This book took me completely by surprise. I don't recall how it came to be on my want to read list, but when I did get a copy and read the back cover what it was about, I was not so enthused to read it; I've been more used to action-packed, sci-fantasy novels and series, which this was not. However, I am really glad I did decide to read it all. The description does not do this book justice - it's so much more than a story about two missionaries in turn-of-the-century China. It's a beautiful story about love and loss, about heartbreak and friendships and family, about how much people of different cultures can learn from each other, and about faith.
The theme of faith throughout the story was itself something wonderful to read. I don't consider myself particularly religious and was a bit hesitant when I read the that the story was about missionaries. I expected some fervent, Bible-beating Christians trying to forcefully convert Chinese and impose their Western ideologies; instead their faith was something gentle yet strong, that warmly embraced the changes they endured and the people around them. Their faith became something wonderfully infectious to the community around them as it grew and culminated in some intense moments of sacrifice. I was moved to tears when I read about the way their community stood by them against warlords that might certainly have lead to death, but did so with a devotion and love that only comes from deep loyalty and faith.
I was also wrong about adventure; the story of Will and Katherine has war, disease, famine, even encounters with bandits. While the first 40 ish pages were a bit slow, once their story moves to Kuang P'ing Ch'eng it really takes off into something marvelous. I was fascinated to see how they adapted to the very real challenges of integrating into such a different culture (and language) and learned to embrace the community they were living in as it learned to embrace them. It was very clear how well researched the book was into the lives of missionaries and into Chinese Culture. Given the political upheaval that has occurred in China over the past century, this story was also a fascinating insight into a people and culture that may be very different from what it is today. Will quotes Confucius early in the story: "To know what you know and know what you don't know is the characteristic of one who knows." I felt like that applied not only to the characters, but to me as well as I read it.
It did not shy away from describing some of the extreme violence that has been a part of Chinese history and the conflict of the civil war. It was really interesting to read how bandits behaved, how magistrates dealt justice, how starvation and disease affected people's behavior, and the realities of violence that no doubt occurred there. But as unsettling as it is to the reader, there is also the stoicism of the people of Kuang P'ing Ch'eng which helps them endure the most horrific of circumstances.
I found myself completely swept away in this story, and once I really gave it a chance, I finished the majority of the book in two days. I felt I could really relate to their experience of finding a home in a foreign country. " When you leave a place you love, you leave a piece of your heart." It wasn't just the story, it was the love between Will and Katherine, their struggles and devotion to their faith, the loyalty and friendship of the Chinese people they lived with all those years, and the transformations of certain characters: all of these things make this an outstanding book.
The theme of faith throughout the story was itself something wonderful to read. I don't consider myself particularly religious and was a bit hesitant when I read the that the story was about missionaries. I expected some fervent, Bible-beating Christians trying to forcefully convert Chinese and impose their Western ideologies; instead their faith was something gentle yet strong, that warmly embraced the changes they endured and the people around them. Their faith became something wonderfully infectious to the community around them as it grew and culminated in some intense moments of sacrifice. I was moved to tears when I read about the way their community stood by them against warlords that might certainly have lead to death, but did so with a devotion and love that only comes from deep loyalty and faith.
I was also wrong about adventure; the story of Will and Katherine has war, disease, famine, even encounters with bandits. While the first 40 ish pages were a bit slow, once their story moves to Kuang P'ing Ch'eng it really takes off into something marvelous. I was fascinated to see how they adapted to the very real challenges of integrating into such a different culture (and language) and learned to embrace the community they were living in as it learned to embrace them. It was very clear how well researched the book was into the lives of missionaries and into Chinese Culture. Given the political upheaval that has occurred in China over the past century, this story was also a fascinating insight into a people and culture that may be very different from what it is today. Will quotes Confucius early in the story: "To know what you know and know what you don't know is the characteristic of one who knows." I felt like that applied not only to the characters, but to me as well as I read it.
It did not shy away from describing some of the extreme violence that has been a part of Chinese history and the conflict of the civil war. It was really interesting to read how bandits behaved, how magistrates dealt justice, how starvation and disease affected people's behavior, and the realities of violence that no doubt occurred there. But as unsettling as it is to the reader, there is also the stoicism of the people of Kuang P'ing Ch'eng which helps them endure the most horrific of circumstances.
I found myself completely swept away in this story, and once I really gave it a chance, I finished the majority of the book in two days. I felt I could really relate to their experience of finding a home in a foreign country. " When you leave a place you love, you leave a piece of your heart." It wasn't just the story, it was the love between Will and Katherine, their struggles and devotion to their faith, the loyalty and friendship of the Chinese people they lived with all those years, and the transformations of certain characters: all of these things make this an outstanding book.
