SECRET OF A THOUSAND BEAUTIES by Mingmei Yip

4 STARS

SECRET OF A

THOUSAND BEAUTIES

by

Mingmei Yip

OVERVIEW
(FROM NIGHTOWL REVIEWS)

• Number: 9781617733215
• Release: November 25, 2014
• Author: Mingmei Yip
• Availability: Print-Book
• Genre: Mainstream
• Tags: * HIST: Historical Fiction
• Publisher: Kensington Books

Set against the vibrant and intrigue-laden backdrop of 1930s China, Mingmei Yip's enthralling novel explores one woman's defiant pursuit of independence. Spring Swallow was promised in marriage while still in her mother's belly. When the groom dies before a wedding can take place, seventeen-year-old Spring Swallow is ordered to become a ghost bride to appease his spirit. Under her in-laws' protection, she will be little more than a servant, unable to know real love or bear children. Refusing to accept her fate as a "bad-luck woman," Spring Swallow flees on her wedding day. In the city of Soochow, Spring Swallow joins a community of renowned embroiderers. The women work for Aunty Peony, whose exquisite stitching once earned her the Emperor's love. But when Aunty Peony agrees to replicate a famous painting--a lucrative assignment that will take a year to complete--betrayal and jealousy emerges within the group. Spring Swallow becomes entangled in each woman's story of heartbreak, even while she embarks on a dangerous affair with a young revolutionary. On a journey that leads from the remote hillsides around Soochow to cosmopolitan Peking, Spring Swallow draws on the secret techniques learned from Aunty Peony and her own indomitable strength, determined to forge a life that is truly her own.


REVIEW
 Setting: Cina 1930's-Ms. Mingmei Yip immediately starts out with Spring Swallow's desire for happiness.  The author appears to be a  very good storyteller.  She helps the reader with the customs, culture and traditions that the reader may be unfamiliar with.  Spring Swallow's wants are not unique, they are very common with people all over the world.The main point of the book is Spring Swallow's and her mentor, Peony.  Once that is taken care of the book comes to an end.  The point of Spring Swallow's happiness is not all that important.  She knows she has to grab at every moment she can and take it in. The author takes the reader into another culture.  The reader may not understand all of it, but it's a story about a young lovely woman trying to find peace for herself.  Thee book, I found, was a sad book.  Even saying that, I would recommend this book to anyone who likes  different cultures and feels what Spring Swallow feels.  The need for peace.

I was given a complimentary copy of SECRET OF A THOUSAND BEAUTIES by Mingmei Yip from Night Owl Reviews for my view of the book.

(copyright Night Owl Reviews)

I would give this book 4 STARS.