A Concubine for the Family: A Family Saga in China (A CHINESE FAMILY SAGA)

`A Concubine for the Family'
by Amy Kwei

I have recently finished reading this book which is a novel (no pun intended) way to write a family history. It is a good read indeed. Can you judge a book by its cover? Not always. But the colourful cover in this case caught my eye and I did send away for this book because of its intriguing title and the promise of a good story.

When I first opened the book I laughed out loud at Ms Kwei's statement that she would certainly not be giving her husband a concubine for his birthday as her Grandma, Purple Jade, had done. I found the description of this grandma's life in Hangzhou in the early 30's fascinating, the details of family life with servants and sumptuous meals and the explanation of domestic architecture including the courtyards and gardens, the background of Purple Jade's everyday life with her husband and daughters, Golden Bell and Silver Bell. Because the writing was so vivid I suffered with the grandmother because of her painful deformed feet, especially when she tried to walk. When she was only three years old her toes had been broken and her feet had been bound and pushed into what was then considered to be a feminine shape.

There are vivid descriptions an opium den, of Chinese food and of Chinese medicine and terrible accounts of the Japanese invasions of Shanghai and surrounds. There are tragic outcomes for the family during this time. The details of life under the Japanese reminded me of the great fear of invasion felt by my parents and other Australians during World War II.

Although the novel ends with the family again fleeing, this time from Hong Kong, there is a story of hope too as Purple Jade becomes all the time more sought after as an expert in treating patients with Chinese remedies.

One finishes the story wondering which of Purple Jade's daughters, Golden Bell or Silver Bell, was the author's mother.

As I've already said, `Concubine' is a very good read, a wonderful book.

I was much impressed by Amy's careful attention to the historical background for the events that happened during that period in her novel. She also did good research that provided her with accurate factual information such as foot binding and how bound feet had to be managed and taken care of. They lend verisimilitude, which to me is all the more important since her audience comes from individuals who are mostly unfamiliar with Chinese cultural values.
Novels dealing with traditional Chinese values tend to display a maudlin concern when describing family relationships. Amy successfully avoid this pitfall, for the old traditions were often set against the westernized influences brought in by their daughters from the missionary schools and from Western corporate practices. It is a good story, which I enjoyed reading.

Saul Lowitt Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Pediatrics, Retired
U. S. F. College of Medicine
Tampa, Florida

I enjoyed very much reading this book. I could not put this interesting family saga down! Amy Kwei's imagination brilliantly makes the characters come to life. She calls it a novel, yet it is obviously the story of her family. I learned much that I did not know about Chinese culture and tradition as well as life in the 1930s to the beginning of World War II. The facts were well researched. This is a most moving account of the tragic binding of women's feet and its consequences on one woman - the grandmother. I never understood why a country so highly
civilized and refined in art and poetry could afflict such cruelty on the women in its upper class. How the grandmother as a child yearned to have fun running around with her brother, but was prevented to do so by her crippled feet.

The description of the war and hardshiops of the Japanese occupation is vividly narrated and the upheaval war brought upon China. Yet the humanity of some Japanese-Americans is also
beautifully described. Despite all these tragic happenings, the author keeps a positive and
hopeful attitude.

The novel is full of suspense and I hope the author is already working on a sequel and will not disappoint her readers, who are anxious to know how her family fared in the future.
This book is a treasure!

This book seems to be a work of love, not only during the twenty years the author said she had worked on it, but it would have begun all the way back to the author's childhood in China. That is obviously where her love for the traditions of her family and the people in that world took root, and it lights up her book. You can read history and biographies and know how the upper crust lived at that time. You may approve or not. But the author gives you a much more complete understanding of Chinese culture by taking you inside this "book fragrant" family, regaling you with their stories, their heartbreak and triumphs, and winning your heart in the process. It is a bit like getting to know old New York society through the eyes of Edith Wharton and Henry James. Those worlds are "gone" but still very much with us.

You will learn a lot about Chinese culture in this wonderful novel about China 1937 to 1941. Ms. Kwei was born in Shanghai, lived in Hong Kong, and has been in the US for many years. The photo on the back cover shows some family ancestors wearing clothes of that time -- the grandmother is seated and has bound feet, her maid is standing. The book has helpful aids -- a character family tree, a chapter of historical background, and a Glossary of Terms. You will be fascinated by the descriptions of an opium den and the raising of silk caterpillars as pets and the consequences of binding women's feet. You will be excited as the family flees for their lives from the ravages of war. You will be touched by the heartbreaking selfless act where the wife gives a concubine to her husband as a present in order to provide an heir for the family.

As a Chinese-American, I had heard from family members about the plight of China in the time before and during World War II. Their stories were sometimes tragic and sometimes heroic but always engrossing. A Concubine for the Family takes these stories to another level with a colorful cast of characters and vivid language that is authentic to the words and phrases used by the Chinese people. Amy Kwei draws the reader in with her adroit telling of the hardships of internecine conflict coupled with the magnificence of the indomitable human spirit in the face of adversity. That she does so by focusing on a specific family (and the concubine that becomes part of it) illustrates an attention to detail that the reader will appreciate and from which the reader will learn much about Chinese culture. I highly recommend this enjoyable read.

I enjoyed this book tremendously. It beautifully weaves a story of a family in China trying to maintain its ancient traditions while struggling with the influence of western ways whose lives are even further threatened during WWII.

The Huang family is without an heir… In early to mid 19th century China, this has grave consequences for the old traditions. Purple Jade has the humility, dignity, and pragmatism to bring an heir to the Huangs in any culturally justified means available: a Concubine for the Family.

The violence in this book was softened. The cultural shock was softened. The bad guy was ambiguous. Amy Kwei chose to soften the blow of the violence in this book by using a mellowing narrative voice. I thought it was fitting for the author to soften her words and perspective (softening the truth perhaps), because the characters and persons in the book showed considerable restraint. Where you or I would lash out in voice or action, Purple Jade held her peace and showed that she was considering both sides to a situation (in her thoughts). The author describes this as a concept of fixing yourself before fixing the world: “By cultivating oneself, we can regulate the family; by regulating the family, we can govern the state; by governing the state, we can bring peace on earth. When order and kindness direct the world, heaven will be pleased.” (Page 326). What a wonderful concept that everyone should adopt, at least in part, and the world would be a better place.

Perhaps the bad guy was not a single person, but actions of people or actions of a country. Perhaps it is fate or old traditions. Perhaps it is the concept of war. Kwei gives the reader much to ponder by not handing us a simple and easy character to despise and blame. The characters are just as much prone to their fate as we are in real life.

I get a little lost in the politics of a country’s history I know nothing about and a country’s culture I am quite unfamiliar with, but that’s what makes this book so fascinating. Kwei describes the proper way to eat and what is proper to eat. She describes when and who speaks, political gains and favors, and the halting way of speaking (as if it’s been translated just for our eyes). I am peeking into a world I would normally not have insight into and it is described in enough detail to give me a taste without having overwhelming flavor.

I very much enjoyed Kwei’s descriptions of cultural traditions and the differences between modern living and traditions of the past. The concept of “saving face” was intriguing, as was the struggle between culture and shame.

“If we can agree with their concept that each person is endowed with thoughts and feelings worthy of singular attention, more opportunities and developments would surely follow.” (Page 298).

I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys historical fiction with a political element, culturally rich stories, novels featuring Chinese in China, or a novel with a strong female lead.

This book was truly enlightening. Amy Kwei manages to seep culture into a very serious story. She also shows the reader the degree of dignity and grace within a Chinese family. The book showed me that I am never too old to learn and I am certainly awaiting her next book which would bring us unto the late 1940's b