Description
Reviews:
`Another wonderful book I found thanks to the reviews of Rebecca Roanhorse, who has never yet steered me wrong! She Who Became the Sun tells the story of Zhu Chongba (early SPOILER: or rather, the story of his younger sister, who assumes his identity after his death). The new Zhu, passing herself as a boy, rises from the lowest of peasant beginnings to become a monk, and then . . . well, her fortune urges her to rise ever higher at ever greater risk in the war-torn world of Yuan during the reign of the Mongol emperors. A historical adventure with light touches of fantasy, a heroic tale of the most unlikely hero, a history of clashing armies and personalities in which all sides are equally brave and equally villainous, this novel was so good my only complaint is that now that I’m done, I feel at a loss. Both main characters, Zhu and Ouyang the eunuch general, are outsiders, outcasts with huge secrets to hide. Both face impossibly tragic lives and loves. They circle each other less as enemies than as counterweights to each others’ inexorable fates. The writing is beautiful and evocative. The ruminations on the nature of gender and societal roles are elegant and poignant. The story keeps the pages turning, and the lovely queer romance makes the story all the more real, heartfelt and believable. Highly recommended and I can’t wait for the sequel!‘- (Goodreads review)
`Another wonderful book I found thanks to the reviews of Rebecca Roanhorse, who has never yet steered me wrong! She Who Became the Sun tells the story of Zhu Chongba (early SPOILER: or rather, the story of his younger sister, who assumes his identity after his death). The new Zhu, passing herself as a boy, rises from the lowest of peasant beginnings to become a monk, and then . . . well, her fortune urges her to rise ever higher at ever greater risk in the war-torn world of Yuan during the reign of the Mongol emperors. A historical adventure with light touches of fantasy, a heroic tale of the most unlikely hero, a history of clashing armies and personalities in which all sides are equally brave and equally villainous, this novel was so good my only complaint is that now that I’m done, I feel at a loss. Both main characters, Zhu and Ouyang the eunuch general, are outsiders, outcasts with huge secrets to hide. Both face impossibly tragic lives and loves. They circle each other less as enemies than as counterweights to each others’ inexorable fates. The writing is beautiful and evocative. The ruminations on the nature of gender and societal roles are elegant and poignant. The story keeps the pages turning, and the lovely queer romance makes the story all the more real, heartfelt and believable. Highly recommended and I can’t wait for the sequel!‘- (Goodreads review)
‘[puts head in hands] oh god this novel spins out the most beautiful and wounding words about the febrile nature of queer desire, the terrible gnawing feelings of gender dysphoria, the habitable sorrows of unbelonging, and so many moments of fugitive tenderness between unresolvable opposites, and I’m absolutely never going to emotionally recover from it.’ – (Goodreads review)
Author: Shelley Parker-Chan
Publishing House: Pan Macmillan
Condition: Softcover. Fab 2nd hand condition.
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