Daughters of the River Huong Summary and Reviews

Daughters of the River Huong
by Uyen Nicole Duong

Daughters of the River Huong
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Book Summary Information

Author: Uyen Nicole Duong
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2005-08-01
ISBN: 1928928161
Number of pages: 276
Publisher: Ravensyard Publishing

Book Reviews of Daughters of the River Huong

Book Review: A Majestic Mysticism Mystique
Summary: 5 Stars

Couldn't get away from this title. The synopsis intrigued me as well. Truthfully though, I expected a Joy Luck Club read, to of course be reminded how film translates nowhere near detailed as print. `Thick redness permeating yellow, mauve, and pastel green of blooming lotuses underneath naked feet...' just doesn't work well on film, but in this case it does fine in print.

This story no doubt unfolded like the majestic mysticism mystique charm I read in the title... even if... umm... I personally had a little trouble seeing a fifteen-year-old Cham paddle girl pulled from a boat as `royal'. A concubine she definitely turned out to be... but her heritage that preceded her... the Cham blood I'm thinking... is where she'd `inherit' the royal title.

But okay, the dynasty has to start somewhere, which the royal dynasty begins with the spirit of the River Huong and the Mystique Concubine.

All in all this is a beautiful story bejeweled by songs, myths, taboos, and memories imbibed from factual events pivoting around a river spanning four generations. There is the concubine (loved her memoir--absolutely beautiful)... and Dew, one of the twin's daughters' (very touching)... and then Simone's memoir, Dew's child... wrapping up a powerfully moving tribute to the women who collectively make Daughters of the River Huong royal.

Learned a few new words I won't likely forget either; Kowtow, eunuch, and bai doi. It also wasn't easy to overlook how faint the loyalties across causes (as in the Tet offense) really were. The author did a fine job portraying this story. Well written, remarkably understandable, and although classified as fiction, it is effective enough to serve as an educational tool on Vietnamese history.

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