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Chargement... TANAMERA (1981)par Noel Barber
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Inscrivez-vous à LibraryThing pour découvrir si vous aimerez ce livre Actuellement, il n'y a pas de discussions au sujet de ce livre. First published in 1981,I thought I had read this book years ago, when I read other Noel Barber novels, but I think not now. I found this book to be a wonderful read, the story, at times conveying intimacy, was told in an honest but careful manner. Johnnie matures into a strong character, and it is he who tells the story of his life, and his relationship with his parents, and with the woman he takes as a lover, the family he has, the family business he is involved in, and World War 2, which is central to the story and the location. Having visited the modern day Singapore and Malaysia I felt I could visualize the landmarks and locations through the book, and this gave the novel authenticity for me. A delightful read for me! I expected this 1980s book to be a little dated - a tale of cross-racial sex and marriage in Singapore in the early and mid 20th century has the potential to anchored in the time of the telling. But, against the odds, I found myself thoroughly enjoying it. The son of a wealthy self-made British trading family in Singapore, born around the time of WW1, falls in love with the daughter of a wealthy self made Chinese trading family, around the time of WW2. The plot hangs on the fact that such cross-racial liaisons were only acceptable if they were temporary and/or paid for. An enduring relationship was beyond the pale. The lovers in this book treat their relationship as completely normal, and perhaps because such relationships are no longer anything other than routine, the effect wasn't jarring as the author intended to portray. I also found the background of life in Singapore and the history of the island to be fascinating and apparently well researched. Not so the mention of the hero owning a pre-war Morris Minor - a car not produced until after WW2,. Red Dec 2017 Writers don't seem to write books like this anymore, which is a very sad thing. This was a fantastic book with just enough history without the history detracting from the characters in the book. I have always been interested in Singapore and this book made me want to learn even more. If you like the new trilogy from Ken Follett you will enjoy this book. I intend to seek out other books from this author. aucune critique | ajouter une critique
Opulence. Invasion. Terror. And forbidden passion in 1930s Singapore. 'They were the golden days, when Singapore was as rich as its climate was steamy, its future as assured as it was busy. And those days were made even better when, as was inevitable, I fell in love with the Chinese beauty of Julie Soong and, against all unwritten canons of Singapore life, we became lovers.' Aucune description trouvée dans une bibliothèque |
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Google Books — Chargement... GenresClassification décimale de Melvil (CDD)823.914Literature English English fiction Modern Period 1901-1999 1945-1999Classification de la Bibliothèque du CongrèsÉvaluationMoyenne:
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As well as the central romantic narrative, the changing relations between the British and Malayan communities are obviously an ongoing theme. The Dexters are comparatively liberal and come to realise that independence is both inevitable and, ultimately, desirable. Before this all the communities in Singapore must go through the horrors of war, having until almost the last moment refused to believe that Singapore can truly be vulnerable to the Japanese. The sense of shock and dislocation is total. At the same time, despite horrific Japanese treatment of the Chinese in particular, the invaders have at the same time shown that the "yellow" man can overcome the white man. The final main sequence shows Julie and another woman being kidnapped by Communist guerrillas, including one who has a personal vendetta against Johnny. There are some quite horrifying and shocking scenes in this book, but also some beautiful descriptive passages, and a narrative drive that never flags. A great read. ( )