Young woman runs away from her family when she is married to a ghost husband, and is found and brought in to a group of master embroiderers, each with her own secrets. Interesting immersion into Chinese culture. ( )

Where I got the book: review copy provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

This novel follows the fortunes of Spring Swallow, whom we first see as a 17-year-old in her home village, forced to go through a marriage ceremony with a boy to whom she was promised when they were both in the womb. Unfortunately her putative fiancé was stillborn, so Spring Swallow gets to marry a cockerel instead to appease the dead boy’s ghost, thus satisfying superstition and providing a convenient alliance for both families.

Not surprisingly, Spring Swallow escapes this arrangement and heads for the city of Soochow, where she falls in with a household of embroiderers headed up by the mysterious Aunty Peony. Spring Swallow learns to execute the beautiful embroidery for which Soochow is famous while trying to find out more about Aunty’s past. The women of the house are supposed to be celibate but that rule seems to be more honored in the breach than the observance, and Spring Swallow soon finds romance blossoming.

I had two main issues with this novel. First of all, it was a long time before I had any sense at all of the period in which it was set—as a Westerner I couldn’t pick up on the clues about the period that were undoubtedly there, and it wasn’t until Spring Swallow gets involved with a revolutionary that I could really view the book as being set during the revolutionary period before World War Two. Even then, my knowledge of Chinese history is hazy enough that I could have used a few more historical pointers.

The second issue was the sheer unlikeliness of the tale, which against could be a cultural thing. I’ve seen the same litany of amazing coincidences, sudden tragedy and sense of wandering from one life into another in other non-Western novels, so I’m sure it is, but it started to grate on me after a while.

On the other hand, I liked the sheer Chinese-ness of both the writing and the story—which, I suppose, is the flipside of the things I didn’t like about it. I enjoyed seeing Westerners through Chinese eyes and was fascinated by the portrait of traditional China that emerged from the descriptions. I got a strong sense of the life of Chinese women in traditional society—although bordering on the tragic, it was relieved by the sheer practicality and earthiness of the women themselves, a determination to have things their own way that was expressed by their actions rather than their words.

One of the stronger points, of course, was the description of the embroidery skills Spring Swallow has to master and her sheer dedication in doing so. I would have like to have seen more come of that. I would also have love to have seen a more satisfying resolution to Aunty Peony’s mystery, although I’ll concede that the best plot twist would also have been an awkward one from the viewpoint of Chinese politics!

Overall my reactions to this novel were uneven—I was interested in some places, less so in others. I’m not sure whether I would have wanted Secret of a Thousand Beauties to be more Chinese or less so, but I certainly think that the Western reader needs just a touch more guidance through the history of the setting. ( )

Another book about the strange tradition of the Chinese ghost marriage. Spring Swallow is a strong young woman finding her way in 1930’s China. Her mysterious embroidery teacher has a past full of secrets and she is cold and devious. Spring Swallow leaves messages on the side of the mountain for her lover who is in great danger because he is a revolutionary. I liked the parts about the history of embroidery. I felt that the book was a little slow in a couple of places. I felt like I was with Spring Swallow through out her struggles. I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars. ( )

An unexpected treasure!

China in the 1930's. Spring Swallow, fated to be a 'bad luck' woman, is clear sighted and determined.
Promised in marriage whilst in the womb she is later married to the ghost of her groom, or a chicken depending on your point of view. As a young girl Spring Swallow escapes her life of predetermined drudgery on her ghostly wedding day and flees to the city of Soochow.
She finds herself by chance rather than plan being trained in embroidery by Aunt Peony, a woman with dark secrets and passionate jealousies. As Spring Swallow's talent for embroidery grows more of the secrets of Aunt Peony are revealed, as are the personalities of the other 'sister' embroiderers.
(I was fascinated by the treatise on the art and technique of embroidering that Mingmei Yip exposes us to throughout the book. The book deserves further reading to dip more solidly into the artistic way of this medium.)
I really liked Spring Swallow's internal discourse throughout the novel. Indeed, life from her point of view is anything but dull, frequently terrifying, with humorous and tender moments. She is a young woman at once naive and knowing. Her loyalty to her teacher and her other 'sisters', her pursuit of their whereabouts and her taking responsibility for her 'family' is admirable.
The development of her relationship with the revolutionary Shen Feng is both unexplainable and yet completely realistic. Here is a young woman who has never known love, who believes in fate and who romantically finds her soulmate on a mountain top. Complete with poetry. No wonder she falls in love with him.
Spring Swallow's journey into womanhood and who she is does not stop with finding love. The truth of life is harsher. Her path is at times harrowing. From Soochow to Peking, from resolute safety to chancy freedom, Spring Swallow fully embraces life. By grasping opportunities, and not despairing she finds herself coming of age in unexpected ways.
A quietly fascinating read!

A NetGalley ARC ( )