In the tradition of Thousand Pieces of Gold comes The Moon Pearl, the story of Rooster, Shadow, and Mei Ju, who become fast friends while members of a girls’ house, where young daughters are taught to become daughters-in-law. These girls, however, want neither to marry nor become nuns (the only options open to them at this time). They choose instead to support themselves through their skills in embroidery and silk production. Though ostracized by their families, attacked, and barely able to find sustenance and shelter, these sze saw, or self-combers as they will come to be called, manage to create lives that they alone control. An amazing true-life story, The Moon Pearl offers an empowering vision of womanhood in China.
“Remarkably romantic and thoroughly enchanting.”—Rendezvous on Pearl Moon “Katherine Stone delivers not one, not two, but four intertwining love stories in this tender, moving, entrancing novel.”—Romantic Times on Pearl Moon PEARL MOON is the triumphant story of two remarkable sisters, bound by blood but separated by fate, who face unexpected danger and discover unrivaled passion in turbulent and exotic modern-day Hong Kong. Hong Kong is a place of intriguing contrasts, of the ancient and the new, the cosmopolitan and the mystical, a spectacular marriage of East and West. It is also a place of great excitement and uncertainty as the year 1997 draws near, the year the British lease expires on the Crown Colony and sovereignty of Hong Kong reverts to China. Maylene Kwan is the architect of Hong Kong’s most luxurious hotel, the Jade Palace. Like the building she has designed, she is an intoxicating blend of East and West, of harmony and conflict. Her desire for fierce and rugged Texan Sam Coulter, the hotel’s builder, is potent and addictive. But a devastating secret stands between Maylene and true love. Now she will come face to face with the American sister she has never met, a sister who doesn’t even know Maylene exists. Photographer Allison Whitaker, the cherished daughter of a powerful Texas family, has always viewed the world through a camera lens. Unaware of the blood ties she shares with Maylene, Allison comes to Hong Kong to savor freedom for the first time in her life. She falls in love with the British aristocrat James Drake, the hotel’s developer, unwittingly putting her life in jeopardy as Drake’s arch enemy prepares for a deadly showdown. As pressure builds for completion of the luxury hotel, both sisters will know the deadly menace of a force as elusive as the morning fog swirling over Victoria Peak . . . and as deadly as the typhoons that strike the tiny island with such fury. It will be a time of bold desire and hidden evil, of the beauty and capriciousness of nature, of hope renewed and love as eternal and precious as Hong Kong itself. Remarkably romantic and thoroughly enchanting.”—Rendezvous on Pearl Moon “A can’t-miss combination of multi-generational romance and international suspense.”—Booklist on Pearl Moon “In the vein of Danielle Steel and Sandra Brown.”—Library Journal on Pearl Moon A “triumph . . . of love, drama, and stunning passions for which Katherine Stone is increasingly recognized.”—Affaire de Coeur on Pearl Moon “A hauntingly beautiful story set against the splendor of California’s Napa Valley. An intriguing, multilayered tale filled with such deep emotions and vivid descriptions that it’s nearly impossible to put down.”—Rendezvous on Bed of Roses “Heart-tugging . . . few romance fans will remain unmoved.”—Publishers Weekly on Thief of Hearts “Poignant . . . Cass is an intrepid heroine, but it is Chase who wins our hearts when he refuses to allow Cass’s seeming betrayal to stop him from protecting his beloved.”—Midwest Book Review on Bed of Roses “Fairytale elements mix with those of a present day romance for . . . thoroughly enjoyable results.”—Kirkus Reviews on Rainbows “Sweeping drama . . . Her most emotionally charged and intricate story of love yet.”—Romantic Times on Imagine Love “Alluring . . . Fascinating . . . Each page brings a new adventure, every plot twist another question begging to be answered.”—Rendezvous on Imagine Love Katherine Stone's "high quality romance ranks right up there with Nora Roberts."—Booklist
A unique blend of traditional folklore and contemporary customs brings the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival to life. Two sisters and their grandmother celebrate a popular Chinese holiday with family. Their favorite part? Mooncakes, of course--along with Ah-ma's story of the ancient Chinese tale of Hou Yi, a brave young archer, and his wife, Chang'E. A long, long time ago, Hou Yi rescued the earth from the heat of ten suns. The Immortals rewarded him with a magic potion that could let him live in the sky with them forever. But when a thief tries to steal the potion, what will Chang'E do to keep it out of dangerous hands? The sisters are mesmerized by Ah-ma's retelling and the fact that the very mooncakes they enjoy each holiday are a symbol of this legend's bravest soul.
One fateful night, the moon shines so big and so bright that it is too heavy to hold itself up in the sky. When it tumbles down and breaks into many glimmering pieces, Luna sees the whole thing. Her grandfather Poppa warns that without the moon in the sky, the oceans will stop moving and the earth will start to wobble. Luna and Poppa must mend it, but they may not be able to do it all on their own. The mountain is alive with creatures big and small whose watchful eyes also saw the moon fall. Together, can they find all the shards, stick them together, and get the moon safely back into the sky? In this enchanting tale with a timeless, folklore feel, a girl, her grandfather, and all the animals of the mountain hold the power to set the world right and forever leave their mark on the moon.
Mahmoud's passion for his wife Fereiba, a schoolteacher, is greater than any love she's ever known. But their happy, middle-class world—a life of education, work, and comfort—implodes when their country is engulfed in war, and the Taliban rises to power. Mahmoud, a civil engineer, becomes a target of the new fundamentalist regime and is murdered. Forced to flee Kabul with her three children, Fereiba has one hope to survive: she must find a way to cross Europe and reach her sister's family in England. With forged papers and help from kind strangers they meet along the way, Fereiba make a dangerous crossing into Iran under cover of darkness. Exhausted and brokenhearted but undefeated, Fereiba manages to smuggle them as far as Greece. But in a busy market square, their fate takes a frightening turn when her teenage son, Saleem, becomes separated from the rest of the family. Faced with an impossible choice, Fereiba pushes on with her daughter and baby, while Saleem falls into the shadowy underground network of undocumented Afghans who haunt the streets of Europe's capitals. Across the continent Fereiba and Saleem struggle to reunite, and ultimately find a place where they can begin to reconstruct their lives.
A Time Magazine 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time selection! A Reader’s Digest Best Children’s Book of All Time! This stunning fantasy inspired by Chinese folklore is a companion novel to Starry River of the Sky and the New York Times bestselling and National Book Award finalist When the Sea Turned to Silver In the valley of Fruitless mountain, a young girl named Minli lives in a ramshackle hut with her parents. In the evenings, her father regales her with old folktales of the Jade Dragon and the Old Man on the Moon, who knows the answers to all of life's questions. Inspired by these stories, Minli sets off on an extraordinary journey to find the Old Man on the Moon to ask him how she can change her family's fortune. She encounters an assorted cast of characters and magical creatures along the way, including a dragon who accompanies her on her quest for the ultimate answer. Grace Lin, author of the beloved Year of the Dog and Year of the Rat returns with a wondrous story of adventure, faith, and friendship. A fantasy crossed with Chinese folklore, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is a timeless story reminiscent of The Wizard of Oz and Kelly Barnhill's The Girl Who Drank the Moon. Her beautiful illustrations, printed in full-color, accompany the text throughout. Once again, she has created a charming, engaging book for young readers.
Originally published in 1967 The Pearl looks at the anonymous fourteenth century poet of Pearl. The book argues that the poem ranks in importance and interest with that of Chaucer and Langland, but suggests that it has always proved more difficult to approach to the modern reader. The aim of this book is to clear away some of the difficulty through a close examination of the material the poet had to draw on, and the poet’s use of this in the organisation of the poem. The main themes are established through detailed analysis of the poem, which is seen as much more than either a lament for an individual or the mere figurative presentation of an idea.
