragic news. It seems Remy was not only dead, but has been murdered by imperial assassins who believed he was in possession of a valuable lost Chinese artifact. Without time to catch her breath from this news, and to add insult to injury, Elvira is also informed that Remy's carefree attitude with gambling, women, and an opium addiction, has left her not only penniless but with major debts. It seems her late husband was a bit of a disreputable rogue, leaving Elvira nothing but shame. With regret, an attorney informs her she must sell her Paris home and the grand house in Shanghai in order to settle these monumental unpaid bills.

Inquiring about this mysterious lost artifact that has now catapulted Elvira's once happy life into turmoil, she learns that this valued piece must still be hidden in the house, yet undiscovered. But she is being watched. Her every move, every breathe is observed by assassins called the Green Gang. They lurk nearby, knowing it's just a matter of time before Elvira locates the piece, so they can attack again, stopping at nothing to get what they're after. With this new information the two ladies lives are now in peril and they must race against time to locate the artifact that will then lead them to the secret of the largest treasure in the history of mankind, lost for thousands of years that has been spoken of in a Chinese legend for many generations.

Everything Under the Sky by Matilde Asensi is a marvelous historical adventure, an old-fashioned treasure hunt on a grand scale destined for the big screen. What makes this novel shine so bright is the camaraderie and determination of two highly unlikely ladies eager to take on the challenge, and their new companions for the journey. Traveling by their sides are a wise old Chinese antiquarian, a jolly Irish journalist, and a young boy on the verge of manhood who acts as their traveling servant. Whether sailing on a Sampan down the Yangtze, diving under bridges through dangerous waters, digging beneath underground tunnels, dodging bullets, deciphering riddles and cryptic maps, or practicing Tai Chi with Monks in a high mountain monastery, the characters engage in a high action packed adventure the reader will not be able to put down. Also injected into this delightful story are infused doses of Tao philosophy, instructions from the I Ching, training of the martial arts, and lessons in Chinese brush calligraphy.

This spectacular novel set in an exotic land is a blend of Indiana Jones, The Da Vinci Code, Anna and the King of Siam, The Karate Kid and the old TV show Kung Fu, gently stirred together for one bubbling cauldron of fun. Asensi's writing skills and plot development balanced with believable characters should allow this author to climb up a few notches on the ladder of literary success as this, her second book, hits the best seller list and many reading groups.

Matilde Asensi is a new favorite author of mine. The story is compelling and for me, it was a
learning experience to hear about a foreign author write about my ethnic story. Great story!

A rather charming tale from one of Spain's most famous writers of historical fiction. (I had never heard of her before, however.) In this adventure travelogue, set in 1923, Elvira De Poulain has to travel with her niece to China to put her late husband's effects and assets in order. At first, she is overwhelmed with the noise, smell, and population of Shanghai and merely wants to settle up and return to Paris as soon as possible. However, when she learns that her husband was murdered by a gang of thugs on the hunt for something quite valuable in his possession, Elvira and her niece are plunged into an adventure that crisscrosses China, in the company of an aged antiquarian, an Irish expat journalist, and a young orphan boy. The group is trailed and set upon several times and then rescued by different factions, all looking for the ancient tomb that will mean different things to each group.

The story is a treasure hunt, with clues to decipher and betrayals to overcome, but along the way, Elvira and her niece blossom into independent women who come to an openness about China and its history and culture - Elvira's panic attacks, long a staple of her life, vanish as she is forced to confront and battle her fears. By the satisfying end of the tale, the two "yang kwei" women can return to their lives in possession of newfound knowledge of who they are and what the larger world is really about. I was bogged down more than a few times with recitations of Chinese history - perhaps my fascination just wasn't engaged. I did enjoy the relationships among the characters, and loved the dynamic Elvira.

This book is easy reading and very informative about Chinese culture. The author, Matilde Asensi, has other books which are worth reading as well.
Check them out!