In this richly imaginative novel, Mingmei Yipauthor of'Peach Blossom Pavilion and'Petals From the Skyfollows one womans daunting journey along Chinas fabled Silk Road.
As a girl growing up in Hong Kong, Lily Lin was captivated by photographs of the desertits long, lonely vistas and shifting sand dunes. Now living in New York, Lily is struggling to finish her graduate degree when she receives an astonishing offer. An aunt she never knew existed will pay Lily a huge sum to travel across Chinas desolate Taklamakan Desertand carry out a series of tasks along the way.
Intrigued, Lily accepts. Her assignments range from the dangerous to the bizarre. Lily must seduce a monk. She must scrape a piece of clay from the famous Terracotta Warriors, and climb the Mountains of Heaven to gather a rare herb. At Xian, her first stop, Lily meets Alex, a young American with whom she forms a powerful connection. And soon, she faces revelations that will redefine her past, her destiny, and the shocking truth behind her aunts motivations. . .
Powerful and eloquent,'Song of the Silk Road is a captivating story of self-discovery, resonant with the mysteries of its haunting, exotic landscape.
(see our review of Song of the Silk Road)
We recently read and enjoyed Mingmei Yips captivating Song of the Silk Road, and are lucky enough to have a copy of the book to give away to one US or Canadian reader. To enter, all you need to do is leave a comment telling us whether youd undertake the tasks listed above in the books blurb if you knew youd receive $3,000,000 for doing so. The competition will be drawn on 14 May, after which well contact the winner. Leave an email address so that we can contact you!
I wouldnt even be able to climb a mountain, even for $3 mil, so no, I wouldnt. But I would want to try. How much do you love the cover of this book?
Its the upside-down-lotus with a monk that got me! No thanks!
But the book is exquisite to look at.
Best of luck!
One can do anything if one puts ones mind to it; I at least would try to complete the tasks!
Thanks for your entry, Sheila. You sound like a gutsy gal!
I am definitely in this book. My husbands ancestors are from a Chinese minority that may have
intermarried with some people on the Silk Road. We want to go back to China and trace his
ancestry.
CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com
Seduce a monk thats the only one I wouldnt be willing to do for $3 mil. The others would be difficult for me, but (hopefully) not impossible. This book sounds very interesting, thanks for the giveaway!
susanna dot pyatt at student dot rcsnc dot org
Wow, what a fascinating story, Carol! Theres quite a bit about Chinese minorities in this book, and I think youd enjoy it. Thanks for your entry, and good luck!
Thanks for your entry, Susie! I think Id skip the monk bit, too!
Well, from a modern-girl-living-in-America point of view, no, I wouldnt consider the tasks equal to the monetary compensation. (Couldn't take the monk, you see.) However if I was a girl in Lilys position I might, as I would have endured a domineering married boyfriend and [a] minimum wage job. Would my freedom be worth it? Maybe'if I got to pick the monk. Perhaps it's far too easy to say no when life is good. I quote from The Good Earth 'hunger makes thief of any man'.
I wouldnt play a part in the monk bit, so I guess my answer is no, since I wouldnt do all the tasks.
pinkpeonyblossom at gmail dot com
Id struggle with the monk bit, too!
Thanks for your entry!
Interestingly, Lily is a university-educated girl living in New York, but she definitely feels the sway of both western and eastern cultures.
Thanks for your entry!
I guess I could *try* to seduce a monk for three million dollars. At one point I worked in a call center trying to get people to sign up for credit cards, and that only paid minimum wage (I was new to the country and unemployed). So yeah, I would probably think of the money and do it. :-s
Marian Perera mdperera at hotmail dot com
LOL! Thanks for your honesty, and good luck!
Why not seduce a monk? The other two things seem like they would actually be more challenging. The key is to find a monk who seems to have doubts about his faith thats your in.
Hehehe! Very true. Climbing a mountain may risk your life, but seducing a monk has only karmic consequencespfft!
(Im going to be reincarnated as a rat for that)
Good luck!
I would certainly give it my best try for $3,000,000
*Thanks* for the giveaway!
My pleasure, Cheryl.
Good luck!
No, I would not attempt these tasks.
janetfaye (at) gmail (dot) com