Hard Sleeper [Hardcover]

Jennifer Scheel Bushman (Author), Jean Artley Szymanski (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2003

Jane McPherson, daughter of American missionaries, enjoyed an idyllic childhood in old Peking until her parents were brutally murdered. In 1936, with the onset of war against Japan and fighting between Kuomintang and communist forces, Jane and her brother Will were sent to live with family friends in Shanghai, where Jane had to contend with long-buried family secrets, shattered romance, and expulsion from her beloved country. Now elderly, Jane has returned to China to reunite with the daughter she hasn't seen in sixty years. During a cross-country train ride to Beijing, Jane unravels the mystery of her parents' death for her daughter and an ambitious young film producer who gains new perspective on her own life as she watches mother and daughter struggle to know one another. An unforgettable mystery adventure spanning more than six decades of Chinese culture and history, Hard Sleeper is a story of unconquerable spirit, set against the background of the Sino-Japanese War and the emerging realities of today's China.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jean Artley Szymanski and Jennifer Scheel Bushman, a mother-daughter team, wrote Hard Sleeper. Both women traveled extensively in China and studied Chinese history. Jean was a Foreign Service officer who spoke Mandarin Chinese and served in the U.S. embassy in Beijing. Jennifer, the child of diplomats, lived in Korea, Nigeria, the Philippines, and Israel. She worked in U.S. embassies in Stockholm, Sweden and Rangoon, Burma. Jennifer lives in Chesapeake, Virginia, with her husband Kevin and their two children.

Jean Artley Szymanski died of breast cancer in 1998.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Lost Coast Press; 1st edition (January 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1882897730
• ISBN-13: 978-1882897735
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,469,137 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well written suspensful novel, April 29, 2003

By 

Harold McFarland (Florida) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hard Sleeper (Hardcover)

China in the 1930s was a dangerous place. War was escalating against Japan, while internally the Kuomintang was fighting communist forces. A missionary couple and their family work here during this tumultuous time and eventually both pay the ultimate price and are killed. The children are sent to live with family friends and Jane, the daughter, learns the family secrets as well as the political environment as she grows up with this extended family. Eventually Jane is expelled from China.

Now sixty years later she has returned to find the daughter she left behind when she was expelled. After finding her daughter they start on a long train ride to Beijing during which they meet a documentary producer. The producer seeks out the story of the reunion of the mother and daughter and finds that there is a much greater story here as Jane reveals the story of her parents' death. As she tries to establish a relationship with her now adult daughter Jane tells her story and the mystery and intrigue of old China takes on a life of its own.

The story is a mystery, a suspense novel, and a historical/cultural piece all rolled up into one fascinating story. Well written, it draws the reader into the intrigue of the story and you find yourself unable to put it down until you find the answers. Each chapter transitions the story between the China of the 1930s and the China of today. Suspenseful and exciting it is highly recommended.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very fine novel, May 18, 2003

By 

John L. Holden "jholden99" (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hard Sleeper (Hardcover)

I found myself rapidly engrossed in this deeply satisfying tale of old and new China, which weaves together unforgettable characters, mystery, and romance against the backdrop of war and revolution in China. The authors have created imagined worlds and people that ring true, and a story line that had me finishing the book on my commuter train - at the expense of my habitual New York Times!

John L. Holden
President, National Committee on U.S.-China Relations
New York

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling story + history, April 29, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Hard Sleeper (Hardcover)

The book does a really nice job of incorporating China's 20th century historical background into a very compelling story. The descriptions, especially that of the train journey (Hard Sleeper is a class of train travel) were dead-on. A great read!