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13th out of 30 books
—
6 voters
Todo bajo el cielo
Elvira, una pintora española afincada en París, recibe la noticia de que su marido ha muerto en su casa de Shanghai. Acompañada por su sobrina, parte desde Marsella en barco para recuperar el cadáver de Rémy sin imaginarse la gran aventura que la espera.
Cuando al fin pisan tierra firme, después de una travesía interminable, comienza para Elvira y Fernanda la mayor peripe
...morePaperback, 457 pages
Published
May 16th 2007
by Rayo
(first published 2006)
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Si bien El Origen Perdido, el anterior libro de la Asensi, me dejó tieso por su irregularidad y además, no me dieron ganas de leer algo suyo en bastante tiempo. Por esas casualidades de la vida, en la Feria del Libro anual encontré a muy buen precio el susodicho libro que hoy encabeza este post, y tras comprarlo, decidí darle una nueva oportunidad a Matilde para que me sorprendiera...
¡Y lo logró! Teniendo cinco libros y habiendo leído cuatro de ellos (incluído el soso El Salón de Ámbar), creo qu...more
¡Y lo logró! Teniendo cinco libros y habiendo leído cuatro de ellos (incluído el soso El Salón de Ámbar), creo qu...more
Set during the nineteen twenties, Elvira De Poulain, a Spanish expatriate living in France, is a semi-successful painter who receives word that her estranged husband, now running the family textile business in China, has died and that she must make appropriate funeral arrangements. Although she has not seen him in a number of years she decides to go to Shanghai to retrieve his body and claim her share of his worldly goods. Once she arrives she finds herself immersed in an underworld of gangsters...more
Wow. I really enjoyed this book. Set in the 1930's in China, it is the story of a Parisian widow who has come to China to settle the affairs of her recently deceased and long-estranged husband. But interesting objects and stories are coming out... stories of the first emperor and the riches in his long-lost tomb. With the debts of the deceased husband hanging over her head, she faces the reality that she must go along on the search for the tomb to free herself from the creditors at her heels. Bu...more
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An enjoyable adventure story, set in the 1920's. At one point, the adventure reminded me of an Indiana Jones movie, with its combination of action, history, riddles, and danger.
Elvira and her niece travel to China to sort out the estate of her murdered husband. They discover a mysterious box of artefacts in his home, which leads them into an adventure to find the map which will reveal the location of the Tomb of the First Emperor, and all its riches.
This book is full of historical detail and im...more
Elvira and her niece travel to China to sort out the estate of her murdered husband. They discover a mysterious box of artefacts in his home, which leads them into an adventure to find the map which will reveal the location of the Tomb of the First Emperor, and all its riches.
This book is full of historical detail and im...more
Ho abbandonato questo libro a metà e non credo che mi verrà mai l'ispirazione di rileggerlo. La trama all'inizio mi incuriosiva e mi piaceva molto soprattutto il fatto che fosse ambientato in Oriente, ma appena ho iniziato a leggerlo mi sono dovuta ricredere. Ho trovato il ritmo lento e noioso, per metà libro praticamente non è accaduto niente di rilevante. Mi avevano consigliato di andare avanti perchè il bello veniva nella seconda parte ma alla fine ci ho rinunciato. In questo caso, stranament...more
If you are interested in Chinese culture and history more than me (I was only fascinated by the Taoism parts), you'd probably love this book. Coming off a series of historical mysteries, I kept expecting some twists but was disappointed since this is only an "adventure" novel. However, it is a great book for a one- or two-day read and a fairly enjoyable story. The descriptions and atmosphere were beautiful and believable. I thought the translation (I read the English version) was quite good; onl...more
It took me ages to finish it even if it's not that long. I just couldn't bring myself to read it at times. I won't say it's bad because it isn't. It's a good old-fashioned adventure story like Indiana Jones with clearly defined archetypes (heroine, sidekick, shady fellow & bad guys). The setting is remarkable and well described and made to look and feel grandiose, the way it should be. The story is fairly predictable, not even the plot twist near the end is surprising, you could see it comin...more
Feb 09, 2011
Adrián Perales
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Interesados en la cultura china / Interested in Chinese culture
ESPAÑOL:
Es la segunda obra que leo de esta autora, después de El último Catón. Quería leer algo más de ella porque me parece que escribe novelas de entretenimiento con una gran calidad, y este pensamiento se reafirma con esta novela.
El comienzo es un poco lento, son muchos los antecedentes que pone para que empiece la verdadera historia, pero cuando ésta comienza, es apasionante. Se ambienta en China, y como es costumbre en esta autora, el nivel de documentación hace que, además de que la lectur...more
Es la segunda obra que leo de esta autora, después de El último Catón. Quería leer algo más de ella porque me parece que escribe novelas de entretenimiento con una gran calidad, y este pensamiento se reafirma con esta novela.
El comienzo es un poco lento, son muchos los antecedentes que pone para que empiece la verdadera historia, pero cuando ésta comienza, es apasionante. Se ambienta en China, y como es costumbre en esta autora, el nivel de documentación hace que, además de que la lectur...more
An old-fashioned treasure hunt peppered with brainy challenges celebrates China’s multifaceted history and culture. In 1923 expatriate Spanish painter Elvira Aranda leaves France, her teenage niece Fernanda in tow, when word arrives of her husband’s death in Shanghai. Unfortunately, Rémy died horribly in debt, leaving Elvira destitute and in trouble. Then a mysterious chest concealing the location of the First Emperor’s treasure-laden secret tomb propels them on a madcap adventure, accompanied b...more
I am traveling vicariously through books. An independent artist who lives in France in the 1920s learns that her husband (marriage of financial convenience for both) has died in China. She travels to China to handle his estate, only to learn that he was bankrupt. She, her niece, a servant, and a wise-old-man travel across China to locate the burial place of the First Emperor.
Pretty good read. having just visited China and learned a bit of it's history, I wanted to read this. It's focal point of locating the tomb of the first Chinese emperor (he who built the Great Wall and did up the Terra Cotta Warriors) is a bit far fetched, but it was an adventure well-written and researched.
Dec 17, 2011
Annette McIntyre
added it
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Annette by:
Ray McIntyre
A very intersting story of a Spanish woman, married to but living apart from a Frenchman and living in Paris, who has to go to Shanghai to sort out his affairs when he has been murdered. She has custody of her teenage neice and this tale is of how they adjust to their new lives.
Not a bad adventure novel...somewhat predictable and pat.... A little bit "raiders of the lost arc". Suffers greatly from a rather clunky translation from the original Spanish. Still, the Chinese setting and subsequent history lesson made it worthwhile. Any local friends want to read it, I would be glad to pass on this paper copy.
I read this book in English, surprise, and it is Everything Under the Sky. Definitely movie material, interesting but seemed hurried in parts and lots of tai chi discussion in other
parts. Still, I liked the Chinese descriptions of land and people and the times. Good enough.
parts. Still, I liked the Chinese descriptions of land and people and the times. Good enough.
Interesting story idea but very poorly written. Maybe it's just a bad translation to English (I read this in English under the title "Everything under the sun.") The writing was so bad I had to stop midway even though I was intrigued by what was going to happen in the story.
i couldtn even get through the first couple pages of the last book i tried by her. this one is historical fiction about china, and i loved it. maybe the translator was to blame on the other one? this book is well worth the read but may make you want to take up tai chi
I read the English version of Matilde's book and was taken by Biao the most. I liked how innocent and genius he was. I'm glad my Chinese classes helped me understand the book better. It is well researched,written and most of all the characters undergo a transformation.
I loved this book and the characters! It was like being on a trip with a female Indiana Jones. What made it even better was the fact that I have been to Shanghai(and walked down the Bund)and seen Beijing. Thanks for recommending such an exciting book, Deb!
Se lee mas o menos rapido. Es una buena intro para conocer algo de la cultura y tradiciones chinas y sus leyendas. Toca el tema del imperialismo y la gestacion del comunismo en China. Un abreboca para seguir leyendo acerca de China.
I was so disappointed. I didn't connect to Elvira at all, and Fernanda didn't have enough personality to really believe, and the Chinese people ran in and out of the story so fast I could barely catch them. Serious sad face here. :-(
Super! Fun fiction based on historical facts. She is one of my favorite authors. "Todo Bajo el Cielo" is a fun and inspiring story about life change, braking barriers and also a imaginative way to learn about Chinese culture.
The book was slow starting, but I really enjoyed it once it got going. The historical parts about China were fascinating. Some of the stuff in the last half of the book was pretty fantastical in an over the top way.
This is actually called Everything Under the Sky. It's a historical fiction, set in China in the 1920's. You learn tons, great characters, and its a plot like the movie National Treasure. I really liked it!
Comenzo muy interesante, pero luego se vuelve demasiado fantastico y jalado de los pelos. Con todo, muy entretenido e interesante, pues hace referencia a muchos elementos de la cultura china.
Dec 30, 2008
Debra
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Debra by:
book club
I thought the beginning of this book was great. I couldn't wait to go on the journey to discover the lost tomb of the first Emperor of China. Unfortunately I felt the quest for the tomb was tedious and I was not interested in the historical fiction about China. It was somewhat of a struggle for me to get through the book.
Entretenida novela de aventuras ambientada en la China de los años 20.
Lo mejor del libro son las descripciones del Shanghái de la época, hay un gran trabajo de documentación tras ellas.
Lo mejor del libro son las descripciones del Shanghái de la época, hay un gran trabajo de documentación tras ellas.
I finally gave up on this book. I guess I wasn't as interested as I should have been because it was taking forever to get through it. I don't know why...I basically liked the characters, and the story had quite a bit of history in it, but something just didn't "click" for me.
Interesting story (search for Imperial Chinese treasure) but the main character is so irritating that it really detracted from the book).
Muy bueno si te gustan las novelas que mezclan historia, misterio y aventura... a la gente que le gusta la cultura China les va a encantar.
Apasionante, vives China. Como todo lo que leí de Matilde Asensi, perfectamente documentado.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Everything Under the Sky | 2 | 20 | Oct 05, 2012 12:15am |
Matilde Asensi is a Spanish journalist and writer, specialised mainly in historical novels.
She studied journalism at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, and she later worked for three years in the service of news of Radio Alicante-SER and Radio Nacional de España (RNE, Spanish National Radio) as a the person in charge of local and provincial news. She was also correspondent for Agencia EFE and...more
More about Matilde Asensi...
She studied journalism at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, and she later worked for three years in the service of news of Radio Alicante-SER and Radio Nacional de España (RNE, Spanish National Radio) as a the person in charge of local and provincial news. She was also correspondent for Agencia EFE and...more
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