Book Stop Corner

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


In China, women are pressured, and in some cases forced, to abort if they already have one child. Abortion is extremely common and widely accepted. Hence, the women in China say:

“It’s a rather common occurrence, [like eating] an ordinary kind of food. There’s nothing worth talking about.”

Yang Huang, a Chinese author, showed us how harsh the situation in the rural areas in China was when the one-child policy established by the government, in her debut book, Living Treasures . Living Treasures was a Bellwether Prize finalist, which is a strong historical novel set in China against the one-child policy.

Synopsis:
Set in China during the tumultuous Tiananmen Square protest in 1989, Living Treasures portrays the crusade of Gu Bao, a girl who grows up under the Chinese government’s one-child policy. The Chinese government has enforced strict controls to keep the country from environmental destitution and poverty ever since Mao’s ban on family planning left China a legacy of 1.1 billion people, 20% of the population on earth.

Bao searches for her inner strength while exploring the Sichuan mountain landscape. She befriends a panda mother caught in a poacher’s snare, and an expectant young mother hiding from villainous one-child policy enforcers bent on giving compulsory abortions. All struggle against society to preserve the treasure of their little ones. Bao devises a daring plan that changes the lives of everyone around her. Will Bao earn a second chance to save a family from destruction? What price will Bao pay to prevent a full-term abortion and save a panda cub?

18-year old Gu Bao's life, who is a first-year law student changes drastically on June 1989 when a student demonstration against the government in Tiananmen Square goes out of control. However, she herself was not present in the demonstration, but on that very day, Gu Bao falls pregnant with her young soldier lover. Following which Gu Boa's parents forced her to abort the child by brainwashing her. Gu Bao went to her grandparent’s village, where she grew up, to have the procedure. It is where Gu Bao realizes the harsh condition of expectant mothers, forced to abort their child by the one-child policy enforcers. Gu Bao jumps to rescue a young expecting mother who went into hiding in the woods, even if she has to sacrifice her own ability to become a mother.

Gu Bao is a brave and strong-willed character. I never came across a woman like who would jump into fire just to save another's. Moreover, Gu Bao's demeanor astounded me when her parents forced to abort her own child. She did not even utter a word for her defense. She simply obliged.

What is astonishing is that this story's backdrop is actually set on a poignant love story whose strings will pull you deeper into the core of this heart-touching story. Though the relationship was highly forbidden on the face of Bao's parents, teachers and law, still their blossoming, passionate chemistry will fill you up with warmth. Not only has that Huang skillfully interwoven various issues faced by a young unmarried woman back in 1989 in China. It seems Huang used the notion of China's national treasure- Giant Panda, metaphorically to contrast the stark in-differences faced by an expecting woman and the mother Panda trying to nourish her cub.

Yang Huang intricately detailed and delicately captured the bright landscapes, culture, superstitions, heritage, sights, and sounds of Pingwu County countryside and the city of Nanjing. Reading which will completely transport your mind and soul into the forbidden lands of China. From the very first page, I felt that very essence of China that drew my senses as well as my heart into the very core of the story.

The third-person narration is lyrical yet literary and flows like a free-flowing river. Living Treasures is a gripping and extraordinary historical and cultural novel that declares author Yang Huang as a talented, master storyteller.

Verdict: This historically as well as culturally-rich novel set in China will only swoon your heart and mind.

Courtesy: I would like to thank the author, Yang Huang, for giving me the opportunity to read and review her debut novel. 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Author Info:
Yang Huang is a fiction writer, a computer engineer (working at U. C. Berkeley), and a mother of two boys. 
Her debut novel Living Treasures was published on Oct. 23, 2014.
She writes fiction about the “Grass People” in China. People are like grass; their beauty is like a flower in the field. Grass people have little voice or political power but live as best they can in an unjust society.
Visit her here


Book Purchase Links:

• Amazon US 
• Amazon India 

View all my reviews

Read More

Welcome,
Who haven't heard or read Sheila O'Flanagan's name or books. This best-selling author surely knows how to put a smile on her readers face with her sweet yet sometimes heart-breaking love stories. So without wasting a minute, let's get candid with Sheila about life, choices and writing.

Read the review of If You Were Me



Me: Hello and welcome to my blog, Sheila. Congratulations on your new book, If You Were Me. Please tell us briefly about the story behind If You Were Me.

 Sheila:The story is told in the first person by Carlotta, a successful businesswoman who goes to Seville for a meeting and bumps into Luke, whom she'd last seen when they were both teenagers. They'd gone on one date together and then he and his family disappeared. Carlotta never knew why. Now she's engaged to be married to an eye surgeon, but meeting Luke has made her wonder what her life would have been like if he hadn't vanished without a trace. Quite suddenly she's questioning herself and the decisions she's made. The novel looks at how she resolves those questions and how woemn work at juggling their personal and their professional lives.

Me: What inspired you to pen down this beautiful, soul-touching novel, If You Were Me.

 Sheila: I wanted to write about someone who thought she knew what she wanted from life, and felt that she was in the right place for her, but who suddenly realised that perhaps she wasn't. I was also writing about unresolved things in our past, and how they affect us now.

Me: You've written 22 novels till this date. How will you describe your journey so far as an author? Was it a joy ride or a bumpy ride or a mixture of both?
 
Sheila: Being an author is a joy, no question. Getting a book into print is always a bumpy ride, both creatively and practically. There are days when the story isn't developing the way you'd like, or you can't quite get inside the character's head and you have to work really hard to overcome that, but it's very satisfying when you do. I try to learn from each book I've written so that the next one is better than the last. There have been lots of changes in publishing over the last number of years which have been both good and bad for authors, but for me the important thing is to write the story I want to write and hope that as many people as possible get to read it.

Me: Well among all of your books, tell us one trait of protagonists that intrigues you the most?
 
Sheila: Actually it's the thought processes of the protagonists that intrigues me. Although there's obviously a little of me in all of them, they're also quite different to me and react to things from their own viewpoint. So when someone does something that I wouldn't, I'm always amazed by it! At the same time I want for my female characters to find and tap into their inner strength.

Me: All your books act as a getaway- more like a medium of escape, for the readers into a glorious world. Do you research extensively for this purpose?
 
Sheila: I like the detail to be as authentic as possible. A large part of If You Were Me is set in Seville, Spain, and so I stayed there for a few days to get the feel of the city (which is far lovlier than I could possibly describe). I went to California to do research for All For You, part of which is set in San Francisco and Monterey. I also research the careers of the characters if I need to. In Too Good to be True, Carey is an air traffic controller, so I spent a few days in the tower at Dublin airport to research that. I also went on an archaeological dig to research for Someone Special.

Me: In Wikipedia, it says: Sheila is a competitive Badminton player in Ireland and has served on the Irish Sports Council Board! Please tell us more about your sports background?
 
Sheila: I took up badminton when I was twenty, as a way to keep fit. I play for a Dublin club in league and cup competitions, and have even represented Ireland in a veterans event!! The badminton court is the one place where I can block out the voices of my characters and I need to be able to do that from time to time. I did some voluntary work for Ireland's badminton association and as a result of that was asked to serve on the board of our national Sports Council. That was a great privelege and I had some input into the way we help people to develop their talents, both recreationally and as potential professional athletes.

Me: Tell us about your one single inspiration that made you a best-selling writer in all over the world.
 
Sheila: My readers! Before I was a writer I was a reader, and I try to write books that keep the readers interested.

Me: How you get away from your stress and your busy writing days?
 
Sheila: The badminton court is one place to get away from it all. I also have a home in Spain where I edit my books. Because it's in a different country, I can relax in a way I don't in Ireland.

Me: What is next up on your writing sleeves? Please tell us briefly about it.
 
Sheila: I'm working on a children's book! This is a big departure for me but I had an idea for a story and I decided I had to write it. I didn't know if it would be published or not, but last week I heard that Hodder books want to publish it in 2016. So that's very exciting for me. My next adult book, My Mother's Secret, will be published in the summer of next year.

Me: Thank You Sheila for sparing time to have this interview session with me. I can only wish you luck in all your future endeavors.
 
Sheila: You're very welcome.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sheila's Bio:


A Dubliner all her life. Sheila's parents owned a grocery shop in the Iveagh Markets, in the Liberties area of the city and she guesses city blood runs through her veins.
As a child she enjoyed reading and telling stories, and everyone thought that her future career would have something to do with books and literature. But though she applied for a job in the library all of the job offers she got were in commerce.
She turned down lots of them before her mother accepted one for her (she was on holiday at the time). It was in the Central Bank of Ireland and that’s how her career in financial services began.
Read More







Connect With Sheila On: Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads | Email

 

Read More

Read More

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Michael Bassey Johnson, a Nigerian Poet, Playwright, Novelist, Aphorist, Satirist, caricaturist and a Newspaper columnist, quoted remarkably about "carnal joy" as:

“Once you are defiled, you can't get back your purity by any means, instead, you will only look for ways to be defiled over and over again.”

Mary Novik, an Canadian award-winning author, spun a spectacular tale, called, Muse, tells us the life-story of a orphan girl, named, Solange Le Blanc, in the 14th century, anti-women society in Avignon in France.

Synopsis:
Solange Le Blanc begins life in the tempestuous streets of 14th century Avignon, a city of men dominated by the Pope and his palace. When her mother, a harlot, dies in childbirth, Solange is raised by Benedictines who believe she has the gift of clairvoyance. Trained as a scribe, but troubled by disturbing visions and tempted by a more carnal life, she escapes to Avignon, where she becomes entangled in a love triangle with the poet Petrarch, becoming not only his muse but also his lover.

Later, when her gift for prophecy catches the Pope's ear, Solange becomes Pope Clement VI's mistress and confidante in the most celebrated court in Europe. When the plague kills a third of Avignon's population, Solange is accused of sorcery and is forced once again to reinvent herself and fight against a final, mortal conspiracy.

Read More

Read More

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


“I've come to believe that in everyone's life, there's one undeniable moment of change, a set of circumstances that suddenly alters everything.”
----Nicholas Sparks, Safe Haven

Andrea Weir, an American author, penned her debut novel called, A Foolish Consistency based on emotional challenges in a relationship.

Synopsis:
When a trip to the emergency room on Christmas Eve brings Callie Winwood together with Will Tremaine, the man she once thought she'd marry but has not seen in twenty-five years, their chance meeting reignites feelings each has harbored for more than two decades. Their journey toward one another is anything but simple, however. Following the death of his wife, Joanna, two years earlier which he believes he caused Will has devoted himself to his two young children, helping them adjust to life without their mother. As Will and Callie struggle with their own personal histories of love and loss, they must also navigate the complex emotions of Will's children who still grieve for their mother. At the same time, they must struggle with Joanna's family, who are not ready to accept that she is gone, and will do anything to avoid facing the truth.

Read More

Read More

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


It is sometimes difficult to reconcile the fantasy of what you thought motherhood would be like, and what you thought you would be like as a mother, with reality.
----Debra Gilbert Rosenberg, LCSW, a nationally recognized psychotherapist and motherhood expert

Lucy Lawrie, an English author, penned her debut novel called, Tiny Acts of Love based upon joys and downfalls of motherhood, sacrifices and love to hold a family. This is a very sweet story about how a woman makes her choices selflessly regardless of her own feelings.

Synopsis:
Surviving motherhood? It's all about having the right network. Lawyer and new mum Cassie has a husband who converses mainly through jokes, a best friend on the other side of the world, and a taskforce of Babycraft mothers who make her feel she has about as much maternal aptitude as a jellyfish. Husband Jonathan dismisses Cassie's maternal anxieties, but is he really paying attention to his struggling wife? He's started sleep talking and it seems there's more on his mind than he's letting on. Then sexy, swaggering ex-boyfriend Malkie saunters into Cassie's life again. Unlike Jonathan, he 'gets' her. He'd like to get her into bed again too... And on top of all her emotional turmoil, she finds herself advising a funeral director on ghost protocol and becomes involved in an act of hotel spa fraud, never mind hiding cans of wasp spray all over the house to deal with the stalker who seems to be lurking everywhere she looks. Marriage and motherhood isn't the fairytale Cassie thought it would be. Will her strange new world fall apart around her or will tiny acts of love be enough to get her through?

Read More