Journey Across the Four Seas: A Chinese Woman's Search for Home (American)

By Veronica Li

Book Overview

American

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1931907439
• ISBN13: 9781931907439
• Release Date: January 1970
• Publisher: Homa & Sekey Books
• Length: 250 Pages
• Weight: 1.06 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

An extraordinary journey, an extraordinary woman

A book about a beautiful, determined, intelligent and well-educated Chinese woman, Flora Li, who overcomes all obstacles to ensure an education and a future for her children. She is focused and committed. She refuses to allow a difficult marriage, the frequent need to relocate her family, and the hardships of war stand in the way of her goals for her children. No matter what problems she encounters on her way, she can and will cope. Her story is at times inspiring and at times harrowing, but there is humor here and the sometimes unexpected twist which surprises and delights. The language is lively and the story is full of cleverly-translated Chinese idioms that are colorful and exotic. The author has captured her mother's voice perfectly. By the end of the book, the reader knows Flora intimately, like a member of one's own family. As a western reader, I was also fascinated by this glimpse into an unknown world -- that of women in China and the Far East in the decades before and after World War II. Highly recommended.

Education of Women in the Third World

At least three strands run through this book. One is of course embedded in the book title: The heroine, Flora's, search for home. A second strand is the Chinese Women's lib: how the attitude of women in China (in this case mostly Hong Kong)changed during Flora's life span from bound feet and near-slavery to full emancipation. But I find the third strand, education, particularly striking. It emerges first in the story of young Flora, an impoverished orphan, who against all odds manages to get herself into primary school, then secondary school, and finally into the prestigious Hong Kong Unversity. The education story re-surfaces during Flora's motherhood when she realizes that her children, particularly her oldest son, will have little or no chance of getting good education unless she transplants the family across the four seas in the USA. And that is what she does. This is a powerful story of a determined woman who through sheer grit and determination rises from poverty and leaves her children with a solid educational foundation on which to build their lives. A must-read for people concerned with the importance of educating girls in the Third World. Sverrir Sigurdsson, Vienna, Virginia

Deep, Intriguing Story

This book was very difficult to put down. It's a fascinating story with many interesting characters that places the reader in a former world that not many know about. The one thing that got to me was the fact that this is plain and simple, a true story. It has the potential to make one more appreciative of life, knowing some of the hardships that Flora confronted as a young woman.

Jouney Across the Four Seas: A Chinese Woman's Search for Home

Veronica Li surely has inherited her mother's gift of story telling. It made me feel like I was there in person to witness the events. This was a fascinating story of how one woman struggled and sacrificed for the betterment of her family. You will laugh and cry with Flora. You will learn about the customs and the way of life of Chinese people during World War II. Do not read this book unless you have several hours to yourself. Once you have opened the book you will not want to put it down.

A Fascinating Journey

This is a fascinating journey of one women and her family during a period when China, caught between a Japanese invasion and World War II, was in deep turmoil politically, economically, and socially. She made it through it all. Veronica Li's narrative style is just as fascinating and dynamic.