Friday, January 27, 2012

ALL THE FLOWERS IN SHANGHAI: A PREVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

GIVEAWAY ENDED
ALL THE FLOWERS 
IN SHANGHAI
BY DUNCAN JEPSON

ABOUT THE BOOK:
Readers previously enchanted by Memoirs of a Geisha, Empress, and the novels of Lisa See will be captivated by Duncan Jepson’s marvelous debut, All the Flowers in Shanghai. Evocative, sweeping, yet intimate historical fiction, Jepson’s novel transports us to a China on the brink of revolution, and witnesses this colorful, tumultuous world through the eyes of a woman forced into a life not of her choosing and driven to seek a bitter revenge.  This epic journey into the heart of Asia is sure to mesmerize fans of Shanghai Girls and Snow Flower and the Secret Fan.

For every young Chinese woman in 1930s Shanghai, following the path of duty takes precedence over personal desires. 

For Feng, that means becoming the bride of a wealthy businessman in a marriage arranged by her parents. In the enclosed world of the Sang household—a place of public ceremony and private cruelty—fulfilling her duty means bearing a male heir.

The life that has been forced on her makes Feng bitter and resentful, and she plots a terrible revenge. But with the passing years comes a reckoning, and Feng must reconcile herself with the sacrifices and terrible choices she has made in order to assure her place in the family and society—even as the violent, relentless tide of revolution engulfs her country.

Both a sweeping historical novel and an intimate portrait of one woman’s struggle against tradition, All the Flowers in Shanghai marks the debut of a sensitive and revelatory writer.

PRAISE FOR ALL THE FLOWERS IN SHANGHAI:
“Jepson...evokes time and place well as he describes the life of privilege that Feng comes to take for granted only to have her life veer dramatically and be overtaken by the Great Leap Forward.”
— Booklist
 “[Jepson] does a solid job of voicing a female character.”— Library Journal “Strong on detail and emotional intensity.”— Kirkus Reviews “[A] riveting storyline.”— Publishers Weekly “Poignant and elegantly written.”— Romantic Times "An accomplished first novel. Duncan Jepson magically inhabits the life of a young Chinese woman in 1930s Shanghai, following Feng’s unlikely evolution from neglected second daughter to first wife of the rich and powerful Sang family and her unexpected epilogue. I thoroughly enjoyed this book."—Janice Y. K. Lee, New York Times bestselling author of The Piano Teacher 

“Breathtaking….A great work that will move its readers.”
—Hong Ying, international bestselling author of Daughter of the River


“The life of this novel’s main character is splintered into thousands of pieces, each of them reflecting the changes of Chinese history, yet all of them coming out in Duncan Jepson’s poetic, passionate writing.”
— Qiu Xiaolong, author of the Inspector Chen mysteries
 “A beautifully poetic story. Duncan Jepson creates a poignant set of characters and follows the journey of one woman who attempts to stop the cycle of history in the only way she knows how, but with dire consequences.” --Geling Yan, author of The Banquet Bug ABOUT THE AUTHOR:Duncan Jepson is the award-winning director and producer of five feature films. He has also produced documentaries for Discovery Channel Asia and National Geographic Channel. He was the editor of the Asia-based fashion magazine West East and is a founder and managing editor of the Asia Literary Review. A lawyer by profession, he lives in Hong Kong.To read more about Duncan Jepson, visit his bio on his website HERE. 

GIVEAWAY

THANKS TO MARY AND THE GOOD 
PEOPLE AT HARPER COLLINS, I HAVE
ONE COPY OF THIS FASCINATING
BOOK TO GIVE AWAY
  
--U.S. RESIDENTS ONLY
--NO P. O. BOXES
---INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS
IN CASE YOU WIN!
--ALL COMMENTS MUST BE SEPARATE TO
 

COUNT AS MORE THAN ONE!


HOW TO ENTER:


+1 ENTRY: COMMENT ON WHAT YOU THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT YOU READ ABOVE ABOUT ALL THE FLOWERS IN SHANGHAI THAT MADE YOU WANT TO WIN THIS BOOK, AND DON'T FORGET YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS

+1 MORE ENTRY: BLOG AND/OR TWEET ABOUT THIS GIVEAWAY AND COME BACK HERE AND LEAVE ME YOUR LINK

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON SOMETHING YOU FIND INTERESTING ABOUT DUNCAN JEPSON WHEN YOU VISIT HIS WEBSITE HERE

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON ONE WAY THAT YOU FOLLOW MY BLOG. IF YOU FOLLOW MORE THAN ONE WAY YOU MAY COMMENT SEPARATELY FOR EACH TO RECEIVE MORE ENTRIES
GIVEAWAY ENDS AT
6 PM, EST, FEBRUARY 9
 GOOD LUCK!

66 comments:

Margie said...

I enjoy books set in other cultures. The Chinese culture is one of my favorite...love Lisa Lee's books.
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Margie said...

After visiting Kabul in 2005, Duncan established a charity, the Society for Children’s Education in Asia, to support the Aschiana Accelerated Girls Learning Centre.
mtakala1 AT yahoo DOT com

Steve Capell said...

I somehow feel that reading a historical fiction about china in 1930s would be fascinating. This may be because I have not read much about this culture especially from this era. So I bow with thankfulness for the opportunity.

steven.capell@gmail.com

debbie said...

I enjoy reading books set in different time periods.
twoofakind12@yahoo.com

mamabunny13 said...

I love the title of this book! I can't wait to read it.
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mamabunny13 said...

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traveler said...

A captivating novel. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

traveler said...

e-mail subscriber. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

traveler said...

being a lawyer and an author is talent. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

petite said...

A facinating and memorable story which I would enjoy. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com

petite said...

He is an award winning filmmaker. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com

holdenj said...

I have enjoyed a couple of Lisa See's books, so I think I would be happy to give this a try.
Thanks!
JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com

holdenj said...

I am an email subscriber.
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holdenj said...

I am a GFC follower.
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I subscribe via RSS feed.
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holdenj said...

Duncan certainly has an interesting background. The side note that he is also a corporate lawyer was a surprise.
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Connie said...

I heard this book was very good and will think of Lisa See's books. :)

Thank you for this giveaway!

aliasgirl1976@yahoo.com

Connie said...

I am a loyal GFC follower. :)

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lag123 said...

I don't know much about the history of China, so I would love to read this and learn more about the culture as well.

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lag123 said...

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lag123 said...

I learned that Duncan was a director of Child Welfare Scheme.

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Pamela Keener said...

I truly enjoy reading these types of books. I also love when historical facts are interwoven in the story as you learn so much.
Love & Hugs,
Pam
pk4290(at)comcast(dot)net

Pamela Keener said...

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Anonymous said...

love what the critics had to say (fingers crossed!)

Anonymous said...

he is also a film maker!

Anonymous said...

follow you gfc

heavenisabookstore said...

I have been reading a lot about this book recently. Really excited! Being a huge fan of Lisa See's novels, I know I will love this one. The culture is amazing.

Reading said...

I love Memoirs of a Geisha. (the book, not the movie!) I think I would enjoy this. I love books from other cultures.

lizzi0915 at aol dot com

rubynreba said...

I enjoy historical fiction and the setting in China would be very interesting.
pbclark(at)netins(dot)net

Lukey Here said...

I love stories about Asian culture and this sounds like another good one.

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