Inheritance

Inheritance

by Lan Samantha Chang (Author)

Synopsis

From the acclaimed Chinese-American author, a story of two sisters and the deadly rivalry that comes to separate them. Beginning in 1925, it tells the story not only of one family, but of China across the turbulent years of the 20th century, through war, revolution, occupation and exile. When their mother dies, Junan and her little sister Yinan make a pact to stay together forever. They grow up in Hangzhou, in their wealthy father's house, Junan becoming every year more beautiful, Yinan shyer and more withdrawn. One night, some men come to the house to play paigao, among them a young soldier called Li Ang. When the girls' father loses once more at the tiles, he pays his gambling debt with the hand of his older daughter. So the beautiful Junan becomes the bride of the ambitious and handsome Li Ang. Junan, exquisite and cold, makes the mistake she had always feared making, the mistake that disgraced her mother and led to her early death. Quite simply, she falls in love with her husband. When the Japanese invade, Li Ang is sent to protect the wartime capital. Unable to join him herself and tormented by love and jealousy, Junan makes her second mistake.She sends to him the one woman she can trust, her quiet and dreamy younger sister Yinan. As delicately nuanced and coloured as a painting, Lan Samantha Chang's first novel tells a classic story of desire and love.

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More Information

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 352
Edition: 1st Edition
Publisher: W&N
Published: 14 Oct 2004

ISBN 10: 0297847961
ISBN 13: 9780297847960
Book Overview: Wonderful reviews on both sides of the Atlantic for HUNGER, her first collection of a novella and short stories: 'A dazzling debut collection [that] will leave the reader hungry to read more by Lan Samantha Chang' OBSERVER 'Intelligent in conception and stylishly executed' TATLER 'Most delicately and precisely written...almost unendurably sad' Penelope Fitzgerald 'a work of gorgeous, enduring prose...[A] strong analogy might also be drawn to the stories of William Trevor - in Chang's sure gift for evocative, heartrending family portraiture...Her characterizations are intelligent and moving, the writing always poised and mature' WASHINGTON POST '[A] stunning title novella' NEW YORK NEWSDAY '[A] powerful title novella ... [and] luminously elegiac stories...complex and rueful, her fiction gives voice to internal strugggles, withheld catalogues of loss.' NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW 'lyrical, mesmerizing prose.' FAR EASTERN ECONOMIC REVIEW 'A wonderfully written debut collection...[from] a writer possessing a distinctive, fresh imagination and voice' KIRKUS

Media Reviews
'Lan Samantha Chang's characters are all movingly drawn, but her portrait of an unforgiving Junan, wrapping the rags of traditional dignity around her in a world falling apart, is both chilling and touching.' -- Rachel Hoare GUARDIAN (9.10.04) 'This sweeping epic tale tells the story of two sisters in China and the romantic rivalry that threatens to destroy them and their family. Beautiful.' **** HEAT (30 October-5 November and 6-12 November) 'a tender study of what happens to kin when love can only be acknowledged haltingly, when the urge for self-control is paramount, and when the need for security outweighs other instincts. The deadweight of unspoken feeling and the restrictive demands of elaborate social etiquette call to mind the aching beauty of Wong Kar Wai's film, 'In the Mood for Love . -- AM Kaye TIME OUT (27 Oct -3 Nov) - Book of the Week 'Comparisons with Amy Tan are perhaps inevitable, but the author brings her own quiet lyricism and emotional acuity to a family drama made all the more fascinating for its exotic setting.' -- Elizabeth Buchan DAILY MAIL (29.10.04) 'Fans of Chang's short stories will love this moving novel spanning the stormy years of 20th century China.' MAIL ON SUNDAY (14.11.04) 'an engaging read.' -- Marissa Burgess CITY LIFE (MANCHESTER) 18.11.04 'The skill with which this novel is written is magical. The historical background provides an interesting setting, but what makes this novel stand out is the quality of the writing. The lightness of the writer's touch enables you to breathe with the characters. This isn't just a well-written story, but it has all the hallmarks of a prize-winning novel...a moving and memorable read.' -- Myfanwy Cook THE HISTORICAL NOVELS REVIEW (30 November 2004) 'The author writes delicately and quite beautifully.' -- Glen Baker MORNING STAR (22.11.04) 'The story...of a poignant and long-lasting love affair, is a good one...There is a real writer at work here...I look forward to her next book.' -- Jonathan Mirsky TLS (4.2.05) 'Her story of family love, loyalty, desire and betrayal speaks to all of us.' -- Shirley Lancaster TABLET (15.1.05)
Author Bio
Lan Samantha Chang was born in Wisconsin in 1966. She attended the the Iowa School of Writing and teaching at Stanford. She is a winner of an Alfred Hodder Fellowship and now teaches creative writing at Harvard Unviersity. Her stories have appeared in the best of the American literary magazines such as The Atlantic Monthly, and in top collections such as BEST AMERICAN SHORT STORIES.