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cheryl1213's review against another edition
3.0
This novel falls into the realm of books that I wanted to like more than I did. I very well might have picked it up on my own and I wouldn't have regretted it but I also would be unlikely to return to it or pass it on. I'd give it a solid 3 out of 5 stars.
The novel follows Addie Maine in both her first stay in the Wyoming Territory (1880s) and her return as an older woman (1920s). The focus is on the earlier period, when she joined her brother who had been attracted to the territory by the promise of a homestead. Having found the land rough, he ends up working in a coal mine shortly after Addie arrives. The area is populated by both Caucasians and Chinese, the latter brought in by the rail and mine groups to provide cheap labor. The lack of money leads to strong racial tensions, tensions to which a growing friendship between Addie and a Chinese man run counter. I won't say too much more to avoid venturing into spoiler territory, although it becomes clear early on that Addie is wounded in a local riot (one that has a historical parallel).
I like stories about strong women and Addie is certainly one. I am also interested in the history of racial tension, especially stories that sometimes go untold...I knew of tension with those of European descent and the Chinese (it's easier to have tension w/ groups that appear different on sight) but not of the particular story that provides the historical backdrop for the tale. I just never felt fully pulled in, never fell into the story and the characters (I've said before, characters make a book for me more than plot). I wanted to know a lot more about Addie's lone female friend in the territory but that was pretty much a side story. Leung (who I think is only on his 2nd novel) has talent for identifying an interesting context and tale. His prose flows well and has character. But I just didn't find myself surrendering to the tale enough to give it a higher rating. Good, but not great.
The novel follows Addie Maine in both her first stay in the Wyoming Territory (1880s) and her return as an older woman (1920s). The focus is on the earlier period, when she joined her brother who had been attracted to the territory by the promise of a homestead. Having found the land rough, he ends up working in a coal mine shortly after Addie arrives. The area is populated by both Caucasians and Chinese, the latter brought in by the rail and mine groups to provide cheap labor. The lack of money leads to strong racial tensions, tensions to which a growing friendship between Addie and a Chinese man run counter. I won't say too much more to avoid venturing into spoiler territory, although it becomes clear early on that Addie is wounded in a local riot (one that has a historical parallel).
I like stories about strong women and Addie is certainly one. I am also interested in the history of racial tension, especially stories that sometimes go untold...I knew of tension with those of European descent and the Chinese (it's easier to have tension w/ groups that appear different on sight) but not of the particular story that provides the historical backdrop for the tale. I just never felt fully pulled in, never fell into the story and the characters (I've said before, characters make a book for me more than plot). I wanted to know a lot more about Addie's lone female friend in the territory but that was pretty much a side story. Leung (who I think is only on his 2nd novel) has talent for identifying an interesting context and tale. His prose flows well and has character. But I just didn't find myself surrendering to the tale enough to give it a higher rating. Good, but not great.
jennyshank's review against another edition
4.0
From Dallas Morning News, November, 2010
Over the past year, Chinese miners in the Old West have drawn a surge of interest from all kinds of writers.
In nonfiction, we have seen The Poker Bride: The First Chinese in the Wild West by Christopher Corbett and Massacred for Gold: The Chinese in Hells Canyon, by R. Gregory Nokes. That Idaho massacre is central to David Abrams' novel Deep Creek, and Chinese miners had a cameo role in Ivan Doig's Montana mining novel, Work Song. Now comes Brian Leung's heartfelt second novel, Take Me Home, set in the rough mining town of Dire, Wyo., where an improbable love affair develops between a white woman and a Chinese man.
All these writers agree that the Chinese who came to America to work as miners and railroad builders were the subject of rough treatment and discrimination, derided with all kinds of slurs, and subjected to lives that were isolated and difficult in part because their sojourns here were intended to be temporary.
Leung’s novel is distinct in that it recreates this experience from the perspective of one immigrant, Wing Lee, a sensitive, artistic young man who chooses employment as a cook because he fears the physical damage mining inflicts. As Corbett noted in his book, direct accounts from Chinese immigrants in America during this period are rare because few of these workers could write in English, and most who didn’t perish returned to China, leaving without sharing their stories with a younger generation.
Wing’s impressions of Wyoming are striking. Leung writes, “When [Wing’s] parents wrote for news following his departure from San Francisco, he described this very view, the slope of Dire Draw that fanned out into the valley, the black embroidery of train tracks that snaked under a blue so wide and unyielding that in his letter he repeated the character for sky three times in a row.”
While in Dire, Leung meets the formidable redhead Addie Maine, an encounter that is unusual both because women were scarce in these mining towns and because whites rarely interacted with Chinese, who kept to their own Chinatown sections.
Addie comes from Kentucky, where she was abandoned by her mother as a child and survived her alcoholic father’s limited parenting. Addie’s older brother Tommy invited her to join him in Wyoming, where he’s trying to prove up on a dispiriting plot of land and mining in the meantime.
Upon Addie’s arrival, Tommy’s descriptions of Chinese people she’ll encounter are so prejudiced and off-the-mark that when she sees her first pronghorn, she asks if it’s a “coolie.” But Addie is independent minded, and when she realizes she is not going to get anywhere by relying on her brother’s work ethic, she decides to shoot, cook, and sell meat to miners with the help of Wing.
Addie speaks and thinks in a folksy way common to characters in period Western books, but Leung beautifully describes the process of Addie’s mind and heart opening to Wing and the other Chinese.
The narrative jumps back and forth in time, cycling around an 1885 massacre of Chinese miners by whites in Rock Springs, Wyo., whose events Take Me Home touches on many times before fully revealing the horrible particulars. For the most part, this structure provides momentum and mystery to the novel, but there are a few details that are underemphasized in its shuffle, such as how Wing learned to read and write English so well, a skill that he conceals from everyone but Addie.
Leung’s writing is so clear and lovely and his characters are so well-realized that he convinces the reader that the improbable attraction between Wing and Addie wasn’t impossible, and the character of Wing speaks eloquently for thousands of Chinese miners whose voices are lost to history.
Over the past year, Chinese miners in the Old West have drawn a surge of interest from all kinds of writers.
In nonfiction, we have seen The Poker Bride: The First Chinese in the Wild West by Christopher Corbett and Massacred for Gold: The Chinese in Hells Canyon, by R. Gregory Nokes. That Idaho massacre is central to David Abrams' novel Deep Creek, and Chinese miners had a cameo role in Ivan Doig's Montana mining novel, Work Song. Now comes Brian Leung's heartfelt second novel, Take Me Home, set in the rough mining town of Dire, Wyo., where an improbable love affair develops between a white woman and a Chinese man.
All these writers agree that the Chinese who came to America to work as miners and railroad builders were the subject of rough treatment and discrimination, derided with all kinds of slurs, and subjected to lives that were isolated and difficult in part because their sojourns here were intended to be temporary.
Leung’s novel is distinct in that it recreates this experience from the perspective of one immigrant, Wing Lee, a sensitive, artistic young man who chooses employment as a cook because he fears the physical damage mining inflicts. As Corbett noted in his book, direct accounts from Chinese immigrants in America during this period are rare because few of these workers could write in English, and most who didn’t perish returned to China, leaving without sharing their stories with a younger generation.
Wing’s impressions of Wyoming are striking. Leung writes, “When [Wing’s] parents wrote for news following his departure from San Francisco, he described this very view, the slope of Dire Draw that fanned out into the valley, the black embroidery of train tracks that snaked under a blue so wide and unyielding that in his letter he repeated the character for sky three times in a row.”
While in Dire, Leung meets the formidable redhead Addie Maine, an encounter that is unusual both because women were scarce in these mining towns and because whites rarely interacted with Chinese, who kept to their own Chinatown sections.
Addie comes from Kentucky, where she was abandoned by her mother as a child and survived her alcoholic father’s limited parenting. Addie’s older brother Tommy invited her to join him in Wyoming, where he’s trying to prove up on a dispiriting plot of land and mining in the meantime.
Upon Addie’s arrival, Tommy’s descriptions of Chinese people she’ll encounter are so prejudiced and off-the-mark that when she sees her first pronghorn, she asks if it’s a “coolie.” But Addie is independent minded, and when she realizes she is not going to get anywhere by relying on her brother’s work ethic, she decides to shoot, cook, and sell meat to miners with the help of Wing.
Addie speaks and thinks in a folksy way common to characters in period Western books, but Leung beautifully describes the process of Addie’s mind and heart opening to Wing and the other Chinese.
The narrative jumps back and forth in time, cycling around an 1885 massacre of Chinese miners by whites in Rock Springs, Wyo., whose events Take Me Home touches on many times before fully revealing the horrible particulars. For the most part, this structure provides momentum and mystery to the novel, but there are a few details that are underemphasized in its shuffle, such as how Wing learned to read and write English so well, a skill that he conceals from everyone but Addie.
Leung’s writing is so clear and lovely and his characters are so well-realized that he convinces the reader that the improbable attraction between Wing and Addie wasn’t impossible, and the character of Wing speaks eloquently for thousands of Chinese miners whose voices are lost to history.
kailey_luminouslibro's review
5.0
This journal encourages the reader to go on an exploration of their own home, really noticing things around the house and how the rooms are laid out. You can draw a map of your house, sketch your front door, and make up a story about characters who lived in your house before you moved in. There are little tidbits of information about the history of homes and different features of architecture around the world.
I loved the colorful pages full of fun activities and journal prompts! Doing these activities is really relaxing and thoughtful. It really forces you to consider a different perspective and see things in a fresh way. I really liked all the cool illustrations and bits of history.
This would be the perfect gift for a child in quarantine!
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.
I loved the colorful pages full of fun activities and journal prompts! Doing these activities is really relaxing and thoughtful. It really forces you to consider a different perspective and see things in a fresh way. I really liked all the cool illustrations and bits of history.
This would be the perfect gift for a child in quarantine!
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.
katyjean81's review against another edition
2.0
Overall, I did not enjoy this book. I felt that the jumping through time in this book was not effective, whereas sometimes it can really build tension. It was interesting to read it against the backdrop of the riot at Rock Springs against the Chinese, but that was the extent of my engagement.. Mostly, I just could not get into the story line. For some, this will be a very enjoyable book, but for em the characters felt lackluster, the plot was slow and the writing felt flat.
katrinaburch's review against another edition
1.0
I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads. Just a disclosure. I thought this book sounded really interesting but I just could not get into it. Read about 50 pages and I couldn't get the story, I couldn't feel the lead character, Addie, and just something about the book didn't work for me.
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