China Doll

by Talia Carner

Book Overview

A riveting journey to save one life. An American music icon, Nola Sands is on a concert tour in China when a baby is thrust into her arms. Resolved to save the infant from death in a Chinese... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0977382125
• ISBN13: 9780977382125
• Release Date: September 2006
• Publisher: Mecox Hudson
• Length: 298 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

A MULTI-LAYERED WORK OF FICTION

'China Doll' was a selection of the Friends of Huntingdon Valley Library Book Club and was discussed on October 18, 2007. Our questions were then answered by the author herself, Talia Carner, during a generously lengthy speaker-phone conversation with our members. Our group was unaminous in their admiration for the talent of the author, the amount of research that went into the book, the importance of the message of infanticide and its human-rights implications. 'China Doll' left us with a great deal to think about concerning the "appeasment" vs. "engagement" policies between the U.S. and China. An intriging, well crafted, page-turner.

Suspense Thriller with a Heart

China Doll by Talia Carner is by far the best suspense thriller I have ever read, and even surpassing John Le Carre, whom I admired greatly. What sets her wonderful book apart is the subject matter in addition to the terrific structure and plotting that make it unputdownable. This is a novel everyone (except perhaps the Chinese government) can care deeply about. The idea of babies languishing in dying rooms, unwanted and uncared for in order to satisfy population quotas, should be repugnant to any civilized nation. This book needed to be written. I can see no reason why with enough publicity China Doll doesn't make the Best Seller List. It cries out to be filmed. I love the worthwhile subjects of Talia Carner's books (Puppet Child). It's time the public learned to buy novels that actually have something important to say. I can't wait to read this author's next one.

China Doll

I highly endorse Talia Carner's method of combining the artistry, intrigue, & freedom of a novel, but base it on extensive research exposing critical social issues. Her style lures the reader into becoming part of the story. "China Doll" is a page-turner. It deftly weaves suspense while characters come alive since Talia's insightful research was first hand. All characters are treated with compassionate understanding. The unspeakable horrors of China's orphanages, compounded by the one child policy & anti female bias, are revealed in a manner inviting constructive solutions which preserve dignity. Talented artists inspire change because they metamophize into their characters, hence broadening perspective. Talia interrelates many issues, just as she does in her first novel, "Puppet Child," which is helping nationally to coordinate efforts to get each state legislature to pass the Protective Parent Reform Act. [..]

Great story on a compelling subject

I've complained before in my reviews that I find it hard to find fiction I enjoy. Many best sellers tend to be murder mysteries, depressing tales of dysfunctional families, or pure fluff. China Doll, however, is a novel I throughly enjoyed. The story itself is well-written, with all the elements of intrigue and romance needed to make it a page turner. (Yes, there is a dysfuntional family involved, but it worked in this story.) There is also tremendous substance in this book, and a vitally important message. It exposes a terrible effect of China's one-child policy: gendercide and abuse in Chinese orphanages. As a result, China Doll is a highly readable novel with an important social message. It ranks up there with serious fiction like The Poisonwood Bible. I recommend it highly.

Painstaking research; painful message

With China Doll, Talia Carner, late of Puppet Child, is once again advocating for children--this time, on a global stage. Literally. Her heroine Nola, a singer at the peak of her game, is sweeping through major Chinese cities on a goodwill tour with full entourage and spare-no-expense staging, when a shadowy figure thrusts a baby girl into her arms. Nola struggles to keep the child, battling the ghosts of her past and the very real and powerful spectres of her management and global politics. Like Puppet Child, this book had me thoroughly engrossed, turning pages into the wee hours of the night. Also, like Puppet Child, it opened a door into the institutionalized mistreatment of children--this time, in Chinese "dying rooms," where drugged orphans languish until they are no longer in need of the scant care on offer. Carner has done her homework here. Her research shapes and enhances the story, but her passion for justice brings it alive. This is accessible but important fiction that highlights both the simple ethics governing the life and death of children, and the political dance between China and the US that makes solutions to an archaic system of neglect so tragically, heartbreakingly complicated. In both her novels, Talia Carner speaks for the children. Let us hope that someone of influence is listening. Susan O'Neill, author, Don't Mean Nothing: Short Stories of Viet Nam