'A powerful and mesmerizing novel, both mythic and intimate . . . a great accomplishment of imagination, insight and lyricism' - Amy Tan. 'Lavishly imagined and skilfully narrated' - The Independent. Under Fishbone Clouds is a love story and family saga interwoven with traditional folktales and stories from ancient Chinese history. Set against the backdrop of dramatic events of recent Chinese political history, we follow the lives of Jinyi and his wife Yuying. “An unlikely love story set against the events of the last half-century in China... a poetic evocation of the country and its people.” —The New York TimesUnder Fishbone Clouds is a love story, a family saga and a compendium of Chinese history, folklore, myth and culture. The Kitchen God, a Chinese deity, has been challenged by the Jade Emperor to fathom the workings of the human heart. In the course of his quest he follows the life of Jinyi and his wife Yuying, from their youth until their old age. This tale is interwoven with Chinese traditional folktales and stories from ancient Chinese history, while the omnipresent backdrop to Yuying and Jinyi's lives is the sequence of dramatic events of recent Chinese political history, which determines the course of their lives.“A powerful and mesmerizing novel, both mythic and intimate... a great accomplishment of imagination, insight, and lyricism.” —Amy Tan, New York Times-bestselling author“Utterly beautiful and memorable... very fine storytelling that handles, with great care, life often at its most raw. Meekings presents us with the gift of a brilliant debut novel.” —Alexander McCall Smith, New York Times-bestselling author“Lavishly imagined and skillfully narrated.” —The Independent“Meekings is a bang-up storyteller, and his easy handling of rich and varied material—rustic splendor, class warfare, profound anguish, drastic social changes—will keep readers rapt. This is a beautifully told love story as well as an absorbing study in Chinese folklore and history.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)“As utterly engrossing as it is well penned, this is a wonderful debut about the lengths that love can take us.” —Booklist (starred review) When the Kitchen God is challenged by the Jade Emperor to fathom the workings of the human heart, he chooses to follow the life of Jinyi and his wife Yuying, from their blossoming love until their old age, in hope of finding an answer. The Kitchen God watches as the new government strictures split their family in two, living inside their hearts as they they endure the loss of two children, homesickness, and isolation, all while keeping alive a love that survives famine, forced labor, and even death. Weaving together the story of their life with China's recent political history, as well as traditional folktales and myths, the Kitchen God illuminates the most impenetrable aspects the human condition.
"Under Fishbone Clouds" is a love story, a family saga and a compendium of Chinese history, folklore, myth and culture. The Kitchen God, a Chinese deity, has been challenged by the Jade Emperor to fathom the workings of the human heart. In the course of his quest, he follows the life of Jinyi and his wife Yuying, from their youth until their old age. This tale is interwoven with Chinese traditional folktales and stories from ancient Chinese history, while the omnipresent backdrop to Yuying and Jinyi's lives is the sequence of dramatic events of recent Chinese political history, which determines the course of their lives.
Part love story and part historical narrative, this elegant debut novel follows a young Chinese couple as their love grows, and is tested, during Mao's Cultural Revolution. When the Kitchen God is challenged by the Jade Emperor to fathom the workings of the human heart, he chooses to follow the life of Jinyi and his wife Yuying, from their blossoming love until their old age, in hope of finding an answer. Under Fishbone Clouds Provides a rare and personal glimpse into the birth of modern china. 1946-year of the dog 1942-year of the horse 1944-year of the monkey 1947-year of the pig 1949-year of the ox 1951-year of the rabbit 1960-year of the rat 1967-year of the sheep 1974-year of the tiger 1977-year of the snake 1981-year of the rooster 2000-year of the dragon Year of the cat.
