Jenny Tinghui Zhang

A propulsive and dazzling debut novel set against the backdrop of the Chinese Exclusion Act, about a Chinese girl fighting to claim her place in the 1880s American West Daiyu never wanted to be like the tragic heroine for whom she was named, revered for her beauty and cursed with heartbreak. But when she is kidnapped and forced across an ocean from China to America, Daiyu must relinquish the home and future she imagined for herself. Over the years that follow, she is forced to keep reinventing herself to survive. From a calligraphy school, to a San Francisco brothel, to a shop tucked into the Idaho mountains, we follow Daiyu on a desperate quest to outrun the tragedy that chases her. As anti-Chinese sentiment sweeps across the country in a wave of unimaginable violence, Daiyu must draw on each of the selves she has been—including the ones she most wants to leave behind—in order to finally claim her own name and story. At once a literary tour de force and a groundbreaking work of historical fiction, Four Treasures of the Sky announces Jenny Tinghui Zhang as an indelible new voice. Steeped in untold history and Chinese folklore, this novel is a spellbinding feat.

Four Treasures of the Sky

"Engulfing, bighearted, and heartbreaking.” —Ann Patchett A propulsive and dazzling debut novel set against the backdrop of the Chinese Exclusion Act, about a Chinese girl fighting to claim her place in the 1880s American West Daiyu never wanted to be like the tragic heroine for whom she was named, revered for her beauty and cursed with heartbreak. But when she is kidnapped and smuggled across an ocean from China to America, Daiyu must relinquish the home and future she imagined for herself. Over the years that follow, she is forced to keep reinventing herself to survive. From a calligraphy school, to a San Francisco brothel, to a shop tucked into the Idaho mountains, we follow Daiyu on a desperate quest to outrun the tragedy that chases her. As anti-Chinese sentiment sweeps across the country in a wave of unimaginable violence, Daiyu must draw on each of the selves she has been—including the ones she most wants to leave behind—in order to finally claim her own name and story. At once a literary tour de force and a groundbreaking work of historical fiction, Four Treasures of the Sky announces Jenny Tinghui Zhang as an indelible new voice. Steeped in untold history and Chinese folklore, this novel is a spellbinding feat.

A Novel

A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK · A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW EDITOR'S CHOICE · REVIEWED ON THE FRONT COVER · INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER “Zhang’s blend of history and magical realism will appeal to fans of Ta-Nehisi Coates’ The Water Dancer as well as Amy Tan's The Valley of Amazement.” —Booklist (starred review) "Engrossing...Epic" (The New York Times Book Review) · "Transporting" (Washington Post) · "Propulsive" (Oprah Daily) · "Surreal and sprawling" (NPR) · "An absolute must-read" (BuzzFeed) · "Radiant" (BookPage) A dazzling debut novel set against the backdrop of the Chinese Exclusion Act, about a Chinese girl fighting to claim her place in the 1880s American West Daiyu never wanted to be like the tragic heroine for whom she was named, revered for her beauty and cursed with heartbreak. But when she is kidnapped and smuggled across an ocean from China to America, Daiyu must relinquish the home and future she imagined for herself. Over the years that follow, she is forced to keep reinventing herself to survive. From a calligraphy school, to a San Francisco brothel, to a shop tucked into the Idaho mountains, we follow Daiyu on a desperate quest to outrun the tragedy that chases her. As anti-Chinese sentiment sweeps across the country in a wave of unimaginable violence, Daiyu must draw on each of the selves she has been—including the ones she most wants to leave behind—in order to finally claim her own name and story. At once a literary tour de force and a groundbreaking work of historical fiction, Four Treasures of the Sky announces Jenny Tinghui Zhang as an indelible new voice. Steeped in untold history and Chinese folklore, this novel is a spellbinding feat.

Cuando tenía 13 años, Diyu fue secuestrada mientras recorría el bullicioso mercado del pequeño pueblo donde vivía en China. Arrancada de su hogar y forzada a atravesar el océano hasta llegar a Estados Unidos, Diyu se reinventará ante cada nuevo obstáculo que enfrente. Desde dar clases en una escuela de caligrafía, disfrazarse de hombre o ser obligada a trabajar en un burdel de San Francisco, se esforzará desesperadamente por escapar a una fuerza que se empeña en arrebatarle las riendas de su destino. El oro del cielo mezcla de forma única el encanto y la magia del folklore de China con la épica conquista del oeste de Estados Unidos, protagonizada también por los migrantes de aquellas milenarias tierras que se enfrentaron al radical sentimiento racista americano de los últimos años del siglo XIX. Una obra sobre la identidad, el amor y la valentía.

El oro del cielo

Eine junge Chinesin kämpft in den 1880ern im amerikanischen Westen um ihren Platz im Leben Die junge Daiyu muss die Heimat und die Zukunft, die sie sich erträumt hatte, aufgeben, als sie entführt und über den Ozean von China nach Amerika geschmuggelt wird. Über die folgenden Jahre muss sie sich beständig neu erfinden, um zu überleben. Von einer Kalligraphieschule in China über ein Bordell in San Francisco bis zu einem kleinen Laden, versteckt in den Bergen Idahos gelegen, versucht Daiyu verzweifelt, der Tragödie zu entkommen, die sie verfolgt. Aber dann geht eine Welle von Rassismus durchs Land, die sich gegen Einwanderer aus China richtet, und führt zu unsäglicher Gewalt und Lynchmorden. Daiyu muss all ihre Stärke aufbringen, sich zurückerinnern an alle Rollen, die sie schon ausgefüllt hat – um endlich ihren eigenen Namen und ihre Geschichte zurückzuerobern.

Roman | Ein packendes Debüt - beruhend auf einer wahren Begebenheit aus der Zeit des Chinese Exclusion Acts

Fünf Leben

A collection of interlinked stories that explore what it means to be a 1.5 generation Chinese-American immigrant living in America. Themes include identity, language, body image, health, foodways, womanhood, family, and loss.

Party Trick Chinese

UM DOS 100 LIVROS NOTÁVEIS DE 2022 PELO NEW YORK TIMES China, 1882. Daiyu é uma menina que recebe o nome de uma trágica heroína folclórica. Ela mora com os pais e a avó em uma pequena vila, onde leva uma vida tranquila e feliz. Quando seus pais são presos e mortos por desafiarem o governo, Daiyu é obrigada a fugir para a cidade vizinha de Zhifu para não ter o mesmo destino. Por algum tempo, Daiyu consegue sobreviver disfarçada como um menino órfão chamado Feng e trabalhar para um mestre de caligrafia. Mas seu destino muda novamente quando ela é sequestrada e forçada a aprender o inglês antes de ser contrabandeada para os Estados Unidos. Chegando lá, precisa novamente encontrar estratégias de sobrevivência ao mesmo tempo em que se apaixona e acredita que enfim conseguirá ser livre. Mas são tempos terríveis no novo país e Daiyu é confrontada com a dura realidade da violência contra os imigrantes chineses, que coloca em risco a segurança de seus amigos e sua própria vida. As quatro vidas de Daiyu é um romance arrebatador sobre amor, preconceito e sobrevivência que emociona do começo ao fim. "Envolvente e épico" Jennifer Egan, autora de A visita cruel do tempo "Uma comovente história de perseverança." Washington Post "Um romance de estreia impressionante e original." The Sunday Times "Uma ficção histórica generosa, brutal e comovente." Caitlin Hicks, New York Journal of Books "Impossível de parar de ler!" Al Woodworth, editor da Amazon "Lindamente escrito." The Asian Review of Books "Uma obra de arte devastadora." Shondaland "Um romance impulsivo e fabular." Oprah Daily "Uma combinação deslumbrante de história, mitologia chinesa e uma voz inesquecível." Rebecca Munro, Bookreporter "Radiante, um verdadeiro tesouro." BookPage

As quatro vidas de Daiyu

«Un romanzo dallo stile insieme limpido e poetico, capace di toccare le corde più profonde dell'anima. » The New York Times «Intenso ed emozionante, con un'eroina indimenticabile. » Publishers Weekly «Un esordio straordinario e commovente. » Library Journal «Un magnifico romanzo storico con un tocco di realismo magico e affascinanti dettagli sulla cultura cinese. » Booklist «Una storia coinvolgente di determinazione e speranza in un mondo segnato da dolore e ingiustizie. » The Washington Post Cina, 1882. Quando i suoi genitori scompaiono nel nulla, Daiyu non sa cosa fare. La nonna, invece, lo sa benissimo. Ha visto troppe orfane morire di fame o di violenze e lei non ha più la forza di occuparsi di una dodicenne. Perciò la traveste da ragazzo e la manda in città, in modo che possa guadagnarsi da vivere. E infatti, ben presto, Daiyu trova impiego come sguattera in una scuola di calligrafia. Intelligente e curiosa, inizia ad ascoltare di nascosto le lezioni, scoprendo così la meraviglia della parola scritta, l’infinito piacere della lettura, i molteplici significati racchiusi in ogni singolo ideogramma. E rivela un vero talento per la calligrafia, un talento che il maestro nota e non esita a coltivare. Ma tutto cambia il mattino in cui, mentre gira tra i banchi del mercato, Daiyu viene convinta con l'inganno a seguire uno sconosciuto, che la trascina a forza su una nave diretta a San Francisco e, giunto lì, la vende a un bordello. Per Daiyu, l'America è un Paese oscuro, sconcertante, pieno di contraddizioni, a partire dalla lingua che tutti parlano e che sembra precisa, ma si scrive con simboli sciatti e incomprensibili, per finire al modo in cui lei viene trattata: disprezzo per il colore della sua pelle alternato alla bramosia per il suo giovane corpo. Una cosa, però, è evidente: in America, se si è un maschio, si ha diritto a trovare il proprio angolo di paradiso. E allora Daiyu ruba alcuni abiti da uomo, si traveste di nuovo e fugge lontano, verso la quiete di un villaggio dell'Idaho, che – le hanno detto – è molto più vicino alla Cina. Una scelta che dovrebbe finalmente condurla sulla strada di casa, e che invece segnerà la sua rovina. Ma anche la sua rinascita…

La strada delle nuvole

Un roman coup de poing qui a pour toile de fond les conséquences terribles de la Loi d'exclusion des Chinois. " Une combinaison saisissante de lyrisme et de pragmatisme. La résonance et l'immédiateté de ces événements barbares témoignent des qualités narratives de Jenny Tinghui Zhang. " Jennifer Egan, The New York Times Book Review En 1882, Daiyu a 12 ans et vit heureuse dans une petite ville de pêcheurs en Chine, jusqu'à ce que ses parents disparaissent. Sa grand-mère la somme alors de partir chercher du travail. Elle trouve un emploi auprès de Maître Wang qui enseigne la calligraphie. Un jour, alors qu'elle erre sur le marché, elle se fait kidnapper. Elle est séquestrée à bord d'un bateau à destination de San Francisco, où elle devient prostituée dans une maison close dirigée par Mme Lee. Elle parvient à rejoindre l'Idaho, où elle est recueillie par deux chinois qui tiennent une épicerie dans la petite ville de Pierce. Mais le racisme grandissant va troubler la fragile sérénité trouvée par Daiyu et des actes de plus en plus cruels vont se répéter, jusqu'à mettre sa vie en péril. Les Quatre trésors du ciel est une épopée qui a pour toile de fond les conséquences terribles de la Loi d'exclusion des Chinois. Jenny Tinghui Zhang y aborde avec dextérité le racisme chinois qui demeure un sujet tabou.

Les Quatre trésors du ciel

*PRE-ORDER your next obsession now...* They've never met, but this is the way it is supposed to be: they belong to each other. Lonely college student Minnie feels invisible until she stumbles upon HOURglass: America's new K-pop boyband obsession. Soon she is memorising the lyrics to every song and staying up late to watch their livestreams, hoping that her favourite member, bad-boy Halo, will see her in the comments. On the other side of the screen, Halo is also becoming addicted to the adoration from his fans, using their love to paper over the cracks of the tragic past he is determined to keep hidden. It's a perfect love, until Minnie is drawn to a shadowy fan community who believe they need to protect the band members from a dark conspiracy. As Minnie becomes increasingly determined to discover the secrets that Halo is keeping, the line between fandom and obsession begins to blur. But if the truth comes out, could either of them survive it?

Superfan

From National Book Foundation 5 Under 35 honoree Jenny Tinghui Zhang, a novel about a pop idol and his superfan, whose stories shockingly collide Freshman Minnie is adrift at college in Austin, Texas, when she discovers a boy band called HOURglass and the online forums that worship them. She especially loves Halo, whose sharp edges feel somehow familiar. After a brief romance goes painfully awry, Minnie pours everything into her new fandom, clinging to each livestream and bonding with other fans online. But when a scandal threatens to expose Halo to harm, Minnie decides that she is the only one who can save him. Except Halo’s secret is darker than anything the tabloids could imagine. Before he was a superstar heartthrob, he was Eason: a high school dropout haunted by a tragic accident. When he is recruited for HOURglass, it feels like a chance to become someone else. And when he is onstage in front of his fans, he can almost forget the horrors of his past--until one of those very fans threatens to destroy everything. Dazzling, entrancing, and deeply heartfelt, Superfan is about fandom in all its magic and its terror, and the extreme lengths to which we go to rid ourselves of loneliness.

Чотири скарби неба

Een literair meesterwerk gebaseerd op een waargebeurd verhaal, voor lezers van Pachinko en Het achtste leven (voor Brilka). China, 1880. Wanneer haar ouders opgepakt worden door het heersende regime, slaat de jonge vrouw Daiyu op de vlucht. Om te ontsnappen aan de tragedie die haar achtervolgt, doet ze zich telkens voor als iemand anders. Als Feng, een weesjongen, wordt ze opgepakt en naar Amerika ontvoerd. Als Peony belandt ze in de gedwongen prostitutie in San Francisco. En als Jacob Lee, een winkelbediende in een slaperig stadje in Idaho, lijkt ze uiteindelijk haar plek te hebben gevonden. Maar net op dat moment ontketent zich daar een golf van geweld tegen Chinese migranten. Daiyu moet al haar krachten en de rollen die ze heeft gespeeld aanwenden om haar eigen naam en geschiedenis terug te krijgen. ‘Vijf levens is een meeslepende, grootmoedige en hartverscheurende roman.’ Ann Patchett, auteur van Het Hollandse huis ‘Jenny Tinghui Zhang weet het avontuur, de isolatie, het geweld en de hoop van het Amerikaanse Westen te vangen. Haar subtiele aandacht voor historische en menselijke details brengen een onvergetelijke heldin tot leven. Daiyu gaat zeker weten haar plaats innemen in de canon van grote westerse heldinnen.’ Juliet Grames, auteur van De acht of negen levens van Stella Fortuna

Jenny Tinghui Zhang

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