Name: Omar's review of Red Poppies by Howard Goldblatt
Item: Red Poppies
Rating: 4
Author: Omar

Howard Goldblatt

Alai

Sylvia Li-chun Lin

A lively and cinematic twentieth-century epic, Red Poppies focuses on the extravagant and brutal reign of a clan of Tibetan warlords during the rise of Chinese Communism. The story is wryly narrated by the chieftain's son, a self-professed "idiot" who reveals the bloody feuds, seductions, secrets, and scheming behind his family's struggles for power. When the chieftain agrees to grow opium poppies with seeds supplied by the Chinese Nationalists in exchange for modern weapons, he draws Tibet into the opium trade -- and unwittingly plants the seeds for a downfall. A "swashbuckling novel" (New York Times Book Review), Red Poppies is at once a political parable and a moving elegy to the lost kingdom of Tibet in all its cruelty, beauty, and romance.

Red Poppies

Omar

I enjoyed the cultural references to a culture that I admittedly know very little about. The main character and narrator, known as the idiot son of a chieftain, is a very interesting character. His perspective gave us a view into a wide range of topics, touching on slavery, opium, famine, unfaithful spouses, brothels, religion, and much more. 

Overall a good read, although a bit slow at times. I got more into the book as I progressed past the first half or so.

Omar &
Red Poppies by Howard Goldblatt

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Omar &Red Poppies by Howard Goldblatt

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Omar &
Red Poppies by Howard Goldblatt