Customer Reviews

The Language of Threads: A Novel

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This year I was introduced to the author Gail Tsukiyama when a book group I belong to chose to read The Samurai's Garden. Gulping this book down in a matter of hours and loving every page, I then read her newest book Dreaming Water and Tsukiyama's first book Women of the Silk. Both books were wonderful and now that I have finished the sequel to Women of the Silk, The Language of Threads, I wish I could be reading all of these books for the first time.

The Language of Threads picks continues the story of Pei wh we first met in the previous book Women of the Silk. The Language of Threads begins in 1938 Pei at 28 is bound for Hong Kong and the Japanese have begun occupying China. At the age of 8, Pei who was given by her parents to the Sisterhood to become a silk worker. But now the silk factories are all but gone and the other silk workers are scattered around China trying to steer clear of the Japanese. Accompanying Pei on this voyage is Ji Shen, a 14 year-old girl, who after watching her parents and sister killed by the Japanese made her way to the girl's house of the Sisterhood where the silk workers vowed to care for her. When the time comes for Pei to leave the area, she cannot forget the promises made to Ji Shen and makes plans to travel and care for her.

Once in Hong Kong, Pei is reunited with other sisters of the silk factory who now work as domestics in grand homes. Pei is immediately employed but learns the hard way that she won't be treated as fairly as before in Hong Kong. When she is accused of stealing from her employer, she is forced to leave her job. But fate steps in and Pei finds herself working for a kindly English woman, Mrs. Finch who also allows Ji Shen to live with them. As the months pass and the Japanese become more and more of a presence, these three women become very important to one another and act towards each other as if they are family members. But once again life turns and when Mrs., Finch is sent to an internment camp for British citizens, Pei must not only find a way to care for herself and Ji Shen but to survive the Japanese takeover of Hong Kong. And when tragedy strikes, once again Pei must make a life for herself and all those she holds dear.

The Language of Threads is a wonderful book although at times it is equally heart breaking. We first meet Pei at 28 and when the book finishes she is 62. Her story is well told and like the strands of silk she once handled comes together quite poignantly at the end. And we, as readers rejoice in her life filled with dark days overshadowed by triumph and ultimately joy. Like the characters from Tsukiyama's other books Pei is a well-crafted character who you will think of as a real person and won't soon forget.

I really loved both Women of the Silk and The Language of Threads and cannot recommend them enough. Besides offering solid characterizations of the people, I learned about the lives of those young women sent by their families to work in the silk factories and life in Hong Kong during the Japanese takeover of China before and during WWII. Most of all what I will always remember about these two books is the courageous woman who made a worthwhile life for herself and others against all odds.

This is a sequel to Women of the Silk, and is consistent in writing style and interest. In this novel, Pei flees to Hong Kong ahead of the Japanese, and with the support of her sisterhood of ex silk workers establishes herself. Tsukiyama has a modest style, with simple prose, and clear cut characters. She plots well, and affirms such virtues as loyalty and kindness and strength of character without being cloying. Thus, she is able to expose the reader to terrible historical times, yet leave the reader with a very positive experience.

For the past two decades, Pei has worked in the Canton silk factories. However, when the Japanese invade her home in 1938, Pei flees for the relative safety of Hong Kong. She takes with her Ji Shen, whose parents died during the occupation of Nanking. Her connections with the silk industry land Pei a job in the home of a wealthy Chinese family. She loses her job as a domestic when she is accused of stealing pearls.

Surprisingly, Pei obtains work as a companion to a white devil, Mrs. Finch. The British expatriate treats Pei and Ji as her children rather than her servants. Again, Pei's happy home is disrupted by the Japanese who take Mrs. Finch to a prison camp. Pei turns to sewing to scrape together a living even as Ji turns to the black market. With the help of the sisterhood, Pei and Ji continue to survive hardship after hardship.

As a historical novel, THE LANGUAGE OF THE THREADS is an intriguing look at thirty-five years (1938-1973) of life in China and Hong Kong. However, the ordeals confronted by Pei never seem earth shattering as the stoic woman floats through whatever adversity life conjures up at her. This leaves readers fascinated by the heroine's philosophy yet never fully engaged. As with WOMEN OF THE SILK, Gail Tsukiyama shows her talent to make the mid-twentieth century Orient seem vividly alive as few tales have done.

Harriet Klausner

Gail Tsukiyama is an outstanding writer, and her first two novels (Women of the Silk and In the Samurai's Garden) are among two of my all-time favorites. I was extremely disappointed with her third effort, Night of Many Dreams---dull, predictable plot, almost amateurish writing, and lack of meaningful character development. When I heard that Tsukiyama had penned a sequel to Women of the Silk, I waited with baited breath and hoped it would be better then her third novel.

Unfortunately, The Language of Threads is a flat, one-dimensional story. There are no surprises, no twists and turns to hook you. The book reads as if it were extremely rushed and written without inspiration. The main character, Pei who was so intriguing in Tsukiyama's first book, is not developed at all in this novel; you learn no more about her than you had when the novel started.

The Language of Threads would have been better if it had been non-fiction because at least reading about someone's life in Hong Kong during WWII would have been interesting history. But from a plot standpoint, nothing much goes on in this book. Several pages at the start are wasted on Pei's first job in Hong Kong. That storyline eventually putters out, making you wonder why so many pages were wasted on it. The few plotlines that exist are contrived----most readers will figure out exactly what will happen beforehand.

I once heard that a great writer should, "Show, not tell." Well, Tsukiyama

does just the opposite. We learn that Pei and a later employer develop a great friendship but very few lines of dialog indicate why. The narration simply tells you how they feel, and this is pretty much how the entire book is written. You don't get emotionally involved with any of the characters.

Having said all that, The Language of Threads does have its redeeming qualities. Any reader wanting to know what became of the characters in Women of the Silk will enjoy this sequel as it does provide closure. I kept on reading through the drab opening and middle, hoping it would get better-----and the final 50 pages or so are pretty good. The book begins to read more like a novel and less like an outline by the end, and you do get to find out what happens to Li, Chen Ling, Moi, and some of the other characters from Women of the Silk.

If you want to read a lyrical, engrossing novel of China or Japan, then I recommend one of Tsukiyama's first two novels. The only reason to read The Language of Threads is to find out what becomes of Pei and the other characters from the first novel. Despite all this, I will still look forward to Tsukiyama's writing and hope she can re-capture the magic of her first two books.

I have read The Samurai's Garden and the book that preceeded this one, Women of the Silk. I thought this was an excellent sequel to that book. As usual I found Gail Tsukiyama's writing lyrical, beautiful and very soothing. The pace of her writing reminds me of peotry and I find her description of life in China, during very transitory times, fascinating and informative, without feeling as if I am having a history lesson. I felt very saddened when I finished this book, because I have known Pei since she was a little girl, and this book ends with her in her sixties. Although I loved the book, It loses a star, becasue it just rushed through the last 20 years of her life, and I would have liked more. Maybe she should write a book to fill in those blanks.

Firstly, a quick note to some other reviewers - if you are going to give away part of the plot in your review, warn the reader first - some of us look at the review *before* we read the book, and want to find out for ourselves what is going to happen, not have it told to us beforehand.

Okay, rant over. The Language of Threads is the sequel to Tsukiyama's successful first novel 'Women of the Silk'. It tells the story of Pei, who travels with the orphan Ji Shen to Hong Kong. She has to start her life anew, whilst living through the Japanese occupation. This is a story set in a fascinating time and place, with some interesting characters.

I think that this book is an improvement over its predecessor. The writing is much less laboured, and the dialogue flows a little better. The characters are fleshed out a little more, and we understand their motivations better. The book refers often to events and actions in the preceding book - I think you would really have to have read 'Women of the Silk' to know what is being talked about some of the time.

This is not the best novel i have read set in this time or place, but stacked up against her previous effort, it looks okay. Tsukiyama is obviously finding herself as a writer the more she does it, and if i come across another of her novels in the future i will probably read it.

This was one of the most popular books of my book discussion group. Everyone loved it. I t is a great story and has people that you can care about. Go for it!

Gail Tsykiyama twirled suspense, miracles, and human truths into her most recent book, The Language of Threads. Tsykiyama richly draws the life of a Chinese commoner, Pei, a young woman fleeing the invading Japanese army. The Language of Threads draws people in as a spider does with its prey with its pure simplicity of language. It's a superior book in its simplicity.

One won't find the gaudy and unusual in this book as Tsykiyama stays with the average. However, what is thought of as average is put into another perspective so that the strength in the average is shown, giving us courage.

The book is an easy read and as one passes through the book, one unconsciously remembers human truths that have been faded in reality. The Language of Threads is quite a touching book. When Pei finds work at the home a widowed British woman, Mrs. Finch, Mrs. Finch says that she is now family.

Tsykiyama's remarkable ability to create characters is shown best in the Mrs. Finch. She is an obstinate woman who refuses to leave Hong Kong despite the impending danger of the Japanese. Like the strength of the women of our Civil War who held the home together while the men fought, Mrs. Finch's strength in this time of war and danger is to be respected and learned from. Although her mental and spiritual strengths do not fail her, in the end, he physical strength does.

In a particularly touching moment happens when Pei's friend gives her a present and she blushes as had received so few gifts in her life that the gesture was embarrassing. This reminder of the rareness of gifts of that time and place shames us as we remember the abundance of gifts American enjoy showering on each other¡Xespecially during Christmas time.

As the book begins to wind down, we expect family stability and a happily-after ending, but a twist of fate causes Pei to find her strength on her own.

The Language of Threads leave readers with a warm, hopeful feeling about the future and an affirmation of the value of a woman's strength in times of war.

I've read all of this author's works. My favorite is Samurai's Garden. In this first book she carefully develops her characters never being too wordy. Meaningless conversation is absent - a woman of few words. Women of the Silk was another masterpiece - further developed in Language of Threads. Wonderful reading! A delight!

Our bookclub reads a wide variety of interesting books, some good, some not so good. The Language of Threads presented us with an opportunity to read about the experiences of both the Chinese and the British in Hong Kong in WW2, as well as to share a little with the select group of Sisters of the Silk.

How disappointed were we?

The Language of Threads reads like a hastily thrown together novel, and we found ourselves wondering if it were the poor sister to a richer "Women of Silk". The lead character is flat, with little exploration of her inner world, and as a main protagonist she is unable to hold the novel together. There were so many opportunites to take this book further. Instead we got threads, which were sadly lacking.

Although many of our readers were fascinated by the historical component, and we all agreed that Mrs Finch was a lovely woman, strongly drawn and powerful, we felt that this book was missing something. None of our group had read anything by Gail Tsukiyama before, but we all felt that we should try Women of Silk. It sounded so much more promising than this thinly woven sequel.