Little Sister [Paperback]

Wendy MacGown (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 5, 2006

What does one do with an unwanted girl-whether an unmarried aunt in a crowded apartment, or a girl child, when a son is required? The day her nephew is born, Wong Ying Fa, a Chinese silk embroiderer, considers her future. Blessed with a lucky face and a loving family, she wants to meet a man who can hold an intelligent conversation.Li Gwai Ha is that man-traveled, sophisticated and handsome. Best of all, he wants her, and not solely because his uncle, their Party Boss, demands an heir. Her dreams die when she bears a girl. Betrayed by her family, and faced with a cruel choice, she and Gwai Ha must abandon their child in order to survive.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Wendy MacGown loves to write. She loves to read, too. Books fill her cozy house on Boston's North Shore. For many years, she has written for business: software user guides, training guides, white papers and brochures. Before that were short stories, opinion columns, and one summer stint as photojournalist for a small local beach paper. Literature is her passion, her driving force, bordering on obsession.Two of her novels, "Little Sister" and "The Crystal Fish Bowl," won honorable mention in the Arizona Authors Association 2005 Literary Contest.Her other passion is her family, her husband and their two precious girls, both adopted from China, who are developing an equal passion for the printed word.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: AuthorHouse (May 5, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1425928293
• ISBN-13: 978-1425928292
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,871,299 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars did anyone read this before it went to publishing?, March 6, 2007

By 

Monica Byler (Chengdu, China) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Little Sister (Paperback)

I am also mother to one Chinese daughter and waiting to adopt another. I'm also ethnically half-Chinese myself and currently living in China with my job. Based on existing reviews, I had hoped to really enjoy this book. (Here comes the big "However,"...)

There are so many spelling mistakes in this book that it was impossible to enjoy. Never mind Chinese words (for which the author uses at least three different romanization methods, with added spelling errors, eg. Tiananmen spelled "Tien'anman", Hsiao sometimes spelled "Hsaio" and Li Zuomin sometimes becoming Li "Zoumin") - readers who have not studied Chinese may be able to overlook these errors - but even in English there seemed to be a typo on every page! It doesn't even seem like this ever went through spell check, much less a human editor. The errors were so distracting, I hated this book before I was two chapters into it.

As for the story - I did finish it, I did want to know what happened to the characters, and I did cry. Yet it seemed to me that the author struggled trying to tell the story from a Chinese point of view; her descriptions are heavily tainted with Western observations. I would love to read a similar tale written by a Chinese author.

For parents with children from China (or adopted from anywhere), it is nice to imagine that our children were wanted by their birth parents and only abandoned out of absolute necessity. If you can stand the lack of any editing whatsoever, you may enjoy this book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful telling of a heart-breaking story, July 31, 2006

By 

BONNIE "Bonnie Ward" (Exeter, New Hampshire USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Little Sister (Paperback)

As a mom to daughters adopted from China, I have read many books about child abandonment and the politics surrounding these decisions which must be made. Wendy MacGown has successfully woven a story that puts forth a "what if" ... a realistic scenario of a plausible family caught in an impossible situation. She provides insight into the practical application of a difficult law ... and how it can tear apart the lives of so many people.

Wendy's descriptions of the life, work and attitudes of the characters are spot on. You can feel their reality. Her writing stirred up sense memories of my several trips to China, I could taste the food, smell the scents, and feel the crowds as I turned each page.

I highly recommend this book - along with some tissues.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!!! A must read!!!, June 9, 2006

By 

E. Mcgurk - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Little Sister (Paperback)

I enjoyed the book thoroughly. I found myself wanting more...to find out what was going to happen. It brought out all asects of all emotions when I was reading... When are they going to make this into a movie?