The Tapestries

Wow - this amazing book is so remarkably well-written that it's hard to imagine this is the author's first novel. He has brilliantly crafted a vividly stunning story, immersing the reader into a mysterious and exotic culture that is often misunderstood by those of us who live in the modern Western world. The detailed descriptions of the setting and of the various traditions and rituals were fascinating! Despite difficult to endure scenes of torture, severe injustices and executions, this story held a tragic beauty that was spellbinding. Full of action and suspense, it very artistically and soulfully captured the true spirit of the Vietnamese people. It has all the qualities of a classic epic novel, yet it's fast-paced and not an overwhleming number of pages.

I have read many books written in English about Vietnam, but found only a few that clearly reflect the soul and spirit of the Vietnamese: "The tapestries" is one of them.The story took place between 1916 and 1932 in a small village near Hue, the Imperial City of Vietnam. This is a book about commoners, middle class people and royalty. It deals with a wicked magistrate and his granddaughter Mai but also a heroine Ven, who at age 15 was given in marriage to then seven year-old Dan. There are also a minister, a eunuch, the queen's lady-in-waiting, and a time-teller (similar to Quasimodo in the Hunchback of Notre Dame). The story then moved to Hue and we are given a glimpse of the slowly fading monarchy. There were plots, murders, injustice, hate, love, and redemption throughout of the book. The plots were as thick as the tropical jungle (like any Vietnamese story) with a twist at every corner. The author kept us guessing (wrong most of the time) and held us in suspense until the next chapter.I found the novel remarkable and I am certain the reader will appreciate and thank the author for bringing something exotic to the American public.

A friend gave me this book for a present in my birthday, and it is just one of the best novels I've read. The 7 year old boy with his motherly wife, is a tremendous situation and all the things involved, just amazing! The slavery (not said) of the wife and the incredible descriptions of places and situations, are the things that kept me thinking about my own life and the suffering of others. I will recomend this book to all the people I know, specially those who complaint all the time about their own lives.

The Unwanted is a hard act to follow. Nguyen pulls it off beautifully. This novel is dark, eglegiac, riveting. The sort of book you don't want to end, you have to keep yourself from reading because you don't want to use it up too quickly. The language is stunning and the story complex and provocative. Highly recommended. A very smart book.

this book is rich in it's magnitude and beautiful to read. the story is compelling and the characters are so real. as the story unfolds and the locations, history and people literally exude authenticity. it is a book that will take you into a world you might not know existed otherwise, and the story both fascinates and moves readers.