The China Bride (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "Kyle Renbourne, tenth Viscount Maxwell, concealed his impatience as the politely greeted dozens of members of Macao's European community who had gathered to meet an..." (more)
Key Phrases: Jin Kang, Lord Maxwell, Gavin Elliott (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Nineteenth-century China, England and Scotland are the settings for Putney's continuing saga of the Renbourne twins, Dominic and Kyle, begun in The Wild Child. There, Kyle handed over his unwanted betrothed, Meriel (a match arranged at birth), to his twin brother, Dominic, and escaped to Spain with his terminally ill mistress, Constancia. Ever since his true love's death, Kyle has been exploring the world. In 1832, he is in Macao. His father's health is failing, however, and Kyle plans to fulfill his lifelong dream of seeing the Temple of Hoshan, "an image of peace and unearthly beauty," then return to England to resume his duties as Lord Maxwell. Unfortunately, China is closed to all Fan-qui (foreigners) and Kyle must stay within the confines of the Canton Settlement, a narrow strip of warehouses serving as shipping point for all European and American trade companies. In order to sneak into the Chinese countryside, Kyle enlists the aid of Jin Kang, who he thinks is a young male Chinese interpreter. Jin is actually Troth Mei-Lian Montgomery, feisty daughter of a Scottish trader and Chinese concubine, who is forced to make her living by spying on "foreign devils." Kyle's rash escapade is predictably unsuccessful, as he is discovered and sentenced to death. He marries Troth (symbolically) and dispatches her to England to tell his family of his fateAwhich, of course, turns out to be different from what she imagines. In chapters alternating between Troth's experiences in England and flashbacks to her adventures with Kyle in China, Putney contrives an awkward tale, dependant for its drama on Kyle's belief that he can never love again, and on Troth's fear of rejection by Kyle's family. Though the conflict rarely grips, the sex scenes are adequately steamy, and Putney provides plenty of atmospheric details. (Aug.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Picking up the story of the "irresponsible twin" from The Wild Child (LJ 8/99), Putney's latest historical sweeps its adventure-seeking hero to the other side of the globe and into the narrow, conflicted life of Troth Mei-Lian Montgomery, an orphaned Eurasian daughter of a Scottish trader, with dangerous, passionate, and life-changing results. A master at creating unusual, sympathetic characters in compelling relational situations, Putney takes a woman caught between two worlds and a British peer who has vowed never to marry again and sends them on a forbidden journey that not only challenges their preconceptions about life and each other but eventually brings them love as well. Smoothly integrated references to the ancient practices of tai chi, feng shui, and wing chun add interest and authenticity to this highly sensual, emotionally involving romance, which also addresses a number of women's and ethnic issues still relevant today. This elegantly written work is sure to join Putney's earlier novels in most library romance collections. Putney is a best-selling RITA Award winner and lives in Baltimore.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books; 1st edition (August 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345433351
• ISBN-13: 978-0345433350
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #792,160 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Putney reigns supreme!, August 2, 2000

By A Customer

Mary Jo Putney reigns supreme as the Queen of Romance! The China Bride contains all the elements that have made Putney soooooo popular. Troth is a beautiful, strong, proud heroine and Kyle is an amazingly sensitive, handsome hero, who just needs to be shown the true path to love. Troth is half Scottish, half Chinese and therefore a non-person in Chinese society. But the ways of China are dear to her because of her Chinese mother and the fact that she's grown up there. She also loved her big, brawny red-headed Scottish father, Hugh Montgomery, so her dream is to travel to Scotland and meet her other relatives. She has no idea if they will accept her or not. Kyle Renbourne is the twin brother of Domenic, who was the hero in Putney's recent novel The Wild Child. In fact, Domenic and Meriel are seen again in this book but it's really Troth and Kyle's story. The China Bride is a fabulous adventure with heartstopping suspense, tears (mine!) and the anguish of separation and rejection as well as a satisfying, book-hugging ending that Putney is famous for. Bravo! Mary Jo - you are the undisputed Queen of Romance Novels!

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent writing, wonderful characterization, August 4, 2000

By	Marcy L. Thompson (Sammamish, WA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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Mary Jo Putney is a great writer. This book is quite good. The hero is believable, the heroine is extremely interesting, the story moves along nicely. The technical aspects of the book are very good, for the most part. The writing is always fluent and often graceful. The characters are well-developed and distinct.

The plot was a little weak, compared to other Putney novels, and is the reason I gave the book four stars instead of five. While the final crisis is foreshadowed (just barely), it doesn't seem to fit into the novel seamlessly. That is, the dramatic crisis was jarring in the context of the book. Additionally, there were one or two moments when the heroine acted in unmotivated ways. Interestingly, these actions were usually justified after the fact. However, Troth was a viewpoint character, so it doesn't make sense that her actions should be unmotivated when they occur, and only explained by her thoughts later.

On the whole, it was a very enjoyable book, and I recommend it to anyone who wants to read a good historical romance. But it is not the equal of the books in the Silks trilogy. I *did* very much enjoy the glimpse of an older Duchess of Candover.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent and different type of romance, August 2, 2000

By	Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews (#1 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

In December 1832, a bone frozen Troth Mei-Lian Montgomery reaches Warfield Park, England where she claims to be Lady Maxwell, but faints at the sight of Dominic Renbourne. When she awakens, she learns that Dom is the identical twin of her beloved Kyle, Lord Maxwell. Troth who is half-Chinese and half-Scottish begins her story that she says ends tragically with the death of Kyle.

Wandering the world searching to soothe his soul, Kyle arrived in Macao, China. Though he enjoys the city and later Canton, he feels he could have been in any European city. He wants to visit the Temple of Hoshan, a place where a foreign devil is forbidden. The quite ordinary Jin Kang is assigned to assist or spy depending on your view Kyle in his stay. Through a series of incidents Kyle learns that the male Jin is actually the beautiful Mei-Lian. He persuades her to guide him to Hoshan in exchange for getting her to her father's relatives in Scotland. The adventures begin that lead to Mei-Lian becoming Lady Maxwell, reaching England, and she telling them Kyle died.

THE CHINA BRIDE is a great historical romance that emphasizes nineteenth century China and a mixed-blooded person from Asia adjusting to England and Scotland. The reader obtains a taste of the Orient as well as subtle prejudices that in the name of love try to turn Troth Mei-Lian into Troth just as in China duty identified her as either Jin or Mei-Lian. Kyle is a heroic individual while Troth Mei-Lian just wants to be her complete whole self. Mary Jo Putney has accomplished an incredible feat that will be loved by historical fiction fans as much as romance readers.

Harriet Klausner