Virginia Pye (1)

Dreams of the Red Phoenix by Virginia Pye was a book that I was fully expecting to love but instead, had rather a mixed reaction. The story of a recent widow and her teenage son trapped by the invading Japanese Army in northern China in 1937 was indeed a story of courage, idealism, and treachery. Unfortunately I wasn’t enamoured by the writing or the characters.

As the book opens, both mother, Shirley Carson and son, Charles are adjusting to losing missionary husband and father, Caleb, several weeks ago. Being a trained nurse, when Japan launches an attack, she opens the mission and tends to the wounded. But she is torn between helping the Chinese fight the invaders and her desire to leave this dangerous country and take herself and her son home to America. As the war grows more intense, both Shirley and Charles realize that their status as neutral Americans is not the protection that they thought.

I am sure there is a fantastic story to be told here and although inspired by the experiences of her grandparents who were missionaries in China, I don’t think the author’s writing was up to the task. I felt the book was poorly paced and lacked the ability to draw the reader in. I never was able to understand the motives behind Shirley’s actions, and I found the character of Charles rather unbelievable. Dreams of the Red Phoenix had all the ingredients that I look for so I was quite disappointed that it just didn’t work for me.… (meer)

I will be the first to admit that my knowledge of this period in history is limited at best. I know very little about the relationship between China and Japan other than it wasn’t friendly. This book is not lengthy at 288 pages yet it packs a lot of story between the covers.

World War II hasn’t begun yet in 1937 when this story begins but the start of the Japanese invasion of China is beginning. A young American woman, married to a preacher and living at an American Mission learns that her husband has died suddenly leaving her far from home with her son. She is bereft and unable to function while the world around her slowly starts to implode. Her son is growing into a young man and she barely notices. Circumstances force her out of her mourning stupor to face the facts of a possible war in her backyard.

What she learns about herself, her surroundings and the world as a whole will change her life forever and perhaps alter her in ways from which she can’t come back. I loved this character – she was a ball of confusion at the start but she grew into a strong woman through circumstance and a love for her adopted country.

Ms. Pye’s writing style is simple yet she really knows how to draw her reader into the story. She brings her characters alive from the protagonist to the smallest, seemingly insignificant character they all shine. I want to read this one again because I know I will find things I missed this first time around.… (meer)

River of Dust begins in rural China in 1910, as an American missionary couple watches in horror as their child is taken from their doorstep by a group of Mongol bandits. Though the Reverend and his family are among the first Christians to return to China following the Boxer Rebellion, he is determined to find his son and sets off into the dangerous plains, leaving his pregnant wife, Grace, behind. As the Reverend loses himself in his new nomadic life, strangely connected to the people he encounters, Grace must survive with only her faith and the family's Chinese servants to guide her.

Virginia Pye has a stand-out voice for creating fantastic imagery and the plains of China seem to be waiting for her narration. The first few paragraphs of River of Dust, taken from the excerpt on the book's website, will easily transport you.

"The Reverend loomed over the barren plain. He stared at the blank horizon as if in search of something, although to Grace’s eyes, nothing of significance was out there. Sunset burned his silhouette into a vast and gaudy sky. Standing tall in his long coat on the porch above his wife and son, he appeared to be a giant—grand and otherworldly. Perhaps this was how the Chinese saw him, she thought.

Her husband spread his arms toward the blazing clouds and shadowed flatlands as if to say that all this was now in the Lord’s embrace.
The breeze shifted, and billows of smoke circled their way. Grace watched the Reverend’s outline waft and shimmer. She would not have been surprised if his body had gone up in flames right there before her eyes, ignited in a holy conflagration with only a pile of ash left behind to mark his time on this earth. Grace shook the strange notion from her mind, although she wondered how so good a man could appear so sinister in such glorious light."

River of Dust peeks into a corner of the past rarely examined by historical fiction, which is a refreshing change. Even beyond a new setting are the bigger questions raised by the world Pye introduces readers to; imperialism, evangelism and faith swirl around the novel from front to back without leaving the story feeling like it has a religious agenda.

With a step into this history niche, however, I am slightly concerned that some details may be lost on readers unfamiliar with the Boxer Rebellion. While a few mentions of the uprising are woven in quite delicately, it would benefit those with no knowledge of Chinese history to have some background before reading.

Based on the journals penned by her grandfather while serving a similar mission in China, Virginia Pye has written a novel blending a rich, historic setting with an engaging story that explores the limits of faith. Richmond has yet another writer to add to its growing list of accomplished novelists.… (meer)

This is the debut novel by a local Richmond, VA author, that our local book club is discussing next week. I really enjoyed the book and learned a lot about China/ Mongolia in the early 1900's. those missionaries had a brutal time of it back then, unfortunately. The story captured my interest from the beginning and I read the entire book in ne day. I thought the author wrote very well, and the book gave me a lot to think about. I hope she continues writing, because I want to read more! A sequel could even be done....... I highly recommend this book and look forward to our discussion. I think the author, herself, is joining us! I won't say anything about the plot because you can read it here on Goodreads. I read the Kindle version, btw, and there were some editing issues that need to be fixed, like words run together and some wide spacing.… (meer)