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153rd out of 204 books
—
537 voters
The Sea of Trees
In her first novel, Yannick Murphy surveys the landscape of imperialism through the unflinching gaze of an adolescent girl named Tian. Her name - short for Christiane - is a mark of her divided loyalties. Half French and half Chinese, Tian is detained in an isolated jungle camp when the Japanese invade Indochina at the outset of World War II. With spellbinding candor, Tian...more
Hardcover, 227 pages
Published
May 1st 1997
by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH)
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This book has all the pluses that the reviews said. I did like it. I found it a tiny bit disappointing as historical fiction. She worked so hard at staying in the voice of the protagonist that she missed a hundred opportunities to give us a little context to understand what was happening better. I'm pretty vague about the state of the map in that part of the world both just before and just after the war. The family seemed to have lived in both Shanghai and somewhere in Vietnam. Was it easy to mo...more
Told from the perspective of a young girl named Tian, half French, half Chinese this novel weaves folklore with Murphy's own mystical writing style while exploring the difficulties of growing up. The novel begins with Tian and her family in a Japanese camp during WWII. Tian is on the brink of adolescence and being a prisoner of war adds a surreal twist to the problems of growing up. The novel follows Tian's acute observation of the individuals and the world around her as she moves from the camp...more
This is a marvelous book -- rich in imagery, uniquely structured. I didn't finish it simply because I just can't currently read a book about a young girl in a prison camp. When I can stand the heartbreak, I'll turn back to it.
Really strong book. war, loss, love, madness. great young female narrator.
This is unquestionably one of my favorite books of all time. I appreciate the haunting and artful way in which she spins this story of perserverance.
Jun 12, 2013
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Yannick Murphy is the author of the novels, THE CALL, SIGNED, MATA HARI, HERE THEY COME, and THE SEA OF TREES. Her story collections include STORIES IN ANOTHER LANGUAGE and IN A BEAR'S EYE. Her children's books include THE COLD WATER WITCH, BABY POLAR, and AHWOOOOOOOO!. She is the recipient of various awards including a Whiting Writer's Award, a National Endowment for the Arts award, a Chesterfiel...more
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