Night of Many Dreams : A Novel

Rating:
Summary: Lacks credibility
Review: A story different than Woman of the Silk and The Language of Threads that continues with the themes of independence and self sufficiency. Tsukiyama's style is true and this book is also written in her simplistic, beautiful, prose.

Perhaps this story was a bit more predictable than her previous works, but I enjoyed it just as much. Tsukiyama has inspired me to read more about China, its culture, and women.

Rating:
Summary: Not her best work
Review: Gail Tsukiyama is a gifted writer with the ability to relate a complex story simply and beautifully. Unfortunately this was not evident in this book. None of the characters ever really came to life or reached their hinted at dreams or potential. Despite some level of vision, insight, independence and drive, no one was able to change the "fate" that was so often mentioned. One might argue that this was done deliberately as some commentary on people, society and contemporary literature, but I am not sure this is the case. Full of repetitious stereotypes and undeveloped ideas, I would never recommend this as an inspiring story of strong women or families. "Dreaming Waters", Tsukiyama's latest, is a much better read.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful and Moving..
Review: Gail Tsukiyama is one of my favorite authors! Night of Many Dreams is a wonderful tale of family and the bonds that are never broken..even over the years! The author has a wonderful way of bringing the characters to life and the book just draws you in and keeps your interest to the point of where you can't put it down. It is about relationships and how love and family transcend all tragedy..You will love this book!

Rating:
Summary: Not her best work
Review: I can't even remember why I bought this book -- I just happened upon it last week, and once I started reading it, I quickly got sucked into the stories of these women's lives. I read some of the of other comments regarding this book -- that's it's not "historical" and that it doesn't represented men well (except Emma's husband). While this is true, I don't think this is a hinderance at all. Tsukiyama tells a really good story, it's a good read, and you end up caring about the characters immensely. It's a story about women's lives -- and the differences between them. While history does play a part in the plot, it's not the center piece. History doesn't drive the plot, per se, but the different relationships and the difference experiences between daughters and mothers and aunts and, yes, even men drive the plot. I would highly recommend this book if you just want to escape for awhile. You might even see a little bit of yourself in one of these women, and you might even learn a bit more about the women that touch your life.

Just be prepared for the ending. It's tragic, but it completes the circle as well. I think this is when all the women in the story really learn about themselves, if they hadn't before.

Rating:
Summary: Great READ!
Review: I can't even remember why I bought this book -- I just happened upon it last week, and once I started reading it, I quickly got sucked into the stories of these women's lives. I read some of the of other comments regarding this book -- that's it's not "historical" and that it doesn't represented men well (except Emma's husband). While this is true, I don't think this is a hinderance at all. Tsukiyama tells a really good story, it's a good read, and you end up caring about the characters immensely. It's a story about women's lives -- and the differences between them. While history does play a part in the plot, it's not the center piece. History doesn't drive the plot, per se, but the different relationships and the difference experiences between daughters and mothers and aunts and, yes, even men drive the plot. I would highly recommend this book if you just want to escape for awhile. You might even see a little bit of yourself in one of these women, and you might even learn a bit more about the women that touch your life.

Just be prepared for the ending. It's tragic, but it completes the circle as well. I think this is when all the women in the story really learn about themselves, if they hadn't before.

Rating:
Summary: Clumsy and mechanical
Review: I tend to agree with reviewer from Sunnyvale, Ca. I am currently on page 85 of book, and have been informed perhaps ten times, that Joan is a. obbsessed with movies and, for some unknown reason, enamoured of cooking....and that Emma is artistic, by reason of carrying around a sketch pad , musically inclined, so far one sentence to that effect; and also studious and full of wanderlust to see captols of the world..for me, none of the characters in the book seem particularly interesting due to lack of depth. If this were an layperson's autobiographical memoir of a childhood in wartime Hong Kong, I would find it much more engrossing for the insights into two particular young girl's lives, but I believe literature demands more of a professional writer.

Rating:
Summary: Nicely written story of 2 sisters in WWII-era China
Review: Night of Many Dreams is the story of two Chinese sisters, Joan and Emma, growing up in Hong Kong during and after World War II. Their mother is a traditional Chinese woman who wants to pair them up with respected and successful husbands; their father runs a business that keeps him in Japan the bulk of the time; and their Auntie Go runs a successful knitting factory and has never married. During the course of the book, they flee the Japanese occupation to the nearby Portuguese island of Macao, return to Hong Kong to start over again, and gradually return to prosperity. The book focuses on the two daughters, both of them strong and independent in different ways, and how they each find their own way. With the mother and aunt as role models, we expect that Joan, the beautiful one, will find a good husband, and Emma, the smart one, will pursue a career. In the end, though, they each make choices that suit their personality without necessarily fulfilling the expectations others had of them.

Like Tsukiyama's Women of the Silk, this book is nicely written and gives a good sense of the culture and values during this time in Hong Kong. I liked this one a little better than Silk, though, because it had a broader array of interesting characters and I felt I came to understand them better, especially Auntie Go, Joan & Emma. Both Joan and Emma seem to grow and learn from their experiences, and I enjoyed seeing how each of them would handle some of the difficult choices they faced. I like how Tsukiyama creates strong female characters who find their own way within their culture, subtly challenging the status quo but without explicitly rejecting the system. I don't know enough about that area's history to know how realistic the story is, but I hope it is plausible.

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant!
Review: The best that I have ever read! I was so into it from the moment I started. Would definitely recommend this book to anyone who have sister(s) and/or best friend that live far away just like mine.

Rating:
Summary: Simplicity Counts
Review: To speak of the truth, I was initially attracted to the book because of its shimmering cover. Little did I realize that something more exciting awaited me. The moment I start flipping the pages, I was hooked. The lives of Emma and Joan had me so captivated. Though the lives they lead were not exactly riveting, it felt real to me. I could relate to how they were feeling especially when Emma was in America all by herself. I felt like I know her and reading her encounters in America brought back memories for myself. Also, how the characters' lives in the book were all interwined makes me view family ties in a different light. The unconditional love Joan had for Emma, Emma had for Joan, Auntie Go's love for her nieces and the girls' mother who loved them in her own unique way touched my heart. The story also shed light on the bond between Emma and her friend in Macau. Absence only makes the hearts grow fonder. The bond they shared was incredible. I also admire Joan's wits and bravery in the beginning of the novel whereby she, a teenager had to collect debts on the behalf of her father and the clever tactics she used to handle tricky debtors. I like the way Gail Tsukiyama depicts the courage of the girls regardless of how adverse the circumstances may be. There are two unexpected twists to the story. A good read for those who prefers simplicity and a slow, relaxing read for all the ideas to sink in. More for the gals out there, definitely!