Customer Reviews

An Ocean Apart, a World Away

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

 

 

This is a terrific sequel to "Ties that bind, ties that break." Lensey Namioka brings the reader up to date with the stories of Ailin and her best friend, Yanyan. Ailin is still in San Francisco with her husband. Yanyan is a student at Cornell University in Ithaca. The story takes place in 1911. It explains how Yanyan begins to study for a medical career. Namioka's spare, elegant writing is wonderful... This book is highly recommended. It brings the story full circle and I enjoyed it so much.

I just have to say, I am now such a big fan of Lensey Namioka. I've read "Ties that Bond, and Ties that Break" a little over a year ago, and now, After reading "An Ocean Apartm A World Away" I am simply blown away. This book was a continuation of the other and I absolutey love the fact that there are so many twists in it that you really never seem to expect. While there are so turns that went the predicable way, the rest of the story made up for it! The only down part about this book for me was, it ended on a note I didn't really like, but it was still good anyway. This is such I great read, and I can promise you, its worth every second! ^_^

It is the nineteen-twenties, and Yanyan is living in China with her family. China is in turmoil, as it has been for years, but Yanyan's family is stable and progressive. She lives with her parents and her two older brothers. Despite the fact that she is a girl in a fairly wealthy family, Yanyan did not have her feet bound as a child. Her parents permitted her to attend the school run by American missionaries and she and her mother are encouraged to participate in conversation at the dinner table, even when arguments break out. Yanyan's father is a diplomat who has traveled to other countries and has seen how they live.

Despite the fact that she is a teenager and should be thinking about these things, Yanyan is not at all concerned with marriage. In fact, she would like to become a doctor and support herself for the rest of her life. Then she meets her brother's friend Baoshu, who is handsome and exciting. He wants her to run away with him and become a rebel, fighting the government. She thinks about his offer and the excitement that it would bring to her life, but instead decides to go to college. She enrolls in Cornell College in Ithica, New York, and travels thousands of miles away from her family to attend. College life is more difficult than she expected, and she encounters many prejudices about Chinese people. But she is determined to make it through and achieve her dream.

I liked that this story was a parallel of "Ties that Bind, Ties that Break." I liked seeing how another Chinese girl was able to make her way in the world. I liked the strength and courage of Yanyan's character. She knew what she wanted and didn't give up.

I picked up this book because I likeds the cover, I had no idea that it was going to be such a wonderful story!! I loved reading about how young girls began to make a difference in the world. This book is defently a must read!!!

Yanyan is a 16-year old girl living in China in 1921. She's finished with highschool, and wonders what the next stage of her life will bring. Always with an interest in medicine, Yanyan is thinking of finding a way to become a doctor. But then she meets the intriguing, charismatic Liang Boashu. He wants her to come away with him and be a part of his dangerous life, but is he more important to Yanyan than medicine? This question takes Yanyan to America, where she is faced with a drastically different life and decisions about where she belongs in it.

As stated, this book was typically a pleasant read. The biggest asset this book had was its likeable main character. Yanyan's courage, strength, spunk, and uniqueness just make readers want to root for her. Her excellent personality paves the way for her compelling choices and thoughts-both of which keep the reader just aching to know what happens next. I literally finished "An Ocean Apart, A World Away" in a day!

Yet something small slightly mars this promising read. Despite all of her spirit and sparkle, Yanyan's "voice" doesn't always sound natural. A bit of dialogue is quite stiff, and at times I had a nagging sense that the novel seemed too "simple." This simplicity was a little disappointing, since this book is for a "teenage girl" audience for which middle-grade straightforwardness was not needed. Yanyan would have been an even better character if her persona was more "embellished" and she wrestled with decisions a little longer. And, I've got to say it, the last chapter and the final scene were just too rushed!

I probably seem nitpicky and cynical, but I truly enjoyed parts of this book. I loved the personality of Yanyan and felt the ideas of the books were appealing and promising. Yet I can't quite give this book a glowing review with its style problems. Read it for a usually satisfying main character, but be prepared for a few flaws.

I cannot recommend this book enough! Even if you have not read the companion, "Ties that Bind, Ties that Break," this book is a great read in itself. I found the characters to be much more vividly portrayed in this book than in "Ties." Yanyan has passions and is created in a way that far surpasses many characters in other works.
This is a wonderful book for fans of historical fiction, people interested in a different view of our culture, or even people just interested in a fascinating story!