Pearl Moon [Mass Market Paperback]

Katherine Stone (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2005

Publishers Weekly called it a "vivid narrative" with "glamorous settings." Booklist said it's a "can't-miss combination of multigenerational romance and international suspense, financial rivalry and family secrets." Now updated in this tenth-anniversary edition, Pearl Moon is the book thousands of readers have been asking for!

It's the year before Hong Kong's reversion to Chinese control -- a year of danger, betrayal . . . and romance. Allison Whitaker and Maylene Kwan, two sisters who don't know of each other's existence, meet there for the first time. They also meet two extraordinary men: the aristocratic and powerful James Drake, developer of luxury hotels, with whom Allison falls in love, and Sam Coulter, the Texan builder who captures Maylene's heart.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Contemporary Hong Kong is the exotic backdrop for Stone's (Happy Endings) romantic story of two sisters separated by fate but reunited in the construction of a sumptuous hotel. As Maylene Kwan lavishes her architectural skills on the Jade Palace's design, she skirmishes with its builder, an arrogant chauvinist who has more than a business interest in Maylene. Elsewhere, photographer Allison Whitaker is handed a golden opportunity to escape her smothering Texas family-an assignment to decorate a new Asian hotel with her murals. (That the hotel is the Jade Palace, and that Allison and Maylene are the long-separated siblings, will hardly surprise readers.) While Maylene struggles with her conflicted past and romantic present, Allison is falling for the hotel's developer, who is still consumed with thoughts of his dead wife (the Jade Palace will be a monument to her memory). Lurking in the shadows, meanwhile, is a madman set on destroying the Jade Palace and all who stand in his way. Stone's vivid narrative and glamorous settings energize this melodramatic tale, though her somewhat superficial characters seldom strike any real sparks. 100,000 first printing.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

Pearl Moon begins with an account of a young Chinese girl and an American flyer on leave from the Vietnam War and their week of wondrous love. Because of their different backgrounds, they conclude that a relationship is impossible. A female child is born of this union. The flyer returns home, marries, takes over the family business, celebrates the birth of his baby daughter, and dies. On to the present day, when two girls meet in Hong Kong in connection with the building of Hong Kong's newest luxury hotel, the Jade Palace. They soon discover that they share the same father, our flyboy. They each meet the other parent; find true loves; survive a car bombing, an evil villain, and a typhoon; and live happily ever after. This is light and fluffy formula reading in the vein of Danielle Steel and Sandra Brown. If you have trouble keeping these authors on the shelf, then this makes a good purchase.
Dawn L. Anderson, North Richland Hills P.L., Tex.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Mira (May 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0778321851
• ISBN-13: 978-0778321859
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,671,946 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Bestselling Seattle-born author Katherine Stone set about plotting her life's journey at a very young age. At age five she knew she hoped to become a doctor. Then, after writing her first short story at age 11, she realized that she'd love to be a writer, too.

In pursuit of that youthful dream, Katherine attended Stanford University, where she completed her premed requirements while majoring in English. She received her M.D. from the University of Washington. Following her internal medicine residency in San Francisco, she accepted a fellowship in infectious diseases in Los Angeles.

What remains one of the world's largest outbreaks of Legionnaires' disease coincided with her fellowship, which gave her the opportunity to write and lecture on this mysterious new disease. But it was not all work and no play. There was also romance in L.A. It was there (during a spinal tap!) that she met her future husband, physician and novelist Jack Chase.

While she had accomplished the first half of her young-life goals, Katherine never really got around to the second part--being a writer--until Jack bought her a word processor and urged her to "Just do it." The result? Bestselling books in the distinctive Katherine Stone style: a marriage of lyrical prose, evocative emotion and, above all, romance.

"There's nothing wrong with incurable romanticism," the physician asserts. "I love writing about nice people, who are giving life their best shot despite the sometimes monumental obstacles I place in their paths and who discover, despite those obstacles, the splendor and power of love."

Although Katherine has hung up her stethoscope for the moment and is writing full-time at her home near Seattle, her medical background is often evident in her books. "I very much enjoy sharing my passion for medicine--its drama, its emotion and yes, its science--with my readers."

The author of 21 novels, including Twins, Bel Air, Love Songs, and Pearl Moon, Katherine's books have been translated into 20 languages and sold worldwide. She is in the midst of converting all her novels into e-book formats (and thinking about her next book!)

Please visit her website at www.katherinestone.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful!, May 18, 2004

By 

"laylasop1" (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pearl Moon (Mass Market Paperback)

At first, when reading this book, I thought that there were too many plots, and that once one actually started to care about one character, the author would jump to someone else. However, as the book moved along and I saw how beautifully all the characters and plotlines came together, I couldn't put the book down. Despite the fact that I guessed who the "bad guy" was way before the end, it was an amazing book--one of my favorites!!!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hoped to find the real Pearl Moon, February 7, 2004

By 

Edith R. Laird "Cocogl4" (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pearl Moon (Mass Market Paperback)

After my second trip to Hong Kong, I read this book. I knew exactly the places mentioned in the book. I so enjoyed the book that I called the author in an attempt to find the location of the real "Pearl Moon". (She's my next-door neighbor's sister!) And I was disappointed to find that the shop was a wonderful figment of her imagination. I have read and enjoyed all of K.S.'s books.... and this one I'll reread before I return to Hong Kong again this spring.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Best !!!, October 9, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Pearl Moon (Mass Market Paperback)

I don't see how anyone could find this book lacking in any way. It was great, the characters were great, very memorable, and the plot was fantastic. ALL the characters were very well-written, very real, very well-described. Not to mention the setting of Hong Kong, a place wherein the author made you feel like you were there. I could read this one over and over. James was my favorite character. (Although this author used the name James in Rainbows also.) So classy, handsome, and gentle. This is a wonderful read.