Xueyan, known as Yanyan, knows about outsiders. The teachers at her school are missionaries from America, and she never forgets that they are outsi...
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Jan 25, 2009
Jinbin
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Yanyan, a sixteen year old Chinese girl, plans to attend university and become a doctor in the future. While many girls in China in 1921 get married at this age, Yanyan takes no interest in marriage. However, she later encounters Liang Baoshu and changes her views about marriage. Being with Baoshu is both dangerous and adventurous, but Yanyan realizes that she would have to give up her dream of becoming a doctor if she is with Baoshu. Yanyan makes a decision to go to America to fulfill her dre
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Jan 22, 2011
Christa
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An Ocean Apart, A World Away is basically a story that deals with a young Chinese girl who wishes to take medicine. The story takes place about 10 years after the 1911 Revolution (toppling of the Qing Dynasty). The main character (a Chinese girl) is born into a fairly liberal well-off family who sends her to a Western-run school. Experiences at home, with a close friend, and with what one can call a “lover” leads the main character to re-think her decision to take up medicine. Eventually though
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Jan 03, 2010
Beth
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China remains in chaos after the revolution of 1911 and young Xueyan benefits by having a progressive father who encourages her to pursue her dream of becoming a doctor of medicine. Yanyan, called Sheila, attends an English school and doesn't have bound feet, and looks forward to making her own love match, instead of having an arranged marriage. When a political exile that happens to be a former school friend of her elder brother is wounded escaping from the police, it is Yanyan who bandages his
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Feb 07, 2009
Tigger
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It was an easily readable but wholly unremarkable book, most easily portrayed by the fact that I couldn't remember the name of the novel when I finished it a few hours ago, and I had to put in the name of the main characters and locations to try and find it.
The story revolves around a 16 year old Chinese girl in 1921 who wants to be a doctor of Western medicine, but has to struggle against the stereotypes of women across the globe, the racism of the Western powers and her own feelin More...
The story revolves around a 16 year old Chinese girl in 1921 who wants to be a doctor of Western medicine, but has to struggle against the stereotypes of women across the globe, the racism of the Western powers and her own feelin More...
Jun 12, 2011
Lisa
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i really admire the protagonist's character. Xue Yan (Yan Yan) has a dream in mind and would try to reach it. although for that very dream, it made her lose someone she liked. good thing that she found another guy that would treasure her. the face that she was away from her home country half the world away from her family, she still found her will to continue on with her dream. during this time period, there were still sexist ideas that females are not smart enough to take advanced classes like
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Apr 29, 2010
Ari
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My only problem with it was that I found it tedious. This is rare, I don't usually find historical fiction boring, but this novel moved so slowly. Also, I don't think it helped to have half the story take place in Ithaca, New York. After all, nothing happens in Ithaca! There's no diversity and hardly anything to do. Yanyan was bored and lonely and I was bored with her. I wanted more China time or to really delve into the experiences of Chinese students in America. Yanyan is an outsider, so she d
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May 26, 2010
Em
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Young Adult Fiction are not pure fantasy, some of them are also historical. An excellent example of that is Lensey Namioka‘s An Ocean Apart, a World Away.
While all the girls her age were planning for their weddings, Xueyan was not interested in marriage and was focused on her ambition to become a doctor. She was willing to break culture and tradition just to achieve that goal. Until she met Liang Baoshu, the man of her dreams.
Xueyan was forced to make a choice between lov More...
While all the girls her age were planning for their weddings, Xueyan was not interested in marriage and was focused on her ambition to become a doctor. She was willing to break culture and tradition just to achieve that goal. Until she met Liang Baoshu, the man of her dreams.
Xueyan was forced to make a choice between lov More...
Feb 28, 2008
Kellyn
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It’s 1921 and Yanyan’s well-to-do family lives in Nanjing, China. Sixteen-year-old Yanyan, unlike nearly all girls her age, shows little interest in marriage, does not have bound feet and wants to become a doctor. Through her older brother she meets an intriguing young man, Lian Baoshu, who finds Yanyan’s unusual ways interesting. Yanyan’s graduation from an English-speaking high school coincides with growing political unrest in Nanjing. Yanyan discovers that Lian Baoshu works for a Manchu p
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Apr 12, 2009
Amy C.
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Again, Lensey Namioka writes about a Chinese girl breaking the boundaries of the Chinese traditions to pursue her dreams. Similar to TIES THAT BIND, TIE THAT BREAK, Yanyan seeks for a better future in America. As much as I love reading about this topic of feminism and the Chinese culture, the ending is very unsatisfying. Although this entire novel is more like a diary, I still expected a more fully developed ending. If not for this subtle ending, this story would have left me a greater impressio
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Jun 01, 2008
Xiao Yan
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An Ocean Apart, A world apart revolves around the 1900's in china. 16 year old Xueyan or Yan Yan is not like a regular girl who likes to plan their wedding and stay at home. But she has no interest at all in her marriage and goes to medical school, determined to be a doctor. thing start to change when Yan Yan meets Liang Bao, an excellent scholar and martial arts student. Yan Yan starts to develop feelings for him. But Yan Yan soon finds out that he is trying to restore the manchu dynasty and g
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Jul 22, 2010
Anna
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I read this in about two & a half hours, & I fell in love with the story. My freshman & sophomore years of high school I took Japanese & I learned a lot about not only the language, but their customs. This book focused more on the Chinese & I could already tell there was a distinct difference.
I'm a fan of historical fiction & I could not put this book down. I learned a lot, and that's a good thing to say after finishing a book (:
I'm a fan of historical fiction & I could not put this book down. I learned a lot, and that's a good thing to say after finishing a book (:
Nov 02, 2008
I dont know why, but I wanted to read the book the second I saw Jin Bin holding this book. My friend and I went to the library and when she got this book, I asked her right away if she would let me read the book first. The book is about a girl name YanYan who first just wanted to go visit her friend, Tao Ailin. She went with her brother and her brother's friend, Liang Baoshu. The first tiem she met Liang Baoshu, she got embarressed and she even liked Liang Baoshu and that changed her opinion of
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Feb 02, 2011
Sarah
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This book deals a lot with the struggles one assimilating to a different country goes through. There is a lot of information given about Chinese culture compared to American culture. The struggle of Yanyan to face her independence shows how following one's dreams is not always easy. Especially when you are alone.. The book is a quick read, but the ending is a little disappointing.
Jun 08, 2008
Dan Ying
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During the 1920s in China most of the girl marry at around sixteen years old. The main character Xueyan finshed missionary school at age sixteen instead if getting marry she decided to go to Cornell Unverisity to continue her study. Everything was working fine until she met Liang Baoshu a guy that she liked. Xueyan didn't know what to do. If she picked the guy that she liked that mean she has to sacific her dream and if she went to America then she has to sacific her relationship. I think pick
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Mar 07, 2009
Ammagrace
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Then ending was kinda dissapointing....
other than that it was a good book!
other than that it was a good book!
Dec 28, 2009
S. Bell
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Short and quick. The thing is, while I found it vaguely interesting in a "huh okay" kind of way, the culture/history is just not where my interests lie. So I was never fascinated, and I *like* being fascinated. I also found some of the way it was written a bit jarring, most notably the usage (or lack thereof) of people's names.
Jun 29, 2010
Josette
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The synopsis that’s printed at the back cover of the book urged me to buy and read it. It’s about a gutsy 16-year-old Chinese girl from post-Revolution China and she needs to make an important choice. A) Go to medical school to achieve her dream of becoming a doctor. B) Run off with the exciting Liang Baoshu who has confessed his feelings for her.
Nov 05, 2007
Xue Yun
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THis book is about the main character's struggle in promoting the stop of sexism. she proves in this book that women can have education and they are smart like mens, can take classes like physics and matematices and not just take home eduacation. The main character shown great fortitue in pursuing her dream of becoming a doctor and showing others that she can also take course that boys are titled to.
Nov 17, 2007
Kai Yi
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this book is ok. kind of boring so if you want to read it be careful. i recommend you to not read this book, this book is like another point of view of ties that bind, ties that break. this book talks about a girl and her marriage stuff, so nothing interesting.
Nov 21, 2011
This is an historical-fiction book about a 16 year old Chinese girl in 1921. It's a good book about following your dreams. This book is a good book to recommend to 5th grader who likes historical-fiction.
Jul 09, 2008
Kendall
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This book is about the very different cultures of China and America. The story of a family torn between tradition and modern. The main character has to make the choice between being a strong woman doctor or a wife. It's a women power book!
Sep 08, 2007
Krista the Krazy Kataloguer
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A teenage girl, who has already defied tradition by refusing to have her feet bound and by determining to have the same education as boys, goes from China to Cornell University in New York State in 1921 to study.
Sep 06, 2008
kidzlibrarian
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This is a very well written coming of age story. It is subtle and thought provoking. I really came to care about the characters and learned some facts about Chinefolktse history.
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