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Comments (35)

What did you think about this title?
1 to 25 of 35 items
Jun 02, 2023BAE322 rated this title 2.5 out of 5 stars
I found it too hard to follow Percival and his stupid decisions like sending his son to Shanghai and gambling with borrowed money. He can go his destructive way without me.
Mar 04, 2021jhurly rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
A superb book, brilliantly written. I could not put it down. Highly recommended.
Mar 31, 2020
DGG: A suspenseful and affecting story about a Chinese headmaster in Saigon who has a weakness for gambling and who must decide how to respond when his son gets into trouble with the Vietnamese authorities.
Mar 11, 2020echong0430 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
An excellent book that draws you in. Kind of reminds me of a Chinese movie called "To Live", which also portrays the downward spiral of the main character. Strongly recommend this book.
Nov 13, 2018SurreyLibraries_Reads rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Vincent Lam’s latest book is a great read. Set in Saigon during the lead-up to the Vietnam War, it’s not an easy book – some of the details of the torture and atrocities during this time are quite harrowing, as are the main character’s…
Jan 30, 2017spiderfelt_0 rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
On the one hand, it was interesting to learn about a place and time unfamiliar to me, yet I found the main character so distasteful I came close to bailing halfway. How do we judge the survivors of a world filled with political peril? It…
Jul 07, 2015
I really liked this novel. It gave me a different perspective on the Vietnam war but most of all I enjoyed the characters and the twisting plot. I like stories about flawed people who make flawed choices. They are very human and the…
Jan 05, 2015GLNovak rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
My daughter told me to read this, so of course I waited a year or so before I did. At first I was very impatient with the story as Percival Chen just would not be a good guy. He is Chinese and runs an academy in Saigon in the 1970's…
Oct 16, 2014Jenny_Fry rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Very good book, rich details, lots of tension re: what will happen to the characters....the reader knows that the Vietnam war is coming to Saigon but the characters are clueless. Quite violent at times, very much worth reading.
Mar 19, 2014uncommonreader rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
The main character, although he defends and is true to his family, is difficult to care about given his opportunism, total lack of awareness of the political situation where he lives and chauvinism about his race. The book really…
beebee40
Jan 27, 2014beebee40 rated this title 2.5 out of 5 stars
a mix of history, family roots and dreams, politics and mixed cultures. Interesting and a valiant effort by the author; but the prose is flabby, somewhat repetitive. The novel attempts too much and I believe falls short of its potential
Dec 30, 2013
Excellent book. Took me back to memories of Viet Nam both in terms of my travel experience and the history of the 1960' and 70's.
Nov 12, 2013sharon711 rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
A riveting story about a high-stakes game where life is the ultimate bet. What it means to respect, have friendships, love, cherish a family... all these are tested to the limit in times of war. The Vietnam setting of the 60s and 70s makes…
Oct 17, 2013writermala rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
The saga of Percival Chan, a Chinese who makes his home in Vietnam, is gripping and spellbinding. Percival is the headmaster of an English Language Academy in Saigon and through the book we follow his fortunes and misfortunes which run…
Sep 30, 2013empbee rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Well written book; I didn't want to put it down.
wedadk
Jul 16, 2013wedadk rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
A great read! I couldn't put it down!
Jun 01, 2013DanglingConversations rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
This is a difficult book to read, especially for those of us who lived through that generation of Vietnam involvement by the West. In some ways it exculpates the West for the damage done to that country, it was already subject to graft and…
Feb 26, 2013
Home -Geographical or imaginary construct ?
Oct 24, 2012pompeygal56 rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
A wonderful story, couldn't put it down.
Oct 15, 2012mclarjh rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
Ordinary prose, except for the dialogue which is ghastly. A history lesson diguised as a melodrama.
Oct 14, 201221221018293347 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
great book! Set in Vietnam in the 1960's and 1970's. The backdrop of the war enhances the storyline, in that I remember the times well. However, it does not in any way distract from the story itself. This is a story of familoy, love,…
brianreynolds
Sep 30, 2012
Luck. Who is to say there is more than good fortune to success in business, in life, in love? It’s an ironic postulate. If there is no place for rational decisions, for morality, for guile, for brute strength in how things are decided…
Sep 27, 2012Rock_Shadow rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
This novel has great reviews, so I worked very hard on reading it, but it's just not my style of a book.
Sep 19, 2012dijolly rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
A well written story that keeps you hooked once you get into it. I found myself getting frustrated with the main character and his choices but at the same time I really had sympathy for him. I also enjoyed the historical aspect of the book.
Sep 04, 2012GAL rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
The more I got into this book, the more I couldn't put it down. It held me to the end. What a great read!