Customer Reviews

Forbidden Tales: Sword

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

On her fifteenth birthday, Miu Miu wakes not to the matchmaker, as is tradition in her village, but to a frightening revelation from her mother. Miu Miu's father was murdered, she discovers, and Miu Miu must travel to the city of Chang'an to avenge her father's death and find her true love.

But the path to victory is never straight, Miu Miu learns, as she faces challenge after challenge in her journey towards Chang'an, only to find that her most difficult task lies in the form of the evil emperor who she must defeat.

SWORD is a captivating adventure that paints an intriguing portrait of ancient China. While the story is simplistic and sometimes predictable, readers will remain invested in SWORD because of the way it is crafted. Miu Miu is a sympathetic heroine and her adventures are highly entertaining, especially when they involve martial arts.

I enjoyed SWORD immensely, and heartily recommend it to readers in search of a good, clean adventure story with a strong female protagonist.

Reviewed by: Rebecca Wells

FORBIDDEN TALES: SWORD
By Da Chen
Published by Harper Collins
ISBN: 978-0-06-144759-4
Most Americans are aware of Fairy Tales based from a European background. Native American tales and African tales are also becoming more popular. The Chinese Tale, however. is not so well known in the west. This is a beautifully written book that describes what happens when a young Chinese girl reaches 15 and learns the truth about her father's death. She now must face the challenges of avenging his death and the potential marriage to a man she has never met. All the while feeling the pressures of her mother and her community to do what is right.

If you have ever seen the movie "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" it will help you to imagine what the beauty of Da Chen's written words express. Through his words I can feel myself spinning in the air and flying through the trees.

As in all good tales this one has a moral to the story and an ending that will leave you surprised and satisfied. I had no idea what was coming in the ending until it came and I loved it. This book is only 229 small pages long. It gets you into the story quickly and resolves things equally fast. This is a great book for anyone who wants a good read with lots of heart.

"Many nights I filled my spare time by squeezing into his doorway and claiming a spot on the crowded floor, listening devotedly to his tales of another time and place, after enduring a few slaps on the head from the older folks who didn't want me there. He was an optimist, and his words made you see the bright colors of spring and the majestic snow-capped mountains of Xinjiang. The sunsets in his tales were especially glorious, and the people with whom he had shared his life the most gifted."

("Sword" pg 6*)

"Sword" by Da Chen opens with a prologue describing a young boy listening to a great storyteller, and then chapter one splits off into another tale- one that the storyteller is supposedly telling. That story is of a fifteen year old girl named Miu Miu who sets off to avenge the death of her father. The movie Mulan comes to mind, as Miu Miu disguises herself in her father's clothing before leaving her village. But unlike Mulan, Miu Miu has the permission of her mother and village elders to take up her quest. Eventually she teams up with the man she was promised to at birth, and they both plot to kill the one responsible for Miu Miu's father.

The language of this book is beautiful. It really reads like poetry- the imagery in particular, and the readers can perfectly picture these landscapes in their heads. Even the fights are poetic, and bring to mind graceful but powerful battles- like those in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

One thing bothered me as I was reading (and it sort of is the same thing that bothered me when I read The White Mary: A Novel). It was the use of foreign words throughout a story being told in English. For example, on page 74 it reads: "Long 'quiang'-spears- were in their hands, and short daggers were plunged into the side of their boots." I just don't see that `quiang' is necessary. It is the Chinese word for spear, but the whole story is being told in English- not Chinese. That said, it didn't take away from the story- but it did annoy me each time it happened. I could see how it would be useful to teach us random Chinese words, but why for 'spear' and not for (for example) `daggers'?

My problem with the Chinese words aside, I did enjoy most of this story. I was about to recommend it highly to those who enjoyed "Mulan", or to those who enjoy a good adventure..... And then I got to the end!! I felt like one ending was written- then more was written and tacked on so that the audience didn't feel so depressed. Whatever happened, it didn't work for me. (And that first ending wouldn't have really worked either!) I'm left scratching my head- and I'm afraid I can't exactly recommend this the way I wanted. It's a shame too, because 7/8 of the book is amazingly beautiful... So maybe just buy it but don't read the end!

Also, according to the back of the book, this is recommended for ages 10 and up or grades 5 and up.... I'm not so sure that's a good idea. There's a scene where a man wants to put his hand between her legs to find out if she's a woman or not, there's mention of her betrothed watching her suggestively as she changes clothes.... I just don't think I would recommend it for ten year olds.

*These words may change in the final publication of the book

(Originally reviewed for "Kathleen's Book Reviews")

I was first introduced to the author, Da Chen, through his memoir, "Sounds of the River." I so thoroughly enjoyed that book; I ventured to read "Forbidden Sword." I love stories with strong female protagonists and this book looked like it promised adventure and excitement.
I was not disappointed. Not only was there excitement, but there was a fairytale theme throughout the book that made it a delightful, easy read. Martial arts, magic and love abound with plenty of page-turning interest to keep boredom at bay.
* SPOILER*
The story line was simple. While I love Chen's wonderful uses of alliteration and metaphor, this novel lacked the richness his memoir possessed. However, because the plot was not complex, it made it easy for me to pick up as I changed multiple gates in two different airports. I could easily pick up where I left off because there are only a handful of characters striving to avenge the death of a village sword maker. If you have seen, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" you will understand the magic and fighting sequences in this book.
Overall, it was worth reading. I probably would not pay the same $12 for the story, maybe more like $5 or $6, but I was still satisfied.

A man in a lonely village comes back after 20 years imprisonment. Villagers stay away from him but something draws them in. He has banned books which he shares with the villagers. The young narrator in the story develops a passion of these stories from ancient China and reads them compulsively. Unfortunately, the narrator lives to see frightened villagers burn his house down with the books inside. The narrator recounts an ancient tale that she had read. - Sword. A young woman whose father is dead, seeks revenge for his death. A young man has promised to marry her if he can also prove his bravery. Together they seek revenge from the Emperor.