Unabridged CDs 8 CDs, 10 hours
In the sweeping tradition of The English Patient, a gripping tale of love and betrayal set i... read full description
In the sweeping tradition of The English Patient, a gripping tale of love and betrayal set i... read full description
reviews
Jan 07, 2009
Elaine
rated it: 
Two days ago I thought my review of this book would be quite different than it is. Two days ago I was on page 113 of this book and I was getting frustrated with the vapid characters who were either spending all their time acting the part of the privileged upper class English ex-pats in Hong Kong or (in Claire's case) stealing trinkets. Even the war-time surrender of Hong Kong to the Japanese seemed only a minor inconvenience to these people. However, a mere 13 pages later, the story rapidly g
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(14 people liked it)
Dec 05, 2008
Britney
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I've found that it's easy to find World War II literature that focuses on the Holocaust or on the American experience. It's harder to find books that explore the non-Western experience. The Piano Teacher explores how lives in Hong Kong in the 1950s was affected by the Japanese invasion of the British colony during the war.
Ultimately, the 1940s parts were more compelling. I wanted to know more about the relationship between Will and Trudy, Will's experience in an internment camp w More...
Ultimately, the 1940s parts were more compelling. I wanted to know more about the relationship between Will and Trudy, Will's experience in an internment camp w More...
Feb 08, 2012
Jennifer
rated it:
"the writing is beautiful, the research is superb, and the setting is fantastic". Two love stories 10 years apart. War changes everything and torments the survivors. She deftly describes Hong Kong weather (torrents of rain) the heat, the crowded market streets and the prison where the non-asian were imprisoned.
I listened to this and loved the narrator.
I listened to this and loved the narrator.
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Feb 22, 2009
Jennifer
rated it:
Lee alternates between two different time periods to tell the story of betrayal in war time Hong Kong. (Does anyone just write a linear story any more? Seems like every book I pick up these days uses this kind of device).
I really enjoyed the 1940's story line of Will and Trudy during the war - An Englishman and a Eurasian woman who are in the thick of the pre-war social scene and how their lives change when the Japanese invade Hong Kong. Will is interned as a prisoner of war and More...
I really enjoyed the 1940's story line of Will and Trudy during the war - An Englishman and a Eurasian woman who are in the thick of the pre-war social scene and how their lives change when the Japanese invade Hong Kong. Will is interned as a prisoner of war and More...
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Jun 18, 2011
Adrienne
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October 10....I've had a chance to sleep on this even though I went to bed crying,woke in the night crying and have been weepy for most of the day when I think about this story. B/c it's had such a profound affect on me....like a Megan Hart it's staying and not going quietly...I've decided to give it 5 stars. I stopped giving stars, in the hopes that you guys would read the review and then decide if the book was one you'd like to read but I feel so strongly about this one.....My emotion at the
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(2 people liked it)
Aug 24, 2011
Charlie
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War affects everyone involved in different ways, and sometimes it doesn’t just stop with those around at the time
Before reading The Piano Teacher I’d gone for a good few months without historical fiction and the setting of this book and the summer-read aspects meant that I read it incredibly fast. But speed-reading isn’t so much a positive thing with this book – you find yourself reading it quickly because there’s nothing to peak your interest. It isn’t until much later on that it begi More...
Before reading The Piano Teacher I’d gone for a good few months without historical fiction and the setting of this book and the summer-read aspects meant that I read it incredibly fast. But speed-reading isn’t so much a positive thing with this book – you find yourself reading it quickly because there’s nothing to peak your interest. It isn’t until much later on that it begi More...
Mar 09, 2010
Dorothy
rated it: 
rating:
bookshelves: read (edit)
status: Read in March, 2009, read count: 1
review: The cover of this book, The Piano Teacher, is its saving grace. It is a novel that attempts to provide some insights into conditions in Hong Kong prior to, during, and after World War II. It is a part of the world where the English, others, and the wealthy Chinese families form a tangled web of relationships.
On the one hand, we have Will Truesdale who finds himself strangely drawn More...
bookshelves: read (edit)
status: Read in March, 2009, read count: 1
review: The cover of this book, The Piano Teacher, is its saving grace. It is a novel that attempts to provide some insights into conditions in Hong Kong prior to, during, and after World War II. It is a part of the world where the English, others, and the wealthy Chinese families form a tangled web of relationships.
On the one hand, we have Will Truesdale who finds himself strangely drawn More...
Dec 13, 2008
Carin
rated it:
I received this book as part of an early reviewers program.
The Piano Teacher, strictly speaking, doesn't have a lot to do with piano teaching. In fact, Claire (the piano teacher) sometimes feels like she's only there to tell the story of Will and Trudy and to tie up the loose ends for the reader. Trudy and Will are lovers in Hong Kong prior, and during the occupation of the Japanese. Their story interweaves with that of Claire in 1950's Hong Kong, who meets the Chen family and become More...
The Piano Teacher, strictly speaking, doesn't have a lot to do with piano teaching. In fact, Claire (the piano teacher) sometimes feels like she's only there to tell the story of Will and Trudy and to tie up the loose ends for the reader. Trudy and Will are lovers in Hong Kong prior, and during the occupation of the Japanese. Their story interweaves with that of Claire in 1950's Hong Kong, who meets the Chen family and become More...
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Jan 05, 2010
Bookmarks Magazine
rated it:
Most critics expressed surprise that a debut novel could be as compelling and self-assured as The Piano Teacher. Lee's flawed, colorful characters, although initially unlikeable, increasingly endear themselves to readers as the secrets of the past unfold, and her vivid descriptions of Hong Kong evoke the rich sights, sounds, and smells of that bygone, foreign world. Though the Washington Post complained that "the prose rarely sings," other reviewers praised its simplicity and grace. Cr
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Mar 16, 2009
Ruthie
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As many readers have noted, this book starts out as a pleasant story, alternating between high society in 1940's Hong Kong, and 1950's Hong Kong. Not very interesting, but then everything changes as war starts in 1941, and when it has ended in the 50's. Lee's story puts us right in the action, you read about a very different wartime experience, and this is a tale that weaves and unwinds credibly!
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(2 people liked it)
Nov 11, 2009
Charly
rated it: 
This is another one that I wouldn't put to the top of my to read list. It was a first effort I think by the author and I thought I would give it a chance. Set in Hong Kong it deals with pre-war to post_war relationships that were somewhat transparent to me. Nothing to write home about.
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Aug 06, 2011
Because of the mixed reviews, and this being the author’s first work, I really had no idea what to expect. Criticised by some and described as “this year’s ‘Atonement’” by others (in a presumably complimentary way), I was very pleased with both the plot and the very well-researched attention to detail. In my opinion, it is a far better read than Ian McEwan’s “Atonement”, which I read (and reviewed) a year ago.
I don’t even want to attempt to summarise the plotline, which basically jumps between More...
I don’t even want to attempt to summarise the plotline, which basically jumps between More...
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(1 person liked it)
Apr 02, 2009
Lori
rated it:
Claire, the piano teacher of the title, is a bland, blonde, naive young British newlywed recently relocated to Hong Kong with her husband. She takes a position as a piano teacher for the young daughter of a wealthy Chinese family and she is introduced to the brittle, shallow, wealthy, prejudiced expatriate community in 1950's Hong Kong. Eventually she meets and begins an affair with Will Truesdale, a long-time British expatriate with a mysterious history.
Alternating chapters with C More...
Alternating chapters with C More...
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(1 person liked it)
Mar 11, 2009
Susan
rated it:
I didn't know much about Japan's invasion of Hong Kong during WWII, and this novel gave me some insight into the conquerer's horific treatment of the citizens of the losing nations there. That was interesting. Also compelling were the characters of Claire Pendleton, the English woman who arrives with her husband Martin in Hong Kong ten years after the Japanese invasion and becomes the piano teacher to Locket, the daughter of the wealthy Chen family, and she begins an illicit affair with Will;
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Dec 15, 2008
Kaye
rated it: 
It is so hard to believe that this is a debut novel. I found it wonderfully written and I was drawn in immediately. The story starts out in 1952 as we are introduced to Claire Pendleton, recent arrival in Hong Kong with her much older husband, Martin. Claire has been hired by the socially prominent Chen family to teach Locket Chen the piano. When the Chen family invites Claire and her husband to a party, she meets Will Truesdale, the Chen chauffer. The Chen family and Will Truesdale figure promi
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Jan 17, 2012
Sharmeela
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This book was just okay. The plot had such potential, but Lee chose to squander it somewhat. I'll admit I enjoyed the past/present flow of the story, but the actual story was more boring than anything. I found myself waiting and waiting for Lee to get to the point, to no avail. I assumed (naively) that since I'm waiting and waiting for this giant secret to emerge, that it would have to be something worthwhile. But alas, I was wrong! It was the most obvious secret ever! I was thoroughly di
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Sep 24, 2011
Ms.pegasus
rated it:
In an insignificant scene, a character complains about a newspaper ad: “Can't they be a bit more oblique?” The remark, seemingly casual, does express the author's aesthetic approach. Reading THE PIANO TEACHER is like looking through an intricate cut-work screen. Characters and events are interwoven with subtle connection. Paradoxically, the book really isn't about the English piano teacher Claire, newly arrived to Hong Kong with her husband in 1952. The story really begins 10 years earli
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Sep 17, 2011
Amy
rated it:
Set in Hong Kong in the 1940s and '50s, the story centers around two main characters and how their lives intersect. It's about how our own personal history, as well as the historical events in which we live through, defines and shapes who we are and our relationships.
More specifically, it is a tale centered around Claire Pendleton, a newlywed recently transferred to Hong Kong, and the affair she begins with Will Truesdale. Both hired by the same family, they must keep their affair quie More...
More specifically, it is a tale centered around Claire Pendleton, a newlywed recently transferred to Hong Kong, and the affair she begins with Will Truesdale. Both hired by the same family, they must keep their affair quie More...
Aug 10, 2011
Lori
rated it:
British Claire, newly married, arrives in Hong Kong in 1952. She teaches piano lessons to Melody and Victor Chen’s daughter. While there, she meets and embarks on an affair with the mysterious Will Truesdale. The book flashes back and forth between the 40’s during the Japanese occupation and the current 50’s, with the resulting fallout from those times. At the start of the war, Will was in love with a beautiful Eurasian named Trudy. The colonial expats are shown to be hypersensitive to class
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Jul 30, 2011
In the summary it states that it is a gripping tale of love and betrayal. Although it was a good book it wasn't that gripping to me. I did like the setting of the story, which gave a little insight into the relationship between the British, Chinese and Japanese in Hong Kong during the WWII era.
The story takes place in Hong Kong in two different time frames in 1942 and 10 years later in 1952 with Will Truesdale an Englishman. In 1941 he meets Trudy Liang half Portugese and Chinese socialite with More...
The story takes place in Hong Kong in two different time frames in 1942 and 10 years later in 1952 with Will Truesdale an Englishman. In 1941 he meets Trudy Liang half Portugese and Chinese socialite with More...
Jul 25, 2011
Gretchen
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This is an absorbing novel set in Hong Kong before, during, and after the occupation by the Japanese during World War II. The characterization is well developed, and it seems like a character–driven novel. But as you get into it, the plot – at first subtle – takes on import nearly as strong as the characters. Hong Kong, btw, is almost itself a character. It is a good read – you won't want to put it down. I only had two problems with it. First, it is not told in chronological order. It isn
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Jun 26, 2011
Diana
rated it:
The Piano Teacher held a lot of realistic and historical situations intertwined with two stories in different time periods. Reading the book I didn't want to put it down as I wanted to find out what happened in the end. When I finished it, I was still a bit confused of what happened and/or why. On one side, the way the author combined the two stories 10 years apart had allowed the tragic past be understood without any guilt or sadness and ability to let go much easier by the reader since the au
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Jun 26, 2011
Elaine
rated it:
I picked up the audiobook version of this book because I needed something to listen to while walking the dog in the mornings. I often wonder if listening to a book counts as "reading" a book, but I will allow it for myself again this time.
The story centers around three individuals living in Hong Kong during World War II. Will, a resident of Hong Kong before, during, and after the Japanese invasion, currently works as a driver for a Chinese family, and falls in love with Cla More...
The story centers around three individuals living in Hong Kong during World War II. Will, a resident of Hong Kong before, during, and after the Japanese invasion, currently works as a driver for a Chinese family, and falls in love with Cla More...
Jun 13, 2011
Rachael
rated it:
Two books in a row where I couldn't connect with the characters? Is there something wrong with me?
I found Claire Pendelton to be annoying. The only character I kindof liked was Trudy, at the beginning, with her lively attitude and unabashed spirit.
I didn't end up finishing this book - the intrigue of the "crown treasures" or whatever was contrived, and although it ended up playing a central role, the author didn't really pull me in to that story thread.
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I found Claire Pendelton to be annoying. The only character I kindof liked was Trudy, at the beginning, with her lively attitude and unabashed spirit.
I didn't end up finishing this book - the intrigue of the "crown treasures" or whatever was contrived, and although it ended up playing a central role, the author didn't really pull me in to that story thread.
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Jun 10, 2011
Jacquelin
rated it:
What a debut from author Janice Y. K. Lee! The Piano Teacher, Claire Pendelton, is a young British woman, recently married, who moved to the Hong Kong colony. She never had a desire to leave home, but in trying to fit in with the other ex-pats, meets Will Truesdale and they begin a tumultuous relationship. Hong Kong is rebounding in the early `50s after the Japanese occupation during WWII. The rich are getting richer, the queen’s coronation is stirring patriotic pride and the social castes (pur
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Apr 06, 2011
Lcbogota
rated it:
A strangely compelling book, considering that I didn't really care much for the main characters. Lots of rich descriptive detail about ex-pat and upper crust Chinese life in colonial Hong Kong, and life in the camp under Japanese occupation. In this sense the setting was richly written, but I cannot say the same for the characters.
The relationship between the jaded and cynical middle-aged man Will Truesdale with the recently arrived ingénue Claire Pendleton is somewhat inexplicable More...
The relationship between the jaded and cynical middle-aged man Will Truesdale with the recently arrived ingénue Claire Pendleton is somewhat inexplicable More...
Mar 18, 2011
Chantelle
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Feb 21, 2011
Paul
rated it:
"The Piano Teacher" is a very intriguing book that takes place in 1953 with flashbacks to 1041 and 1942.
In 1942 and 1942 the city of Hong Kong is the home of a high concentration of Americans, and an even higher number of British subjects. These people, regardless of their status in life, were living a life of luxury. The pretty much answered only to themselves and had an aversion to Orientals.
Will Truesdale, an Englishman, becomes romantically involved with T More...
In 1942 and 1942 the city of Hong Kong is the home of a high concentration of Americans, and an even higher number of British subjects. These people, regardless of their status in life, were living a life of luxury. The pretty much answered only to themselves and had an aversion to Orientals.
Will Truesdale, an Englishman, becomes romantically involved with T More...
Feb 06, 2011
Andrew
rated it:
‘The Piano Teacher’ was recommended to me by a woman who came to a reading I gave from my own World War II novel: ‘Edith’s War’ published last March. She was enthusiastic about ‘The Piano Teacher,’ assuring me that I would find it interesting because it’s set in a similar time period. The woman was correct in that I found the WWII sections of the book (which take place in Hong Kong) interesting in a historical and factual sense. I had no knowledge of the hardships encountered by British and Chin
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Oct 14, 2010
Judy
rated it:
Marketing has been with us for many years as the engine which drives commerce, but these days it is the slickest it's ever been. In the niche of book covers, I consider myself at least careful not to buy a book for its cover, but this one pulled me in like the proverbial sucker: the colors, the image of the woman and the title all worked their magic on me. Fortunately I was not too badly suckered, especially because I recommended The Piano Teacher to one of my reading groups.
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