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The Piano Teacher

Janice Y.K. Lee

Start date: February 1, 2010

Finish date: March 31, 2010

Discussion: Group Book Discussion

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What Members Thought

Apr 14, 2010 Amy rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction, read-in-2010

*** Listened to the audiobook ***

I'd read a number of reviews about this novel and had found them to be rather mixed. However, I listened to an interview with the author and decided that the premise sounded really interesting so I picked up the audiobook.

I really enjoyed the story overall. I felt that the author did a great job using her writing style to set the time and place for me. Although the characters were not all particularly appealing, I was compelled to continue reading about them and ...more

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Feb 05, 2009 Bookmarks Magazine rated it really liked it

Most critics expressed surprise that a debut novel could be as compelling and self-assured as The Piano Teacher. Lee's flawed, colorful characters, although initially unlikeable, increasingly endear themselves to readers as the secrets of the past unfold, and her vivid descriptions of Hong Kong evoke the rich sights, sounds, and smells of that bygone, foreign world. Though the Washington Post complained that "the prose rarely sings," other reviewers praised its simplicity and grace. Critics note

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Mar 09, 2009 Lisa Hickman rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction, bookmarks-2009, library-books

It's the sign of a really good book, when the story keeps you riveted to the pages, despite the fact the characters are not all that likable. The story alternates time periods between WWII and about a decade later in Hong Kong. It's the story of Will and Trudy, then Will and Claire. The descriptions of settings and social situations is detailed and brilliant. The array of people who find themselves in Hong Kong and Lee's portrayal of them is humanizing. By the end of the book, I found myself dra ...more

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Jul 09, 2009 The Sassy Bookworm rated it liked it

I enjoyed this novel, it is a bit like The English Patient, but lacks the same intensity. The portrayal of wartime and post war Hong Kong is especially well done and since I was not overly familiar with that bit of history, I found it to be quite interesting. I think that the author did a fabulous job of developing Trudy and wish the same attention had been given to Claire, as I found her character to be most interesting and wanted to "get to know her" more. Overall though a pretty good read! ...more

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Feb 16, 2009 Janet rated it really liked it

Not the type of book I usually like but this one was compelling though sad.

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Apr 20, 2010 Linda rated it liked it

Shelves: chcpl

To me slightly confusing in the beginning since the story bounces between World War II and 1953. It takes quite a while for the two tie together. In 1953, the Piano Teacher teaches the daughter of a couple who have long ties in China. The World War II section tells of Trudy and her lover, Will. The country changes hands several times finally occupied by the Japanese. Will is eventually imprisoned but Trudy is able to parlay her split ethnic background to try to benefit those imprisoned, but comp ...more

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Apr 15, 2011 Wendy rated it really liked it

Shelves: bookclub

A book that covers a part of WW II that I had never read about. Enjoyed learning about the history but also loved the rich characters. There is not a lot of black and white in this book.

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