Product Description

As World War II threatens their comfortable life in Hong Kong, young Joan and Emma Lew escape with their family to spend the war years in Macao. When they return home, Emma develops a deep interest in travel and sets her sights on an artistic life in San Francisco, while Joan turns to movies and thoughts of romance to escape the pressures of her real life. As the girls become women, each follows a path different from what her family expects. But through periods of great happiness and sorrow, the sisters learn that their complicated ties to each other--and to the other members of their close-knit family—are a source of strength as they pursue their separate dreams.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #733907 in Books
• Published on: 1999-07-01
• Released on: 1999-06-24
• Format: Bargain Price
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 275 pages

From Library Journal
A work of historical fiction, Tsukiyama's (Samurai's Garden, LJ 2/15/95) latest novel contains several strong female characters. Set during the onset of the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong in 1940, it first introduces readers to sisters Joan and Emma Lew, ages 14 and nine. The girls, with their servant Foon and their mother's first cousin, Auntie Go, all live "privileged" lives together in Hong Kong until they decide to flee from the imposing Japanese and emigrate to Macao, leaving their father behind to watch the family home. At the war's end, the family returns to Hong Kong with the intention of rebuilding and reclaiming their lives. Culminating in the year 1965, this novel follows its characters through 15 years of growth, maturity, and self-discovery. The ending is a bit rushed, leaving the sisters' characters slightly underdeveloped (and perhaps allowing room for a sequel?). But because Tsukiyama writes with great sensory detail, allowing her reader to touch, taste, and feel the world she creates, the work does remain a satisfying read. Recommended for Asian American and larger fiction collections.?Shirley N. Quan, Orange Cty. P.L., Fountain Valley, Cal.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
In a story where the omniscient narrator moves the point of view among the family participants, and where time may shift years between chapters or linger over moments slow and sweet as honey, we view the world of Emma Lew of Hong Kong and, later, San Francisco; her older sister Joan; and their family from 1940 to 1965. The changing mores of Hong Kong society are the backdrop for the tender relationships among Emma, who longs for a wider world than her mother's ladies' lunches; Joan, who finds her place in the movies that have fed her dreams since childhood; Auntie Go, who pulls deeply against tradition by running her own business; and silent servant Foon, whose cooking forges a near-mystical familial bond. Particularly fine at evoking how scent and aroma can jog the memory and clutch at the heart, the tale grows in richness as it proceeds, a paean to the sustaining pleasures of family. GraceAnne A. DeCandido

Review
"Delicately fashioned . . . Evocative." --The New York Times Book Review

"Tsukiyama tells a quietly powerful and understated story of women finding their way in the world, and the strength they derive from family ties." --San Francisco Chronicle

"Grows in richness as it proceeds, a paean to the sustaining pleasures of family." --Booklist

"Tsukiyama writes with great sensory detail, allowing her reader to touch, taste, and feel the world she creates." --Library Journal

"With unexpected poignancy . . . Tsukiyama skillfully demonstrates how the strength of family bonds can provide spiritual sustenance." --Publishers Weekly
-- Review

Customer Reviews

Nicely written story of 2 sisters in WWII-era China
Night of Many Dreams is the story of two Chinese sisters, Joan and Emma, growing up in Hong Kong during and after World War II. Their mother is a traditional Chinese woman who wants to pair them up with respected and successful husbands; their father runs a business that keeps him in Japan the bulk of the time; and their Auntie Go runs a successful knitting factory and has never married. During the course of the book, they flee the Japanese occupation to the nearby Portuguese island of Macao, return to Hong Kong to start over again, and gradually return to prosperity. The book focuses on the two daughters, both of them strong and independent in different ways, and how they each find their own way. With the mother and aunt as role models, we expect that Joan, the beautiful one, will find a good husband, and Emma, the smart one, will pursue a career. In the end, though, they each make choices that suit their personality without necessarily fulfilling the expectations others had of them.

Like Tsukiyama's Women of the Silk, this book is nicely written and gives a good sense of the culture and values during this time in Hong Kong. I liked this one a little better than Silk, though, because it had a broader array of interesting characters and I felt I came to understand them better, especially Auntie Go, Joan & Emma. Both Joan and Emma seem to grow and learn from their experiences, and I enjoyed seeing how each of them would handle some of the difficult choices they faced. I like how Tsukiyama creates strong female characters who find their own way within their culture, subtly challenging the status quo but without explicitly rejecting the system. I don't know enough about that area's history to know how realistic the story is, but I hope it is plausible.

Must Read!
I've read all of Tsukiyama's books and found them to be all excellent! This book was wonderfully written and left me wanting the book never to end. I found myself glued to the book and pulled in by the characters. This book also gives you an insight to what Hong Kong was like the 1940's and 1950's.

Simplicity Counts
To speak of the truth, I was initially attracted to the book because of its shimmering cover. Little did I realize that something more exciting awaited me. The moment I start flipping the pages, I was hooked. The lives of Emma and Joan had me so captivated. Though the lives they lead were not exactly riveting, it felt real to me. I could relate to how they were feeling especially when Emma was in America all by herself. I felt like I know her and reading her encounters in America brought back memories for myself. Also, how the characters' lives in the book were all interwined makes me view family ties in a different light. The unconditional love Joan had for Emma, Emma had for Joan, Auntie Go's love for her nieces and the girls' mother who loved them in her own unique way touched my heart. The story also shed light on the bond between Emma and her friend in Macau. Absence only makes the hearts grow fonder. The bond they shared was incredible. I also admire Joan's wits and bravery in the beginning of the novel whereby she, a teenager had to collect debts on the behalf of her father and the clever tactics she used to handle tricky debtors. I like the way Gail Tsukiyama depicts the courage of the girls regardless of how adverse the circumstances may be. There are two unexpected twists to the story. A good read for those who prefers simplicity and a slow, relaxing read for all the ideas to sink in. More for the gals out there, definitely!