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Women of the Silk
Women of the Silk: A Novel | Gail Tsukiyama
16 posts | 18 read | 25 to read
In Women of the Silk Gail Tsukiyama takes her readers back to rural China in 1926, where a group of women forge a sisterhood amidst the reeling machines that reverberate and clamor in a vast silk factory from dawn to dusk. Leading the first strike the village has ever seen, the young women use the strength of their ambition, dreams, and friendship to achieve the freedom they could never have hoped for on their own. Tsukiyama's graceful prose weaves the details of "the silk work" and Chinese village life into a story of courage and strength.
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losmith
Pickpick

6/10

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BarbaraTheBibliophage
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Pickpick

I see this has mixed reviews, but I loved it. The author talks about the role of women and how these silk factory had freedoms and expectations from people around them. It ends with the war between China and Japan, with the reminder of how brutal it was. The main characters—all women—are friends, rivals, lovers. Tsukiyama handled it with grace and delicacy.

Full review http://www.TheBibliophage.com #thebibliophage2021
#readingasia #china

Adventures-of-a-French-Reader I really enjoyed this book. I need to read the book that follows... 3y
BarbaraTheBibliophage @JulietteGF I already started book two. Very interesting so far, but I‘m not far along. I just didn‘t want to leave Pei‘s story! 3y
Librarybelle Glad you enjoyed this one! 3y
See All 6 Comments
BarbaraBB I remember this author as a great story teller 3y
BarbaraTheBibliophage @BarbaraBB That‘s how I feel about her. And glad to say I have one more of her books on my shelf. 3y
BarbaraTheBibliophage @Librarybelle Me too! And the second is just as good. 3y
83 likes3 stack adds6 comments
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BarbaraTheBibliophage
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Started my pick for #china in #readingasia2021 the other day. Interesting period that I don‘t know much about!

BarbaraBB I haven‘t read this one but enjoyed other books by her. 3y
Librarybelle Hope you enjoy! 3y
62 likes1 stack add2 comments
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aartichapati
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Mehso-so

This was a nice read about women working in silk factories in China in the 1920s and 1930s. I appreciated reading about all the very different types of lives the women had before coming to the silk business, but felt the lack of depth in character development. The book was more a series of vignettes vs a strong plot and story, which was nice but not as impactful as I wanted.

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Adventures-of-a-French-Reader
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Pickpick

We follow the young Pei into the world of the silk factories in China prior to World War II, where she'll find friendships, but also hardships.
I loved how easy it was to enter into this story despite the culture gap. I think it's very hard as a writer to bring your readers into another world, and Gail Tsukiyama makes it look easy. The story is also quite moving, I'll definitily read The Language of Threads to know what happens next!

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Blueberry
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#agameoffavorites
Day 6: Author of color. I have read all of Gail Tsukiyama's books but didn't know she was also a local author for me until this challenge. Her favorite authors are John Steinbeck, Mary Renault, Iris Murdoch, Basho, and Raymond Carver.

55 likes1 stack add
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CarleyKleinPeters
Pickpick

Excellent book! Loved it all the way through. I will definitely be searching for this author‘s other works.

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DreesReads
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Pickpick

Amtrak trip from Raton, NM, to LA meant I managed to finish this in one day! An easy read about silk factory girls living outside Canton in the 1920s-30s. A good story, but were their lives really this good? How historically accurate is this historical fiction? I have no idea! #192019 #1991

23 likes1 stack add
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DreesReads
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Back from the trail. Great trip, but I was too exhausted and busy to read!

BarbaraBB Have you had a good time? It sounded so promising! 7y
16 likes1 comment
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Blueberry
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These are all good stories. My Filipino husband approved the background for southeast Asia. :)

@NataliePatalie
#aprilbookshowers #setinsoutheastAsia

JenP These are great books but they aren't set in Southeast Asia countries. I think technically they have to be south of China and east of India to be considered Southeast Asia 7y
Blueberry @JenP OOPS. I was thinking Japan was south of China. I guess I should have asked my husband about that also. 7y
JenP @Blueberry 😬 I love the book selections though. I had to look up the exact countries that were officially Southeast Asia before posting my photo. 7y
NataliePatalie I have started that David Mitchell book multiple times and get bored within the first few chapters 😦 Was hoping i'd like it more since I love Cloud Atlas. 7y
26 likes1 stack add4 comments
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Lea
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Pickpick

Easy to read story set in the early 1900s in China. We follow Pei from childhood where she's sold into silk work, her friendship with Lin, their lives in the girl's home and the factory to the end when she sets off for a new voyage. I felt like it was very surface only, there was really no diving into the feelings of the characters, which is unfortunate. #libraryreads #readwomen

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DreesReads
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Library book sale today! This stack was $10. Woot!📚

BookishMarginalia That's great! 👍🏼 7y
Litlady Nice‼️ 👏📚🎉 7y
29 likes2 comments
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BookThia
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Pickpick

This was a quick light book set in China in the early 20th century. It focuses on women who work in a silk factory and the type of life they live. It is interesting and easy to get into. I liked the characters and rooted for them. If you like stories by Lisa See or Amy Tan, you will likely enjoy this book.

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MMenefee
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This is a lovely book set in China during the 20s. A child's fortune shows she will never marry so her family sends her to work in a silk factory far from their home. She is devastated. She soon develops a strong bond with another worker and eventually thrives in her new home and work. More feminist than I expected - the workers actually strike.

49 likes3 stack adds
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MMenefee

This is a lovely book set in China during the 20s. A child's fortune shows she will never marry so her family sends her to work in a silk factory far from their home. She is devestated. She soon develops a strong bond with another worker and eventually thrives in her new home and work. More feminist than I expected - the workers actually strike.