Love and Other Consolation Prizes / Jamie Ford / 304 pages

This is Jamie Ford's fourth book.  It is based on the true story of a young boy who was auctioned off at the 1909 World's Fair in Seattle.  Ernest Young is a Chinese boy whose starving mother manages to get him on a boat sailing to America.  Ernest is one of many young Chinese children being taken to America.  They hope to be adopted or sponsored, but many are just put to work.  Ernest is sponsored by a rich patron and starts to get a good education.  However, when he aspires to reach for a higher status in his life his sponsor does not approve.  She makes arrangements for him to be auctioned at the World's Fair.  Ernest is bought by a madam of a prostitution house to become a house boy.  There Ernest meets the young "sister" of the madam and reunites with a girl from his boat journey to America who is now a maid at the madam's house.  The story is told in two time periods, the 1962 Seattle World's Fair and the 1909 Seattle World's Fair.

Five Star Billionaire / Tash Aw / 400 pgs

This is the very last book I had to read for a #ReadHarder challenge (read a book by an author from southeastern Asia) and I have to admit that it was a hard challenge to fulfill. I started and stopped two other books that would have fit the category before finally starting and finishing this one. I don't blame the other two books, as it seems very little is holding my attention lately.

What I liked about the book: I learned a lot about Shanghai and immigration to China. We hear a lot about immigration to America, both legally and illegally, but it's interesting to learn about how other countries absorb people from neighboring countries. The story is modern, lots of reference to the internet and other pop culture items, although for an American, the references to Chinese pop culture can be a bit confusing. Also, it was a fast read despite its length.

What I disliked about the book: The book focuses on four different characters, all of them Malaysian (like the author). All of them have moved to Shanghai to have a better life. Phoebe is invited to come to Shanghai where she has a job waiting for her. When she gets there, she discovers the job is no longer available and she is forced to figure out other means to make a living. Justin is the son of a wealthy real estate developer. He becomes overwhelmed with his work and family demands, so he goes into hiding in a city of over 23 million people. Gary is a pop star who falls from grace when his innocent persona is dismantled after he is filmed in a bar fight. Yinghui is an up-and-coming business woman. Behind the scenes is Walter Chao, the "five star billionaire" in the title of the book. The story shifts between the characters. To be honest, a couple of the characters were not at all interesting to me and I found myself wishing their parts would be a bit shorter.

The Good Earth / Pearl S. Buck / 357 pgs

I just finished "The Good Earth" by Pearl S. Buck when I am using for the "Oprah's Book Club" challenge. I loved this book so much. In fact, it's one of my favorites so far this year. It's all about a young Chinese farmer, Wang Lung, who marries, O-Lan, a plain looking slave from the rich house of Hwang in the town near where he lives. O-Lan works hard and together they have children and make enough money that he can buy more land. As the years go by, there are famines and floods, but central to the story is Wang Lung's love for the earth. However, the story spans decades and as the farmer's fortune changes and he grows rich, he lets other things steal his attention away from the land he loves.
It's a beautiful story and I completely recommend it.

Of Metal and Wishes / Sarah Fine / 321 pages

Of Metal and Wishes is about this young girl, Wen, who lives and works in a slaughterhouse factory in China with her father who is the factory’s doctor.  Supposedly, the slaughterhouse is haunted by the ghost of a young boy who died on the killing floor almost a decade prior and grants wishes to those who ask (or really, deserve).  One day, Wen is humiliated by a boy from a group called the Noor (a hated lower class in China who works the dirtiest of jobs for cheap) and decides to test this so-called ghost and asks him to prove himself to her.  She learns much more than she could have ever imagined and not necessarily in a good way.  She finds out more about the “ghost,” learns her heart is not as hard as she thinks it is, and discovers more about herself than she ever thought.

The book was an interesting one… It grabbed you in the beginning then lost you closer to the middle and dragged on only to pick back up and really pull you in to the point you could not put the book down.  It can be very graphic (it is paranormal after all) but it makes the story very vivid and come to life. However, this book did not go according to how I thought it would and even the ending was somewhat surprising.

Butterfly Swords / Jeannie Lin / 282 pgs. / Asia

"During China's infamous Tang Dynasty, a time awash with luxury yet littered with deadly intrigues and fallen royalty, betrayed Princess Ai Li flees before her wedding. Miles from home, with only her delicate butterfly swords for defense, she enlists the reluctant protection of a blue-eyed warrior.... Battle-scarred, embittered Ryam has always held his own life at cheap value. Ai Li's innocent trust in him and honorable, stubborn nature make him desperate to protect her--which means not seducing the first woman he has ever truly wanted...."--P. [4] of cover.

A very strong heroine and an honorable hero, lots of action, and a sense of real love and respect between the characters.  An enjoyable read!  My only complaint is that things wrap up a little to neatly at the end to give the reader the romantic happy ending.  Sorry, I just don't think of Emperors during the Tang Dynasty as benevolent and forward thinking when it came to women's rights. 

***Winner of the Golden Heart Award – Best Historical Romance***

The Risk Agent / Ridley Pearson / 420 pages

Ohhhh  yes, Ridley Pearson is the master of intricate plotting with plenty 'o twists & turns.  In Risk Agent, he introduces two new characters, John Knox (exporter, true blue, clever & violent) and Grace Chu (forensic accountant and former Red Army) and kicks off a new series of books.  Pearson spent a year with his family teaching writing in Shanghai and apparently he left no stone unturned when it came to understanding politics, police, culture, corruption, construction and day-to-day life in Shanghai.  20 million people in a city and face recognition technology so sophisticated that you can't go anywhere without being on camera.  The story is great, the plot is great, the characters are winners...so read it already.