From Author’s website: Janice Lee was born in Hong Kong to Korean parents and lived there until she was fifteen, attending the international school. She then left for boarding school in New Hampshire, where she learned the true meaning of winter.
Synopsis: In 1942, Will Truesdale, an Englishman newly arrived in Hong Kong, falls headlong into a passionate relationship with Trudy Liang, a beautiful Eurasian socialite. But their love affair is soon threatened by the invasion of the Japanese, with terrible consequences for both of them, and for members of their fragile community who will betray each other in the darkest days of the war.
Ten years later, Claire Pendleton comes to Hong Kong and is hired by the wealthy Chen family as their daughter’s piano teacher. A provincial English newlywed, Claire is seduced by the colony’s heady social life. She soon begins an affair, only to discover that her lover’s enigmatic demeanor hides a devastating past.
As the threads of this spellbinding novel intertwine and converge, a landscape of impossible choices emerges—between love and safety, courage and survival, the present and, above all, the past.
Type: Historical Fiction, 352 pages, Trade Paperback
Quick Take: After watching/listening to the Border’s online book club discussion I can tell you this book is true historical fiction, which made me like the book more. I didn't love this one but I learned a lot about a time in our world history that I knew very little about. The Piano Teacher is not the center of this novel (in case you are expecting this, like I was) but don’t let that stop you from reading it. It is a good book club selection, there is a lot to discuss.
Source: Library
Link worth Clicking:
- Borders online book club discussion
- Click Here to listen to the author interviews, Q&A's and more