Genealogy Books - The Concubine's Children

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Customer Rating:

Summary: A compelling look at the pressures on Overseas Chinese
Comment: The strength of this book is in the human drama of a family split apart. On another level, it is
one of the clearest and most compelling descriptions I have ever encountered of the conflicting
ties Overseas Chinese have between their adopted homelands and their ancestral homeland; the
conflicting forces of family sentiment and the need to earn money to support the family; and the
disparate economic opportunities at home and abroad. Like other economic sojourners who travel
abroad to work, the author's grandfather faces tremendous pressures from those back home who
expect him to give them the world on what are really very low wages; and he risks loss of face if
he does not meet their expectations. The author paints her family members not as saints nor sinners
but as real people and does an amazing, touching, fascinating job of bringing to life the story of
a family pulled apart over the span of three generations.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Excellent and continuously enthralling!
Comment: A wonderful thoroughly complete story from beginning to end.

Customer Rating:

Summary: It's so good it almost made me cry
Comment: I'm surprised that this book has been given so little publicity compared to Amy Tan's, Jung Chang's
Wild Swans etc. Like the other reviewers, I have found this book to be a gem. Even better that Amy
Tan's books or Wild Swans for that matter because this book has been written from the heart. Denise
Chong has not held back in telling the stories of 3 generations in her family, the characters -
warts and all. And that she has written this book from bits of letters, photographs and talking to
her mother is truly an amazing feat. Reading it, was heart wrenching at times, it had its ups and
downs and what an ending to the tale.

Because I am a man, I cannot truly and fully
appreciate this book more than a woman would. I strongly recommend this to any of your female
readers.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Debby, 31-03-1998
Comment: Allthough the story in general is very good, I had to wrestle myselve throught the pages. Too many
facts, names, places and dates and not written in a pleasant way. If you're interested in story's
about China, I'd rather recommend the writer Amy Tan, or Lulu Wang with her beautifull new book "Het
Lelietheater". Unfortunately only available in the Netherlands at the moment.

Customer Rating:

Summary: The most compelling book I read in '96
Comment: The Concubine's Children is the story, of a woman from China who came to Britsh Columbia, Canada
to be the concubine, (not wife) of a rather unimaginative, and very traditional man. Her story,
which really isn't a happy story, gives the reader an unusual insight into the imigrant experience
of Asian Americans, and is written by the granddaughter of the "Concubine" . This book was so
good, I read it in one night. I then sent it to my mother who did the same

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