On Gold Mountain by Lisa See

The story span around 5 generation of Lisa See’s family. From her great-great-grandfather who left China to seek his fortune in “Gold Mountain”(America) to herself.

 

Her great great grandfather, Fong Dun Shung left for America in 1867 with his two sons, leaving his other son, Fong See to stay back and take care of the family. But due to some problems, for many years Fong Dun Shung was unable to send money back to China.

Fong See become the man of the house and his mother worked hard for the family. At a young age, Fong See was filial.

Fong See was lucky as a couple in the village liked him and volunteer to pay for his voyage to Gold Mountain in search of his fortune and his Father and brothers.

They did meet up and at Gold Mountain Fong See built a business empire. He married a Caucasian woman and was deemed to be one of the most successful Chinese men there.

This book is indeed a good read. Rich with details. It was really amazing to see how the See family grow.

I really appreciate that the author Lisa See had put up her family tree at the beginning of the book to help readers  to trace the relationship of each family members.

My deepest thanks to Chen Chzan who presented this lovely book to me.

Mr Muo's Travelling Couch by Dai Sijie

 Synopsis from Goodreads

Having enchanted readers on two continents with Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, Dai Sijie now produces a rapturous and uproarious collision of East and West, a novel about the dream of love and the love of dreams. Fresh from 11 years in Paris studying Freud, bookish Mr. Muo returns to China to spread the gospel of psychoanalysis. His secret purpose is to free his college sweetheart from prison. To do so he has to get on the good side of the bloodthirsty Judge Di, and to accomplish that he must provide the judge with a virgin maiden.

This may prove difficult in a China that has embraced western sexual mores along with capitalism–especially since Muo, while indisputably a romantic, is no ladies’ man. Tender, laugh-out-loud funny, and unexpectedly wise, Mr. Muo’s Travelling Couch introduces a hero as endearingly inept as Inspector Clouseau and as valiant as Don Quixote
 My Comments:

I started on this book two weeks ago but kept getting stuck. Just can't get my mind into the story. Maybe the sentences are too long, or too many big words or maybe I am just not in the mood to reading this.

Will place it back on the shelves and attempt again in a few months time.