“Once inside Ipoh’s limestone caves, I was revived. Life was suspended between two worlds: one I hadn’t yet left, the other I hadn’t quite entered” My two worlds were alive: Chinese and Malay rolled into one, blended by the centuries that had passed.” “A Nyonya, I told myself, is a woman who breathes two worlds – not just one or the other, not more one than the other, but both equally. I would compare the author's writing style to Lisa See or the Memoirs of a Geisha. I know for some this could be an annoyance or take one out of the narrative. I actually didn't mind and found I got used to this quite quickly. She does this to heighten the sense of the place. The author purposely has the characters who don't speak English or have not been educated, speak how their native language would be spoken. The only thing I can see putting some readers off, is the dialogue. Looking forward to the 2nd book in the series, which follows WWII.
It was EXCELLENT! I loved everything about this beautiful book! It was especially interesting to see so many important world events at the turn of the 20th century from a different perspective the Great War, influenza outbreak, & modernization. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.4th book finished w/ less than an hour to go for #24in48readathon. Chye Hoon finds herself afraid of losing the heritage she so prizes as her children move more and more into the modernising Western world.
But the cultural shift towards the West has begun. At last, she can pass on the stories she has heard-magical tales of men from the sea-and her warrior's courage, along with her wonderful kueh (cakes). Amidst the smells of chillies and garlic frying, Chye Hoon begins to appreciate the richness of her traditions, eventually marrying Wong Peng Choon, a Chinese man. Facing challenges in an increasingly colonial world, Chye Hoon, a rebellious young girl, must learn to embrace her mixed Malayan-Chinese identity as a Nyonya-and her destiny as a cook, rather than following her first dream of attending school like her brother.
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