The Concubine's Children

Denise Chong's The Concubine's Children is an epic biography of a Chinese family working in 'Gold Mountain' in the early 1900s in an effort to uplift their family's standard of living back home in the small village of Chang Gar Bin, situated in China's south. Chan Sam, the family's patriarch, and his concubine, May-ying, are Denise Chong's maternal grandparents.

This was my second time reading The Concubine's Children in less than two years. The Concubine's Children is one of four books named in a plagiarism suit against author Ling Zhang for her much acclaimed novel Gold Mountain Blues. I read The Concubine's Children again, because it is one of those books you can read again and again, each time taking something new away, but also because I want to judge for myself the veracity of the plagiarism claim.

The story opens in 1924, when 17-year-old May-ying is told that she will become the concubine of a man sojourning in Gold Mountain, and that she is to join him there. May-ying goes onto become, at Chan Sam's behest, a lowly kay-toi-neu "stand-at-table girl" in order to pay down the debt Chan Sam inquired bringing her to Gold Mountain and in order to send money home to his Chinese wife, Huangbo.

At first obedient, May-ying quickly asserts her fiery temperament and she and Chan Sam quickly develop an acrimonious relationship. Chan Sam is frugal and rigid in his Confucius beliefs. May-ying has many vices that Chan Sam disapproves of, among them drinking, smoking and gambling. In Chan Sam's words:

"May-ying is not like a lady," he said complaining that she did not know her place. He told Huangbo of May-ying's fondness for gambling. "She is a woman who is more like a man," Chan Sam said. p.85

After the birth of two daughters, Ping and Nan, Chan Sam decides to take the family back to China so that his entire family -first wife, concubine and the children- can live together under one roof. When May-ying becomes pregnant with her third child, she consults a soothsayer who predicts she is carrying a son. May-ying convinces Chan Sam that their son should be born in Canada so that sojourning in Gold Mountain will be easier for him when he comes of age. Three days after their return to Vancouver, Denise Chong's mother, Hing is born in a rooming house.

The year is now 1930 and the great depression has taken hold of North America. Chan Sam can't find work so May-ying must support the entire family (Canadian and Chinese side) on her waitressing income. When Hing turns five, traditions says she should return to China for her schooling but the family can't afford to leave Gold Mountain, they haven't saved enough money. May-ying encourages Chan Sam to go back to China on his own to build a house that the whole family can eventually occupy. For the next two years, May-ying sends Chan Sam money to build the house in China.

When Chan Sam returns, May-ying is more stubborn than ever, having got use to living on her own. She and Chan Sam eventually separate although she continues to give her a portion of her wages for years to come.

The story draws to an end when Hing and her second daughter, Denise, visit the village of Chang Gar Bin in 1987.

The Concubine's Children won the City of Vancouver Book Award in 1994, The Edna Staebler Award, and The VanCity Book Prize, and made the shortlist for the Governor-General's Literary Non-Fiction Award.

4/5

Did Ling Zhang plagiarize?

A couple months ago, I read an article in Toronto Life about a Chinese-Canadian author, Ling Zhang, who is accused of plagiarizing the books of four well-known Chinese-Canadian authors for her multi-continent success Gold Mountain Blues.

So, for this month's reading challenge, I am going to read the four books, plus Ms. Zhang's Gold Mountain Blues and decide for myself whether Ling Zhang plagiarized the works of Wayson Choy, Sky Lee, Paul Yee, and Denise Chong. Here are the books involved in the plagiarism accusation:



The Jade Peony by Wayson Choy

 

Disappearing Moon Cafe by Sky Lee

Dead Man's Gold  by Paul Yee

Gold Mountain Blues by Ling Zhang

The Concubine's Children by Denise Chong

As always, I invite you to read along and share your thoughts using the comment button below.

Happy reading!

Mistress No More

From the book cover:

Jessa Bell shocked the hell out of her three best friends when she announced she was having an affair with one of their husbands - then refused to say which one. She has been reveling in watching her friends self-destruct while trying to figure out which dog of a husband has been getting some on the side.

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I can usually find at least one good thing to say about every book I read. I can't find a single positive thing to say about Niobia Bryant's Mistress No More. So, I present...

Five reasons NOT to read Niobia Bryant's Mistress No More:

1. Foul language and cheesy writing

Pleasure growled a little as he used nothing but his strong hips to ease the tip of his dick inside her. Her pussy lips closed around him. Her juices caused her flesh to smack lightly in the air. p. 7

Tears filled Aria's eyes because of how complete she felt with Kingston atop her, his dick buried deep within her walls. They always fit together like two puzzle pieces. p. 45

2. Wacky premise

Jessa Bell sends her three friends a text message saying that she's having an affair with one of their husbands, but doesn't say which one. She does this because the women did not trust her to be around their husbands after her own husband passed away. Her three friends' lives fall to pieces as they deal with the text message. Aria Hall accuses her husband, Kingston, even going so far as to check up on him when he's not with her and search his things. Jaime, who's husband Eric IS having the affair with Jessa Bell is already separated from her husband. He caught her having sex with a male stripper. Renee has bigger problems.; her husband, Jackson, has just announced that he had a one-night stand and the woman is pregnant.

3.  Gratuitous product placement

"What, Eric?" she sighed, sounding as bored as she truly was with his constant attempts at reconciliation. She reached for her monogrammed Louis Vuitton cigarette case and lighter. p.4

Aria bit the IMAN gloss from her lips as she closed her eyes and spoke the truth about how she felt. p. 11

Renee sang, completely off-key as she reached for the bottle of Patron  and poured herself a hefty shot. p.14

4. The mistress name is Jessa Bell. As in Jezebel, the biblical whore.

5. The rehashing of the black woman vs. white woman debate.

"The fact is Jackson had an affair with another woman and who cares if she's blue, black, green, or white. It doesn't make it more wrong because she's white ." p. 106

"Listen, there's not a damn thing me and Kingston haven't done and mean nothing, even down to golden showers... but there is this idea white chicks are complacent and giving and serving and we're just the angry black bitches who don't let a man be a man and ya-ya-ya and all that dumb shit." p.107

If you decide to read this book, don't say I didn't warn you.

1/5

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

Arthur Conan Doyle's The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is a collection of 12 short stories, narrated by Sherlock's sidekick, Watson.

Below is a very brief synopsis for each of the 12 stories contained in this collection.

A Scandal in Bohemia
The tale of the only woman who's ever bested Sherlock Holmes.

The Red-Headed League
Sherlock Holmes reasons his way into capturing a wanted thief and murder, and preventing what would have been one of the largest back heist of England's history.

A Case of Identity
Without missing a detail, Sherlock Holmes solves the case of a young woman jilted at the church steps.

The Bascombe Valley Mystery
The reader glimpses Sherlock's compassionate side by the way he chooses to dispose of the guilty party in this gripping murder mystery. He also makes it very clear, not for the last time, that he is not a police officer.

The Five Orange Pips
Sherlock Holmes goes up against members of the Klu Klux Klan. He's solves the mystery but  it's any one's guess whether is he successful at reeking vengeance for his slain client.

The Man with the Twist
This twisted tale is one that only Sherlock Holmes could solve.

The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle
Sherlock Holmes solves this case of about a stolen gem and in the end shows that he has some very modern ideas about crime, punishment and imprisonment.

The Adventure of the Speckled Band
Sherlock Holmes solves the mysterious death of a young woman and prevents her twin sister from falling victim to the same evil scheme.

The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb
Sherlock Holmes solves elements of this case while endeavoring to find the culprits responsible for severing a young engineer's thumb.

The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor
Sherlock Holmes solved the mystery of the run away bride.

The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet
Sherlock Holmes saves England from public scandal by recovering national jewels stolen by a scoundrel.

The Adventure of the Copper Breeches
Sherlock Holmes solved the mystery but is too late to save the lady because the maid and the lady's beau have done the job for him.

Holmes views the cases depicted in this collection as being some of the more trivial cases he's worked on throughout his career, while Watson feels these cases are best for showcasing Sherlock's superior reasoning and deduction skills. Check out the video below to find out what I think.

Sherlock Holmes vs. Hercule Poirot: Who's your favourite fictional detective?

5

Poirot Investigates

From the book cover

First there was the mystery of the film star and the diamond...then came the 'suicide' that was murder... the mystery of the absurdly cheap flat...a suspicious death in a locked gun-room...a million dollar bond robbery...the curse of a pharaoh's tomb... a jewel robbery by the sea...the abduction of a Prime Minister... the disappearance of a banker...a phone call from a dying man...and, finally, the mystery of the missing will. 

What links these fascinating cases? Only the brilliant deductive powers of Hercule Poirot!
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The Adventure of 'The Western Star'
Poirot orchestrates a jewellery theft to uncover the real criminal. Captain Hastings unwittingly gives the other side inside information.


The Tragedy at Marsdon Manor
Poirot exposes the 'grieving' widow by proving that she murdered her much older husband to get her hands on his life insurance.

The Adventure of the Cheap Flat
Poirot solves the mystery but leaves one important question unanswered.

The Mystery of the Hunter's Lodge
Poirot cracks a case of double identity and in the process proves that no murder has been committed.

The Million Dollar Bond Robbery
In discovering the thief, Poirot  proves that there are criminals in high places.

The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb
Poirot disproves a superstition by solving a double murder.

The Jewel Robbery at the Grand Metropolitan
Poirot is working even when he's on a getaway! This time Poirot helps capture two of England's most notorious jewellery thieves.

The Kidnapped Prime Minister
Poirot rescues the kidnapped prime minister of England in less than 24 hours.

The Disappearance of Mr Davenheim
Poirot accepts a bet from his friend, Inspector Japp. How superior are his grey cells, can he solve the mystery of the missing financier without leaving his room?

The Adventure of the Italian Nobleman
Poirot see through an attempted frame-up to nab the true murderer.

The Case of the Missing Will
Intelligence is knowing when to leave it to the experts. A niece hires Poirot to discover where her uncle hid his final will that names her his sole heir.


Sherlock Holmes vs. Hercule Poirot: Who's your favourite fictional detective?

3/5

Emma's Table

From the book cover
From the moment Emma Sutton walks into the FitzCoopers auction house, the disgraced media darling knows exactly what she wants: an antique dining table. What she gets is a chance to set things right.
Fresh from a yearlong stretch in prison, Emma finds her life just as she left it - filled with glittering business successes, bruising personal defeats, rolling television cameras, and awkward Sunday dinners at home. She needs a clean slate - a second chance that might be provided by two unlikely saviors: Benjamin Blackman, a terminally charming social worker and Emma's part-time assistant, and one of Benjamin's most heartbreaking wards, an overweight little girl from Queens named Gracie.
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Philip Galanes' Emma's Table starts off as a pleasant ripped-from-the-headlines story about a disgraced domestic diva (think Martha Stewart). About a quarter of the way through, once all of the characters have been introduced, it quickly disappoints - all of the characters are hollow.

Emma Sutton, the disgraced domestic diva, is an unimaginative copy of Martha Stewart right down to the ex-husband, daughter and the one-year prison sentence for tax evasion and lying to the Feds. Benjamin Blackman is not in the least bit 'charming', he's actually clueless and spineless. Gracie's character is immature for a nine-year-old of above average intelligence. Tina, Gracie's mother is the most believable character. It's easy to emphasize with her feelings of failure because of her inability to keep Gracie's weight under control.

Gracie's supposed weight issues are unbelievable. She 20 pounds overweight at just a little over 4 feet tall and described as obese. I have a hard time believing that 20 pounds can class a child as obese, maybe chubby would be a better description?

The last chapter is a cop out, plain and simple. At the end of the previous chapter the plot reaches climax,when Emma finds out her husband is living a separate life in a secret apartment, and Tina confronts Benjamin about his accusation that she's feeding Gracie junk food to intentionally keep her weight up. Then in the next chapter, which takes place a week later, all of these crises have been wrapped up nice and neat.

This novel is poorly thought out.

2/5

Orange January: Month in Review

I think I set myself up for disappointment. I so thoroughly enjoyed the books I read last year for Orange July that I psyched myself up for Orange January, but atlas it was not meant to be, and I think I am partly to blame. Last year, I went through a list of all of the books that had ever been nominated for an Orange Prize, read the synopses and then selected four books that I thought sounded interesting. This time around, I read all of the books that made the 2011 Orange Prize Short List - no picking and choosing.

Last year, two of the four books I read for Orange July made it onto my 5ers list, this time around only one of the six books I read is getting that special distinction.

Emma Henderson's Grace Williams Says It Loud was a huge disappointment. There was no climax and Grace's narrative, though very informative, was missing heart and emotion. The Tiger's Wife (winner of the 2011 Orange Prize), Great House, Annabel, and The Memory of Love were all great works of fiction but they seemed to be missing that special ingredient that takes a book from very good to amazing.

Room by Emma Donaghue made it onto my 5ers list, and thus is the novel I think should have won the 2011 Orange Prize. Room was really easy to get into and very relevant with all of its similarities to the various high-profile cases that have made international news in the last couple of year. Donaghue's decision to tell the story in the voice of a very smart five-year-old boy is genius. It made all the difference in what would otherwise have been a very depressing story.

Do you know Orange?
The Orange Prize for Fiction  was set-up in 1996 to celebrates full-length works of fiction written in English by female authors around the world.