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A Hundred Suns

Karin Tanabe (Goodreads Author)

3.82 · Rating details · 1,283 ratings · 351 reviews

An evocative historical novel set in 1930's Indochine, about the American wife of a Michelin heir who journeys to the French colony in the name of family fortune, and the glamorous, tumultuous world she finds herself in—and the truth she may be running from.

On a humid afternoon in 1933, American Jessie Lesage steps off a boat from Paris and onto the shores of Vietnam. Acco An evocative historical novel set in 1930's Indochine, about the American wife of a Michelin heir who journeys to the French colony in the name of family fortune, and the glamorous, tumultuous world she finds herself in—and the truth she may be running from.

On a humid afternoon in 1933, American Jessie Lesage steps off a boat from Paris and onto the shores of Vietnam. Accompanying her French husband Victor, an heir to the Michelin rubber fortune, she’s certain that their new life is full of promise, for while the rest of the world is sinking into economic depression, Indochine is gold for the Michelins. Jessie knows that their vast plantations near Saigon are the key to the family’s prosperity, and while they have been marred in scandal, she needs them to succeed for her husband’s sake—and to ensure that her trail of secrets stays hidden in the past.

Jessie dives into the glamorous colonial world, where money is king and morals are brushed aside, and meets Marcelle de Fabry, a spellbinding French woman with a moneyed Indochinese lover, the silk tycoon Khoi Nguyen. Descending on Jessie’s world like a hurricane, Marcelle proves to be an exuberant guide to ex-pat life. But hidden beneath her vivacious exterior is a fierce desire to put the colony back in the hands of its people, starting with the Michelin plantations, fueled by a terrible wrong committed against her and Khoi’s loved ones in Paris.

Yet it doesn’t take long for the sun-drenched days and champagne-soaked nights to catch up with Jessie. With an increasingly fractured mind, her affection for Indochine falters. And as a fiery political struggle builds around her, Jessie begins to wonder what’s real in a friendship that she suspects may be nothing but a house of cards.

Motivated by love, driven by ambition, and seeking self-preservation at all costs, Jessie and Marcelle each toe the line between friend and foe, ethics and excess. Cast against the stylish backdrop of 1930s Indochine, in a time and place defined by contrasts and convictions, A Hundred Suns is historical fiction at its lush, suspenseful best. ...more

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Kindle Edition, 400 pages

Published April 7th 2020 by St. Martin's Press

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Mar 27, 2020 Peter rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley, around-the-world, atw-2020-challenge, historical-fiction

Cupidity
A Hundred Suns is a probing story of avarice, power, revenge and colonial politics set in French Indochina in the 1930s. Jessie Lesage and her husband, heir to the Michelin business empire, Victor Michelin Lesage, arrive in Vietnam amidst a global recession to manage the Michelin rubber plantations and grow their fortune.

Karin Tanabe paints a vivid picture of the French colonial masters living a profuse lifestyle of opium, glamour and sex, while ordinary plantation ‘coolies’, work in dir Cupidity
A Hundred Suns is a probing story of avarice, power, revenge and colonial politics set in French Indochina in the 1930s. Jessie Lesage and her husband, heir to the Michelin business empire, Victor Michelin Lesage, arrive in Vietnam amidst a global recession to manage the Michelin rubber plantations and grow their fortune.

Karin Tanabe paints a vivid picture of the French colonial masters living a profuse lifestyle of opium, glamour and sex, while ordinary plantation ‘coolies’, work in dire conditions and live in poverty. The ordinary people dream of independence and communism starts to exert an influence as a means of change.

“The most important thing, taking precedence over everything else, is that the plantations continue to make money. If we don’t have profit, we can’t even feed our men. The second priority, which is equal and forever linked to the first, is to keep the communist element from rising up.”

Jessie knows she has to support her husband, so after a few years, they can return to Paris a success. She does, however, battle mental issues, some held in secret from her past, some new distressing episodes, and a lifestyle of pleasure and gossip makes exposure much more of a reality. Jessie meets another glamourous woman, Marcelle de Fabry, and their delicate relationship progresses on a fine line between friend and foe.

Marcelle is married to a French ex-pat, Arnaud, but has a closer relationship with her Indochinese lover, Khoi Nguyen whom she first met years previously in Paris. Marcelle has a quest to return Vietnam to independence and her first target is the Michelin rubber plantation business. With private investigators seeking evidence of wrongdoing, they uncover secrets they didn’t expect. The story is told from the perspectives of Jessie and Marcelle, both are influenced significantly by their past and both struggle with conflicting ambitions and previous obligations. The suspense is built with schemes and secrets being uncovered, although I did feel it unrealistic at times with some plot holes. The female characters provided a good variation in circumstances, although Marcelle did provide a more intriguing background that provided glimpses into the issues facing the region at the time.

In a time when Indochina’s indigenous people struggled with colonial rule and geared itself for a war of independence, the story embeds itself in the unrestrained immoral antics surrounding the aristocratic set and personal revenge. I wish the novel could have provided a more compelling thread in terms of the deeper political and social powder keg, which contributed to the outbreak of the Vietnam War twenty years later.

I had an expectation starting this historical fiction novel that wasn’t fully realised but I still felt it was a well-written novel with mystery and suspense, and may resonate better with other readers. I would like to thank St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC copy in return for an honest review. ...more

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Mar 03, 2020 Liz rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley

3.5 stars, rounded down
I love to be introduced to a different time and place by historical fiction. But in order for it to enthrall me, I really want to feel I’ve learned something. A Hundred Suns tackles Vietnam in the 1930s. The French rule, but communists are already causing dissent. This book would have done better to have concentrated more on the issues affecting the country and less on the partying lifestyles of the French expats.
Jessie Lesage is the wife of a Michelin heir sent to run th ...more

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Apr 30, 2020 Bkwmlee rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: arc-direct-from-publisher, fiction, netgalley-books

3.5 stars

In 1933, Jessie Lesage accompanies her husband Victor to Indochine (Vietnam)— a colony under French rule at the time — where he has taken up a post overseeing his famous Michelin family’s rubber plantations. Not long after they arrive, the Lesages meet Marcelle de Fabry and her husband Arnaud, an expatriate French couple who, like themselves, are rich and well-connected. The two women quickly become friends, and with Marcelle showing her the way, Jessie starts to dive more deeply into 3.5 stars

In 1933, Jessie Lesage accompanies her husband Victor to Indochine (Vietnam)— a colony under French rule at the time — where he has taken up a post overseeing his famous Michelin family’s rubber plantations. Not long after they arrive, the Lesages meet Marcelle de Fabry and her husband Arnaud, an expatriate French couple who, like themselves, are rich and well-connected. The two women quickly become friends, and with Marcelle showing her the way, Jessie starts to dive more deeply into the glamorous, exotic world of colonial Indochine. When she meets Marcelle’s Indochinese lover, the rich silk tycoon Khoi Nguyen, and becomes more immersed in their world, Jessie begins to realize that there is more to Marcelle than meets the eye. It is also around this time that dark secrets from Jessie’s past start to catch up with her — secrets that threaten to upend the family and lifestyle that she worked so painstakingly to build. Against a backdrop rife with political tension due to colonialism — where the divide between the “haves” and the “have-nots” runs in line with oppression of the native Indochinese by their Western conquerors — a complex story emerges, with characters often required to toe the ambiguous line between self-preservation and “doing the right thing.”

This is a book that I found difficult to rate, as there were things that I liked (mostly the setting and the writing) but also things that didn’t work as well for me. Going into this one initially, when I saw that the story would take place in 1930s Indochine, I was actually looking forward to reading it, as that particular setting isn’t often covered in historical fiction, plus it was a welcome departure from all the WWII-focused historical fiction that I had been reading in recent months. As is usually the case when I read this genre, I was hoping to learn something new about a country and time period that I was only vaguely familiar with. While I can’t say that I didn’t learn anything at all (because I did), I do have to say that this book fell a bit short of expectations for me from a genre perspective. When I read historical fiction, I expect to be transported to the story’s time and place and feel as though I inhabit the same world as the characters – unfortunately, that didn’t happen in this case. Instead, the Indochine setting felt kind of superficial to me, to the point that the main characters could’ve been transplanted to any other foreign Asian territory (not necessarily Indochine) and the story would’ve played out largely the same way. Don’t get me wrong -- the author did incorporate some cultural elements into the story that gave us some insight into the historical setting, but the references were few and far between, as the focus of the story on the glamorous lifestyle of the wealthy elite as well as the “mystery” piece of figuring out Marcelle’s connection with Jessie, both ended up overwhelming the historical aspects of the story. To me, this book felt like it should actually belong more in the thriller / suspense category than historical fiction – I think if it had been marketed as such, my reaction would’ve probably been quite different, as I did like the writing as well as the flow of the story overall, and the plot was intriguing enough to hold my attention from start to finish.

If I had to describe this story in one word, the first word that would come to mind is “lush” — whether it’s the descriptions of the characters’ decadent mansions, or their vibrant lifestyles steeped in lavish opulence, or even the surrounding landscape (both in Indochine where majority of the story takes place and also in Paris, where critical events involving several of the characters occur), it’s hard not to see this story under the light of luxury and privilege. The narration of the story alternated between Jessie and Marcelle, which made sense given the direction of the story (especially if we look at the story from a “thriller” perspective), but from a historical and cultural perspective, I feel that this format didn’t work too well. To strengthen the historical context, I feel like the other alternating perspective should’ve been from that of one of the Indochinese characters in the story, such as Trieu (Jessie’s servant) or Lanh (the Lesage family’s chauffeur) for example – I think this would have provided some much-needed balance to the story, though I guess it can also be argued that this would be an entirely different story then, perhaps not the same one that the author was trying to tell.

With all that said, I feel that overall, this was technically a good read – well-written and well-plotted for the most part (except for the ending, which I wasn’t tremendously fond of) – but it could have been so much better. I would still recommend this book, just with the caveat not to go in with specific expectations in terms of genre.

Received ARC from St. Martin’s Press directly as well as via NetGalley. ...more

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Mar 26, 2020 Katie B rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, read-in-2020, fiction, historical-fiction, 1930s, st-martins-press, vietnam

3.5 stars

I've always enjoyed reading historical fiction but one complaint I have is that most writers seem to stick to World War 2. I was so glad to see this author decided to branch out and set this novel in 1930s Indochine (Vietnam). Even though I've had a difficult time concentrating lately with everything going on in the world, this one hooked me early on. My only complaint is I felt like there was so much build up and anticipation and in the end it fell short.

American Jessie Lesage is the 3.5 stars

I've always enjoyed reading historical fiction but one complaint I have is that most writers seem to stick to World War 2. I was so glad to see this author decided to branch out and set this novel in 1930s Indochine (Vietnam). Even though I've had a difficult time concentrating lately with everything going on in the world, this one hooked me early on. My only complaint is I felt like there was so much build up and anticipation and in the end it fell short.

American Jessie Lesage is the mother of a young girl and is married to a French man, Victor, who is one of the heirs to the Michelin fortune. (Yes, the tire people) In 1933, most people are struggling to make ends meet and that is certainly the case for the workers of the Michelin plantations near Saigon. Victor and his family have recently moved to Indochine and he is in charge of making sure those plantations keep bringing in the dough. Jessie soon meets Marcelle de Fabry a married French woman who also has a lover named Khoi Nguyen. While Jessie is drawn to her new friend, she isn't aware that Marcelle has a hidden agenda.

The story alternates between the perspectives of Jessie and Marcelle and bit by bit you learn more of their backstories which certainly play a role in their actions. I don't think it's giving anything away to say wealth vs. poverty is a theme explored in the story as well as the political climate during that time period. This is a book that had substance but in my opinion did not reach its full potential. It's not that I didn't enjoy reading it, more I just ultimately didn't feel satisfied by how everything wrapped up in the end. The last quarter or so of the story is the weakest part in my opinion as things start veering into soap opera territory.

Even though this wasn't a perfect read I do think it is worth reading if you enjoy historical fiction. One of the best things about this genre is it can provide you an opportunity to learn and broaden your horizons. I appreciate the author's attempt to let me visit a time period and place that I wasn't too familiar with prior to reading.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for sending me an advance reader's copy in exchange for an honest review! ...more

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Sep 15, 2019 Tammy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Frenemies, Jessie and Marcelle, narrate this tale of 1930’s Indochina. Both have made the similar journey from humble beginnings to lavish living by marrying well. Moving from Parisian student days to ex-pat living as pampered wealthy wives, one married into the Michelin family and the other married the president of the chamber of commerce. Mixed relationships, opium dens, and opulence are juxtaposed with the atrocious treatment of the “coolie” employees on the Michelin rubber plantations. The r ...more

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Apr 06, 2020 Linda rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, psychological-thriller, fiction, first-reads, asian-themes, giveaways

A Hundred Suns begins with the mysterious setting of Indochine near Hanoi in 1933. Karin Tanabe creates a detailed panorama of life carved out of the streets which were lined with French architectual mansions. The well-established from France rule the lives of the less fortunate Indochine inhabitants who have existed there for centuries.

Jessie Lesage has convinced her husband, Victor, to take on a larger role in the Michelin rubber plantations of Indochine. With their young daughter, Lucie, they ...more

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Nov 11, 2019 Martie Nees Record rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Genre: Historical Fiction/Women’s Fiction
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Pub. Date: April 7, 2020

This historical fiction has moments of greatness. The story is set in Indochina during the late 1920s and the early 1930s. If you are a history buff, you will be delighted to know that this reviewer learned much about Indochina, the French Colony in Vietnam. Unlike any schoolbook, Tanabe makes you feel as if you are there with the ‘coolies’ during their long, impossibly hard workday. The anti-colonialis ...more

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Jan 28, 2020 Faith rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed, publisher, edelweiss

In 1933, Victor Michelin Lesage, his American-born wife Jessie and their young daughter Lucie move from Paris to Hanoi. Victor is to take over the management of the rubber plantations owned by the Michelin family. In Indochine, Jessie tries to adapt to her new surroundings, while escaping secrets from her past. She is taken under the wing of Marcelle, another wealthy French expat.

I really enjoyed this book, told in alternating chapters by Jessie and Marcelle. It explored the tensions between th ...more

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Jan 04, 2020 Carolyn rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: unfinished

I wish to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read the ARC for A Hundred Suns in return for an honest review. I regret to say this book was just not for me, but I have noticed that it is very popular with most readers. I do not want my misgivings to deter any prospective readers who I feel will enjoy it.

I thought the historical setting during the 1930s in French Indochina was an interesting one. I wasn’t getting much of the atmosphere or a picture of the country, but m ...more

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Jun 08, 2020 Jeanette (Again) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: asia, four-star-fiction, europe-and-british-isles, historical-fiction, all-fiction

Whatever complaints or criticisms I might have had about this novel are greatly outweighed by the fact that it held my interest. Not an easy feat in this time of unrest and uncertainty. My powers of concentration have taken a nosedive.

When I was a youngster I used to read novels about colonial life under the British Raj and suchlike. In my ignorance of history and what colonialism was all about, I thought it would be so exotically glamorous to be one of those colonials sent to a far-flung outpo ...more

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Jan 11, 2020 Dave rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, edelweiss-books, x-2020-edel-reviewed, read-have

A Hundred Suns is a novel written for those who love historical fiction, particularly stories set in exotic foreign lands. It probably has the greatest appeal to women readers, but it is a well written story that I found worthwhile. This story is set in French Indochina in the 1930's and the main characters are among the French elite. You get a real sense of the world they lived in, replete with servants and club outings. It was a world of decadence that could not be imagined back in prim and pr ...more

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Feb 03, 2020 Constantine rated it liked it

Shelves: z2020-02, netgalley, giveaway-read, x-3-half-star

Rating: 3.5/5.0

Genre:
Historical

American Jessie Lasage moves to Vietnam, then was a French colony called Indochine, along with her French husband Victor Michelin Lasage and their daughter Lucie. Victor takes his family there due to his new position as the supervisor of the family plantations there.

Jessie meets locals there and also expatriates. She becomes a friend with some of the new persons she meets including Marcelle who like she is another expat wife, but it turns out she is different and h ...more

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Apr 09, 2020 Susan Johnson rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: net-galley

A surprisingly moving novel about the French occupation of Vietnam in the early 1930's, it grabs your attention as it rolls on. Jessie is married to a minor Michelin heir who convinces him to go to Vietnam and oversee the large family rubber plantations as a means to advance his stalled career.

Jessie is an American with a very colorful past that has lived in Paris for the past decade. She prefers to keep her past hidden and sees the move as a way to start over. Her husband, Victor, is also eag ...more

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Feb 19, 2021 Joy D rated it liked it

Shelves: library-audio, asia, historical-fiction, mystery, thriller, relationships, zck, mental-health, family-dynamics, reviewed

Historical fiction set in French Indochina, present day Vietnam, in the 1930s. Protagonist Jessie Lesage, an American with a troubled childhood, has arrived in Hanoi from Paris with her French husband, Victor Michelin Lesage, and young daughter, Lucie. Victor is the new manager of the Michelin rubber plantations near Saigon, which have recently been a source of scandal. Jessie meets French expat Marcelle de Fabray, a glamorous woman having an affair with an Indochinese silk magnate. The story is ...more

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Apr 10, 2020 Karen R rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This beautifully written story focuses on a variety of compelling characters, all of whom are harboring secrets during the escalation of unrest leading up to the France-Indochina war. This story is extremely compelling, tense and twisty with an ingenious element that includes American Jessie Lesage, a former Parisian socialite with a history of mental illnes, who moves with her husband to Indochina and who’s world is in question, begging the reader to decide what is real versus imagined.

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Apr 03, 2020 Darla rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Books featuring Vietnam seem to be popping up everywhere. This is my third in the past month--two historical fiction and one thriller. This new title from Karin Tanabe is set in the 30's at the height of French colonialism. Jessie and Marcelle tell the story of swanky clubs, fancy yachts, opium parties, and the rise of communism on the rubber plantations. The lives of the two women are intertwined in ways we do not understand until much later in the narrative. Through it all, Jessie strives for ...more

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Sep 24, 2019 Kathy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

In the 1930's Indochine becomes the new home for a young family, part of the Michelin empire, as we follow their experiences and adjustments whilst slowly becoming aware of a uniquely original plan to destroy them. The story unfolds slowly between two POVs and at the beginning things seem ideal for the loving couple and their beautiful daughter Lucie. This is a story that embraces the complexity of human emotions, life experiences and moral dilemmas. Through some close encounters with disaster a ...more

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Dec 26, 2019 Cat rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Karin Tanabe brings to life the beautiful lands of Vietnam, but through the lens of unwelcome invaders of the 1920s and ’30s, when the country was called Indochine. The French colonial time period is another sad era these graceful lands and peoples have endured at the hands of foreigners.
The Michelin rubber plantations in Indochine are a huge money-making machine for the French, but they’re a form of torture and slow death for the local inhabitants, or as cruelly labeled by the French, “coolies” ...more

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Apr 09, 2020 Milena rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley, physical-arcs

A Hundred Suns is a captivating historical fiction novel with a dash of suspense. It's set in 1930's French colonial Indochine. Jessie Lesage travels to Indochine with her husband Victor, a member of the Michelin family, whose task is to improve the management of the rubber plantations after a series of strikes and workers' deaths. Upon arriving in Indochine, Jessie meets other expatriates and develops a close friendship with an alluring French woman Marcelle. The life of French colonialists is ...more

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Oct 05, 2019 Lilisa rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: france, netgalley, around-the-world-2019-lilisa, 2019, vietnam, historical-fiction

A Hundred Suns has all the trimmings of a historical fiction - history, culture, a bit of suspense, and an array of interesting characters all come together in this enjoyable novel. Set in Vietnam during the 1930s, Jessie Lesage arrives in the French colony to begin the next stage of her life as the wife of Victor Michelin Lesage of the famous Michelin family, who has recently moved there to manage the family’s rubber plantations. Set to enjoy her new life with her husband and daughter in a plac ...more

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Apr 25, 2020 Kelly rated it really liked it

Shelves: book-reviews, historical-fiction, netgalley, netgalley-edelweiss-challenge, ebook, arc-drc, women-fiction, fiction

I received a complimentary digital copy of this arc book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

In September of 1933, Jessie and Victor Lesage move from France to live in the French Indochina to hopefully win favor with his successful Michelin family. There have been many riots and political upheaval at the rubber plant which is in desperate need of supervision in south Cochinchina.

Jessie was born the oldest of 7 children in a poor farm in Blacksburg, Virginia. Grow I received a complimentary digital copy of this arc book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

In September of 1933, Jessie and Victor Lesage move from France to live in the French Indochina to hopefully win favor with his successful Michelin family. There have been many riots and political upheaval at the rubber plant which is in desperate need of supervision in south Cochinchina.

Jessie was born the oldest of 7 children in a poor farm in Blacksburg, Virginia. Growing up in destitution with minimal parental support, Jessie felt obliged to “parent” her younger siblings. Her desperate situation urges her desire to see the world. She is empowered to attend a small teaching college where she lived in a Manhattan boarding house. Her primary focus was saving enough money to travel to Paris while providing support to her siblings in VA.

The story becomes more complicated as Jessie and Victor along with their young daughter, Lucie, settle into their new home in a new country. Because they are affluent, they are buffered from the atrocious living conditions of the native residents. Many of these local residents work under oppressive circumstances which drives their ambitions to overthrow the leaders with their communist agenda.

Much to Jessie’s awe and comfort, she is befriended immediately by Marcelle de Fabry and her husband Arnaud. Most of the men are busy traveling for work leaving the women to enjoy the luxuries afforded to them. It is during this time that Marcelle seems to quickly engage Jessie into her world of mischief and debauchery. As the story unfolds it draws the reader into the secrets and deceit which both women don’t want revealed.

“Three can keep a secret if two of them are dead.” - Benjamin Franklin

So, the whirl world affairs of the rich and poor are entwined in ways for which the reader could never be prepared. The novel speaks to the political environment as relevant to the extents people will go for redemption and change.
...more

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Jun 13, 2020 Jypsy marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins for a complimentary copy. I voluntarily reviewed this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

A Hundred Suns
By: Karin Tanabe

REVIEW ☆☆☆
I was a bit disappointed with A Hundred Suns because I was expecting something more from this book. Set in Indiochine in an era I know little about, the story was informative, and I appreciate that. The plot just seemed stuck and not interesting to me because I kept thinking about other things. For whatever reason I made no c ...more

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Sep 30, 2020 Jessika rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, own, fiction, favorites

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book was such a breath of fresh air for me. You ever have those books where you know that it was exactly the right moment for you to read them? That was this book for me. This story was so different and lush, and it was just not what I was expecting. I love it when that happens--it's so refreshing. A Hundred Suns transported me to a time and place that I had never read about before, and I think that historical ...more

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Dec 19, 2019 Jennifer (JC-S) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: review-books, net-galley

‘Off to the house of a hundred suns?’

Set in the French Indochinese (South-East Asia) colonial world of the 1930s, this novel combines romance, intrigue and some of the worst colonial excesses of the era. But the colonists won’t continue to have everything their own way.

One humid afternoon in 1933, the American-born Jessie Lesage arrives in Hanoi with her husband and daughter. Her husband, Victor, is an heir to the Michelin rubber fortune. Their daughter, Lucie, is young enough to quickly adapt t ...more

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Jan 31, 2021 Randi (readsrandiread) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Historical fiction taking place in 1930s Indochine (Vietnam). Not at all an area or history I was familiar with. There was a lot of history lessons packed into this book, which some people in our buddy read chats found a little like reading a textbook, but I really enjoyed. I thought the middle lagged a little bit, but the beginning gets you invested quickly and the end gets a little thrillery which got my blood pumping. ⁣
⁣

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Jan 12, 2020 Andrea rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5, but not rounding up.

This book was not at all what I expected.

Sort of historical fiction, but more evocative of a time and place--which I love.

1930s Vietnam [Indochine]. Jessie Lange, a dirt poor girl from West Virginia, lands her husband, Victor, a Michelin heir, in Paris. She maneuvers a move from Paris to Indochine where they enter the colonial lifestyle and...

Marcelle de Fabry, a married Parisian woman, also of humble ...more

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Aug 17, 2019 Jenny Buchta rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This book was another win by Karin Tanabe. Not only did I thoroughly enjoy her previous works, but this story was a real page turner. Set in Vietnam (Indochina) during the early 1930s, we follow Jessie and Marcella as they navigate the Michelin rubber plantations and Communist uprisings of the French colonial time period. I thought this story was fast-paced and the plot was fantastic. I highly recommend!

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Apr 30, 2020 Molly rated it really liked it · review of another edition

A HUNDRED SUNS

This was very good. Intriguing story about Jessie and Victor Lesage, a married couple of the Michelin family fame, and their experiences in Indochina in the 1930s. Moving from France to oversee the production process in the rubber plantations, intrigue and hidden pasts begin to surface in mysterious ways.

As elite members of French society in colonialist Indochina, the Lesages develop a friendship at the Officer’s Club with Arnaud de Fabrey, the president of the chamber of commerc ...more

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Mar 25, 2020 Georgia rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

My favourite of Karin Tanabe's books yet--she does a wonderful job of recreating the glamour of 1930s Indochine in this captivating thriller. She puts a much-appreciated twist on the typical unreliable narrator figure with Jessie. I couldn't put it down!! ...more

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Apr 07, 2020 Krista rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, historical-fiction-asia, time-1900-1949, setting-asia, setting-asia-vietnam, kindle-netgalley, historical-fiction, 2020-books-read, 2020-netgalley-reviewed

Rating: 3.5 stars rounded down to 3 stars

Karin Tanabe’s “A Hundred Suns” did not quite fulfill my expectations. Set in 1930’s Indochine (present-day Vietnam) the book introduces us to Jessie and her French husband Victor Michelin Lesage. They are moving from Paris so that Victor can climb another rung on his family’s business ladder. American Jessie comes with her own set of secrets that she is trying to run from and bury. The dissolute ex-pat society that she finds in Indochine exacerbates her ...more

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Play Book Tag: A Hundred Suns by Karin Tanabe - 3 stars	1	8	Feb 19, 2021 09:57AM

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About Karin Tanabe

Karin Tanabe

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KARIN TANABE is the author of five novels, including A Hundred Suns and The Gilded Years (soon to be a major motion picture starring Zendaya, who will produce alongside Reese Witherspoon/Hello Sunshine). A former Politico reporter, she has also written for The Washington Post, the Miami Herald, the Chicago Tribune, and Newsday. She has appeared as a celebrity and politics expert on Entertainment T ...more

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“Brains are more effective than beauty. Only the world tries to make women forget it. They don't want us to be too smart ... They're scared that if they encourage it, we'll end up more intelligent than the men. With the secret being ... that we already are.” — 0 likes

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