The Peking Letter: A Novel of the Chinese Civil War

I was looking forward to reading this book for quite some time before I bought it. The story and the history was excellent; the descriptions vivid. I could hardly put it down. But, Mr. Topping is a newspaper man, and his journalistic style sometimes came through in the dialog between characters, and often sounded like he was quoting an interviewee.All in all, it is a definite must have for any one with an interest in Chinese history and fiction.

Anyone interested in Chinese History will enjoy this historical novel. Also, anyone who enjoyed the films Farewell my Concubine or To Live will enjoy this story. Or if you have read this book and not watched those films, check them out. Sun Yatsen had a great dream for China. Chiang Kai-shek and Mao Zedong battled for many years for the Mandate of Heaven, for the right to rule China and continue the work of Sun. Though this book is fiction, it does a great job showing the time period and discussing the events. I recommend reading this book and also reading the non-fiction Great Wall of China: 6 Presidents and China. This is a fine novel.

What a great story and all the while you learn something about Chinese history. I finished the book very quickly, because I wanted to know how it ended.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in China and Chinese history. In itself the book is a good spy thriller, however I really think to fully appreciate this book you have to have a good background in Chinese history and culture. If that's you, this is your book. I enjoyed this book very much. Its well written and enjoyable to read.

Seymour Topping writes with elegance and passion, and with the kind of savvy that can only come from deep experience. He knows his China, and he knows his journalism. This book is both a thriller and a literary novel. Many pages to savor. It should do marvelously with audiences wanting a great literate book.