The Red Chamber

August 13, 2012
YA author Chen's debut novel for adults is a modern retelling of Cao Xueqin's 18th-century Chinese classic, Dream of the Red Chamber. While it doesn't hold a candle to the original in length or its Tolstoy-esque cast of characters, this revamped version retains much of its predecessor's spirit. Focusing mostly on three female charactersâonce sequestered 17-year-old Daiyu, who is shipped off to live with her unknown rich relatives in Beijing after her mother's death; ornery 23-year-old Xifeng, whose husband conspicuously cheats on her; and matronly18-year-old Xue Baochai, an earnest shadow of a girl in love with Baoyu, Daiyu's charming cousinâChen (Peiling and the Chicken-Friend Christmas) plumps the epic tale full of lavish details of the palace, sumptuous feasts, and day-to-day minutiae, levitating whispered conversations overheard by the wrong parties, capricious scheming between family members, and gossip hidden beneath every elegant tapestry and beaded pillow to lofted heights. Aside from the entertaining love triangle between Daiyu, Baochai, and Baoyu, there's much to do about more serious matters, tooâespecially in the latter half of the novel, when political unrest in Beijing threatens to destroy the family's tenuous hierarchy. For those familiar with the original, there's also a different ending. Supplemental material includes an author's note, the Jia family tree, and a list of major characters. First printing: 60,000.

July 15, 2012
A leisurely saga exploring the closed society of privileged women in 18th-century Beijing, their loves, losses, friendships and character-forming private torments, based on a Chinese classic. It's all about marriage in Chen's adult debut, an epic set within the bubble of the women's community at Rongguo Mansion, lavish home to the Jia family, where barren wives, unpleasant wives and wrongly betrothed daughters mingle with servants and slaves. The fates of three women dominate: Daiyu, whose mother turned her back on her Jia family heritage; reserved Baochai, who has long hoped to wed sensitive Baoyu; and Xifeng, whose marriage to Lian founders on her inability to conceive. Lady Jia rules the household ruthlessly, fostering the marriage between Baochai and Baoyu even though the latter is in love with Daiyu. Xifeng, meanwhile, is supplanted when her servant becomes Lian's second wife and is soon pregnant. Although external events rarely impinge, sudden catastrophe strikes--a palace coup strips the family of its wealth and deposits the menfolk in prison. Now the women struggle to survive, and some don't. A pardon eventually restores order but not necessarily happiness. Little new ground is broken here, but the writing is supple and Chen often touches notes of emotional depth.

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February 1, 2012

In her first adult novel, Chen, who has a doctoral degree in Asian studies from Princeton, imaginatively reworks the Chinese classic Dream of the Red Chamber, set in 18th-century Beijing. At its heart are three women: orphaned Daiyu, who joins her cousins in the imperial city, scheming Xifeng and proper Baochai. Big reading-group pitch and an accent on accessibility.

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2012
Chen debuts with a reworking of a classic Chinese legend guaranteed to appeal to fans of Lisa See. Using the traditional Dream of the Red Chamber as her model, the author paints a vivid portrait of eighteenth-century Chinese life as represented by the intimate ties that bind three different females together. Thrown into the heady world of the Beijing aristocracy after the death of her mother, Daiyu is swept into the irresistibly sumptuous but often treacherous way of life at her uncle's ducal estate. As in most morality tales, luxury eventually exacts its bitter price after the reigning dynasty crumbles and the lives of Daiyu and her cousins are dramatically altered by the ensuing political turmoil. From the mighty heights to the depths of poverty and despair, the significance of female relationships, friendships, and rivalries are at the forefront of this compelling glimpse into an exotic time and place.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)

June 15, 2012

The 2,500-page, 18th-century classic Dream of the Red Chamber by Cao Xueqin is considered China's most important work of fiction. Chen (Peiling and the Chicken-Fried Christmas, for middle-grade readers) tackles the daunting task of adapting the revered original text. Chen chooses three women to tell the story of the prominent Jia family: controlling granddaughter-in-law Xifeng, dutiful cousin-by-marriage Baochi, and naive granddaughter Daiyu--the only Jia by blood--who joins her relatives in Beijing after a two-generation estrangement. Chen well realizes "[a] woman doesn't have any choices in life" in 18th-century Beijing with her future determined by family to be a wife, concubine, or serving slave, and thus imbues these women with a rich inner life. VERDICT Fans of historical fiction who appreciate resonant details, unexpected intrigue, and multigenerational plotting will find this work irresistible. With just the right blend of the highbrow literary and guilty summer pulp, Chen just might put this 18th-century classic on 21st-century bestseller lists.--Terry Hong, Smithsonian BookDragon, Washington, DC

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.