The Piano Teacher
| Price: |
$32.99 |
| On Sale: |
1/01/2009 |
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Formats:
Trade Paperback
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It′s 1952 and 32−year−old Claire arrives in Hong Kong with her new (and dull) husband Martin. Using her marriage to escape a bitter mother and non−existent home life in England‚ Claire takes a position in Hong Kong as piano teacher to Locket‚ the daughter of wealthy socialite Chinese parents. She swiftly becomes intrigued by the family′s unconventional English driver‚ the charismatic and enigmatic Will Truesdale...
Claire′s love affair with Will is interwoven with events in the early 1940s in Hong Kong − and another‚ very passionate‚ and tragically doomed love affair‚ Japanese brutality and secrets betrayed
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Critical Praise for
The Piano Teacher
'Former Elle editor Lee delivers a standout debut dealing with the rigours of love and survival during a time of war, and the consequences of choices made under duress…The rippling of past actions through to the present lends the narrative layers of intrigue and more than a few unexpected twists. Lee covers a little-known time in Chinese history without melodrama, and deconstructs without judgement the choices people make in order to live one more day under torturous circumstances' Publishers Weekly 'Rarely does one encounter a debut work as beguiling and assured as Janice Lee's The Piano Teacher. Rich with intrigue, romance, and betrayal, this wonderfully written, utterly captivating novel dazzles with its sharp-eyed renderings of beau monde Hong Kong as it is plunged into the crucible of war. With its fascinating interplay of East and West and wide cast of effervescent characters, especially the singularly haunting Trudy Liang, this is a truly transporting - and indeed irresistible - work of fiction.’ Chang-rae Lee, author of ‘Aloft’ 'One of the most insightful, elegant and atmospheric novels I've read in a long time. Janice Lee is nothing short of brilliant and her novel is impossible to put down.' Gary Shteyngart
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Reader Reviews from First Look
"The Piano Teacher" by Janice Y.K. Lee is set in Hong Kong. Claire Pendleton arrives with her husband of four months and becomes the piano teacher to Locket Chen, the daughter of a wealthy Chinese couple. She soon becomes involved with the Chens' British expat driver, Will. As their affair progresses, Will's past is slowly revealed.
This is a gripping novel that spans present and past. Secrets, intrigue, betrayal and unexpected twists make this book hard to put down. It is excellently written and the characters come alive. Read it ... you won't be disappointed.
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Merryl (Dianella, WA)
"The Piano Teacher" by Janice Y.K. Lee is set in Hong Kong. Claire Pendleton arrives with her husband of four months and becomes the piano teacher to Locket Chen, the daughter of a wealthy Chinese couple. She soon becomes involved with the Chens' British expat driver, Will. As their affair progresses, Will's past is slowly revealed.
This is a gripping novel that spans present and past. Secrets, intrigue, betrayal and unexpected twists make this book hard to put down. It is excellently written and the characters come alive. Read it ... you won't be disappointed.
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Merryl (Dianella, WA)
Like the most beautiful piano concerto played badly, it is the clashing chords of this story that will stay with the reader long after the last sentence has been read and the book put down with a sigh.
When the beauty and hedonism of ex-patriate Hong Kong is stripped away by the brutal invasion and internment by the Japanese in World War II, life becomes a series of clashing chords that reverberate well into the future. Deperation sets in and people make terrible choices and take actions to ensure their survival.
Admidst all the brutality stand Will and Trudy, who are bit players in a larger symphony that will have horrendous consequences for them and all around them. The repercussions of their wartime life play on for years after affecting the lives of Hong Kong citizens and newcomer Claire Pendleton alike. Can such a story end well?
It is difficult to believe that The Piano Teacher is a first novel, it is so finely constructed and beautifully written, that it speaks of years of the writing craft being perfected and honed.
I highly recommend this book that will literally leave you gasping at the sheer brutality of war and the desperation of desperate times. Bravo Janice J.K. Lee.
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Claire (Mooroolbark, VIC)
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The Piano Teacher
It′s 1952 and 32−year−old Claire arrives in Hong Kong with her new (and dull) husband Martin. Using her marriage to escape a bitter mother and non−existent home life in England‚ Claire takes a position in Hong Kong as piano teacher to Locket‚ the daughter of...
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