A Hundred Suns by Karin Tanabe, April 7, 2020, St. Martin's Press
Genre: historical fiction
Setting: 1930s Indochine (Vietnam)
An American woman accompanies her French husband, a Michelin heir, to his vast rubber plantations in Indochina. Vietnam is a French colony during this period, and the novel focuses on the lavish lifestyles of the French in Indochina of the 1930s.
Book beginning:
Jessie November 20, 1933
The house of a hundred suns. That's what my tai xe called it. The first time he ferried me to the train station, in a black Delahaye as polished as a gem stone, he slowly circled the building, avoiding the rawboned rickshaw drivers. I craned my neck, watching as the car's exhaust left a trail behind us like a mollusk's track, and tried my best to concentrate on his words, not the quick tempo of my heart.
Page 56:
"Did you arrive today? You must have. And then you are dragged out to the jungle on your first night in Hanoi."
"I don't mind," I lied.
Would you read on?
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You sort of know that beginning of turbulent times. Intriguing start.
ReplyDeleteYes, I would read on through this book. It seems like a true to life story about the rich and poor growing and facing changes together.
ReplyDeleteI'm trying to read more books set in countries that I have not had a lot of exposure to. I'd read more here.
ReplyDeleteI love the cover and the premise so yes, I guess I'll continue reading!
ReplyDeleteHave a good weekend and take care!
Elza Reads
Definitely caught my interest with those excerpts! The setting sounds great, too. Thanks for sharing, and here's mine: “HER THREE LIVES”
ReplyDeleteI'm definitely curious for more and that's surprising for me, since this is not a genre or setting I would normally read. :-) Happy weekend!
ReplyDeleteThe first glance at the cover caught my attention for this one. It sounds like it would be perfect escapism, swept away to another place and time.
ReplyDeleteI'd read more. This book sounds like intriguing historical fiction.
ReplyDelete