A well-written, engaging tale through time.
Two murders, without a mystery, punctuate this centuries-long story of rare antiques, a great sweep of Chinese history and a conclusion like a piece of seamless jade.
Shen’s debut novel is in two parts: Part 1, in the present day, focuses on Sir John Wu, a titan of commerce and industry who lives in Hong Kong. He and his wife are enjoying a stroll in New York City when Wu sees two huge matching vases in the second-story window of Puccini Antiques. He must have them—in front of his Hong Kong villa, they’ll be the envy of the neighborhood. But to get them, he must deal with Angelo Puccini. Despite Wu’s comically short stature, he’s the epitome of success and power. Puccini, on the other hand, is a giant of a man but a complete, feckless failure in life. In a rage at being rudely treated, Wu smashes several antiques that come to hand; returning the rage, Puccini kills Wu and his wife and stuffs their dismembered bodies into the two large vases, later committing suicide. There are a few awkward spots in this section, particularly with the characterization of Angelo: He’s often portrayed as a comic buffoon, so his murderous rage comes as perhaps too much of a surprise. Nick, a young shop clerk, has many pages devoted to his personal misadventures, but—unlike his fellow clerk, Jim Hawkins, who receives a well-plotted reappearance later in the novel—he disappears from the text. Shen may need to rein in a few of the plot threads, although his storytelling enthusiasm serves him well in Part 2, when the story slips back several centuries to the time when the works of art from the shop, including the two huge vases, were made. The objets d’art travel down through the centuries: For example, the huge vases were made as offerings to a Buddhist temple in the 13th century and were then owned by one illustrious family or another as the families’ fortunes waxed and waned. Finally, the artworks find their way to Marcus Puccini, Angelo’s late father, a true lover of antiquities. Antiques, the narrator eloquently ruminates, are more than well-wrought trinkets: “[I]f you hold an antique object in your hands long enough, you may begin to feel as though you were fumbling with your fingers back through the dark corridors of years.” Families and dynasties emerge and fade away in China’s long, turbulent history, but the objets d’art seem to remember.
A well-written, engaging tale through time.Pub Date: July 16, 2012
ISBN: 978-1460991824
Page Count: 228
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Oct. 5, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
In more ways than one, a tale about young creatures testing their wings; a moving, entertaining winner.
A fifth-grade New Orleans girl discovers a mysterious chrysalis containing an unexpected creature in this middle-grade novel.
Jacquelyn Marie Johnson, called Jackie, is a 10-year-old African-American girl, the second oldest and the only girl of six siblings. She’s responsible, smart, and enjoys being in charge; she likes “paper dolls and long division and imagining things she had never seen.” Normally, Jackie has no trouble obeying her strict but loving parents. But when her potted snapdragon acquires a peculiar egg or maybe a chrysalis (she dubs it a chrysalegg), Jackie’s strong desire to protect it runs up against her mother’s rule against plants in the house. Jackie doesn’t exactly mean to lie, but she tells her mother she needs to keep the snapdragon in her room for a science project and gets permission. Jackie draws the chrysalegg daily, waiting for something to happen as it gets larger. When the amazing creature inside breaks free, Jackie is more determined than ever to protect it, but this leads her further into secrets and lies. The results when her parents find out are painful, and resolving the problem will take courage, honesty, and trust. Dumas (Jaden Toussaint, the Greatest: Episode 5, 2017, etc.) presents a very likable character in Jackie. At 10, she’s young enough to enjoy playing with paper dolls but has a maturity that even older kids can lack. She’s resourceful, as when she wants to measure a red spot on the chrysalegg; lacking calipers, she fashions one from her hairpin. Jackie’s inward struggle about what to obey—her dearest wishes or the parents she loves—is one many readers will understand. The book complicates this question by making Jackie’s parents, especially her mother, strict (as one might expect to keep order in a large family) but undeniably loving and protective as well—it’s not just a question of outwitting clueless adults. Jackie’s feelings about the creature (tender and responsible but also more than a little obsessive) are similarly shaded rather than black-and-white. The ending suggests that an intriguing sequel is to come.
In more ways than one, a tale about young creatures testing their wings; a moving, entertaining winner.Pub Date: Nov. 11, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943169-32-0
Page Count: 212
Publisher: Plum Street Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A YA novel that treats its subject and its readers with respect while delivering an engaging story.
In the ninth book in the Bluford young-adult series, a young Latino man walks away from violence—but at great personal cost.
In a large Southern California city, 16-year-old Martin Luna hangs out on the fringes of gang life. He’s disaffected, fatherless and increasingly drawn into the orbit of the older, rougher Frankie. When a stray bullet kills Martin’s adored 8-year-old brother, Huero, Martin seems to be heading into a life of crime. But Martin’s mother, determined not to lose another son, moves him to another neighborhood—the fictional town of Bluford, where he attends the racially diverse Bluford High. At his new school, the still-grieving Martin quickly makes enemies and gets into trouble. But he also makes friends with a kind English teacher and catches the eye of Vicky, a smart, pretty and outgoing Bluford student. Martin’s first-person narration supplies much of the book’s power. His dialogue is plain, but realistic and believable, and the authors wisely avoid the temptation to lard his speech with dated and potentially embarrassing slang. The author draws a vivid and affecting picture of Martin’s pain and confusion, bringing a tight-lipped teenager to life. In fact, Martin’s character is so well drawn that when he realizes the truth about his friend Frankie, readers won’t feel as if they are watching an after-school special, but as though they are observing the natural progression of Martin’s personal growth. This short novel appears to be aimed at urban teens who don’t often see their neighborhoods portrayed in young-adult fiction, but its sophisticated characters and affecting story will likely have much wider appeal.
A YA novel that treats its subject and its readers with respect while delivering an engaging story.Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2004
ISBN: 978-1591940173
Page Count: 152
Publisher: Townsend Press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 26, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
