Night of Many Dreams : A Novel
- Book Review,
by Gail Tsukiyama
From Library Journal
In a novel that focuses on the bonds between women and how the pull of individual destinies shapes their lives, Tsukiyama conveys the sights, sounds, and smells of a privileged Hong Kong as well as the hardships following the war. Sisters Emma (younger) and Joan (older) Lew grow up in Hong Kong with a mother determined to make a good marriage for Joan; their fiercely loyal yet enigmatic family cook, Foon; successful Auntie Go; and a mostly absent father. When World War II makes life in Hong Kong impossible, they move to Macao, where Emma finds a lifelong friend. Upon their return to Hong Kong, Auntie Go must rebuild her business; Emma feels more strongly than ever that she is meant to see the world; and Joan, not having found the love of her life, turns to acting in the Hong Kong film community. Emma departs for college in San Francisco, but she is never without the support of Auntie Go and Joan, who finds true fulfillment in her new life. Narrator Anna Fields captures the essence of these characters and their emotional lives as they grow, mature, suffer, and celebrate over the course of 25 years. Her voice is ever true to the personalities and situations. A rewarding production; recommended for fiction collections.?Melody A. Moxley, Rowan P.L., Salisbury, NC.Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
In a story where the omniscient narrator moves the point of view among the family participants, and where time may shift years between chapters or linger over moments slow and sweet as honey, we view the world of Emma Lew of Hong Kong and, later, San Francisco; her older sister Joan; and their family from 1940 to 1965. The changing mores of Hong Kong society are the backdrop for the tender relationships among Emma, who longs for a wider world than her mother's ladies' lunches; Joan, who finds her place in the movies that have fed her dreams since childhood; Auntie Go, who pulls deeply against tradition by running her own business; and silent servant Foon, whose cooking forges a near-mystical familial bond. Particularly fine at evoking how scent and aroma can jog the memory and clutch at the heart, the tale grows in richness as it proceeds, a paean to the sustaining pleasures of family. GraceAnne A. DeCandido
Review
"Delicately fashioned . . . Evocative." --The New York Times Book Review
"Tsukiyama tells a quietly powerful and understated story of women finding their way in the world, and the strength they derive from family ties." --San Francisco Chronicle
"Grows in richness as it proceeds, a paean to the sustaining pleasures of family." --Booklist
"Tsukiyama writes with great sensory detail, allowing her reader to touch, taste, and feel the world she creates." --Library Journal
"With unexpected poignancy . . . Tsukiyama skillfully demonstrates how the strength of family bonds can provide spiritual sustenance." --Publishers Weekly
Review
"Delicately fashioned . . . Evocative." --The New York Times Book Review
"Tsukiyama tells a quietly powerful and understated story of women finding their way in the world, and the strength they derive from family ties." --San Francisco Chronicle
"Grows in richness as it proceeds, a paean to the sustaining pleasures of family." --Booklist
"Tsukiyama writes with great sensory detail, allowing her reader to touch, taste, and feel the world she creates." --Library Journal
"With unexpected poignancy . . . Tsukiyama skillfully demonstrates how the strength of family bonds can provide spiritual sustenance." --Publishers Weekly
Review
"Delicately fashioned . . . Evocative." --The New York Times Book Review
"Tsukiyama tells a quietly powerful and understated story of women finding their way in the world, and the strength they derive from family ties." --San Francisco Chronicle
"Grows in richness as it proceeds, a paean to the sustaining pleasures of family." --Booklist
"Tsukiyama writes with great sensory detail, allowing her reader to touch, taste, and feel the world she creates." --Library Journal
"With unexpected poignancy . . . Tsukiyama skillfully demonstrates how the strength of family bonds can provide spiritual sustenance." --Publishers Weekly
Book Description
As World War II threatens their comfortable life in Hong Kong, young Joan and Emma Lew escape with their family to spend the war years in Macao. When they return home, Emma develops a deep interest in travel and sets her sights on an artistic life in San Francisco, while Joan turns to movies and thoughts of romance to escape the pressures of her real life. As the girls become women, each follows a path different from what her family expects. But through periods of great happiness and sorrow, the sisters learn that their complicated ties to each other--and to the other members of their close-knit family—are a source of strength as they pursue their separate dreams.
From the Publisher
Praise for Night of Many Dreams: "Delicately fashioned....Evocative." --The New York Times Book Review "Tsukiyama tells a quietly powerful and understated story of women finding their way in the world, and the strength they derive from family ties." --San Francisco Chronicle "Grows in richness as it proceeds, a paean to the sustaining pleasures of family." --Booklist "Tsukiyama writes with great sensory detail, allowing her reader to touch, taste, and feel the world she creates." --Library Journal "With unexpected poignancy...Tsukiyama skillfully demonstrates how the strength of family bonds can provide spiritual sustenance." --Publishers Weekly
About the Author
Born to a Chinese mother and a Japanese father in San Francisco, Gail Tsukiyama's novels include Dreaming Water, Women of the Silk, The Language of Threads, and The Samurai's Garden. She lives in El Cerrito, California.
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