Suche books:   





Dragon Bones: A Red Princess Mystery (Red Princess Mysteries)
Lisa See

Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2004 - 368 pages

average customer review:based on 18 reviews
view larger image
 for more information click here

   highly recommended  highly recommended






Dragon Bones

I totally enjoyed this book. It was a mystery and suspense story with lots of background on the Chinese culture, archeology and how antiques get out of China that was fascinating. I am really excited that this is a series about the husband (American Lawyer) and wife(Chinese Detective). I look forward to reading the other two books. I understand Lisa See has written other awarding winning books, I intend to read them too!


Fascinating Cultural Study Couched in a Serviceable Suspense Novel

Put Lisa See's mystery novel DRAGON BONES in a Western context - an emotionally distant marriage between two intellectual professionals, the tragic death of a daughter, a mysterious, pseudo-religious cult, horrific ritual murders, corrupt government officials, false identities, illicit sexual relationships, high tech terrorist threats, and high profile auction houses dealing in stolen cultural artifacts - and you have another stereotypical potboiler. Set the same story line on the banks of the Yangtze River, throw in Tiananmen Square, the Falun Gong cult, and the controversial Three Gorges Dam, and you have a study in modern China and its conflicted desire to modernize while preserving its cultural heritage. And no better exemplar of this issue exists than the Three Gorges Dam, what with its displacement of 1.25 million people, its controversial technological answer to an ancient problem of flood control, and its submerging of thousands of cultural relic and historical sites and the loss of countless archaeological finds.

Central to the story in DRAGON BONES is a Falun Gong-style cult called the All-Patriotic Society. Liu Hulan, an Inspector in China's Ministry of Public Security, grew up in a wealthy family, spent many years in the United States, and married David Stark, a lawyer, before returning to live together in China. Liu, whose namesake was a Chinese martyr, carries the guilt of her infant daughter's death to meningitis like a millstone that threatens her marriage. After an unfortunate incident in Tiananmen Square, she is assigned to investigate the mysterious death of a foreigner found floating in the Yangtze River. Her husband David joins her at the government's request to investigate the disappearance of cultural artifacts being excavated from an archaeological dig at the same location where the foreigner died. Thus begins two strands of investigation that ultimately merge as an internal ideological threat to the stability of the Chinese government.

While her rendering of Chinese culture and rural life along the Yangtze ring true enough, Ms. See's story is too often weakened by farfetched behaviors and events by characters who are too consistently stereotypical. Readers are asked to accept the notion of ritualistic human sacrifice in the service of a reverential peace-loving cult whose leader she renders as entirely unconvincing in that role for too many reasons to recount here (and without spoiling the plot). Furthermore, we are asked to accept the idea that the Chinese masses could be mobilized to revolt over a dragon legend and a symbolic mushroom object. One critical aspect of the story concerning the safety of the Three Gorges Dam feels shoe-horned into the book, never fully-developed and ultimately discarded in what amounts to a literary aside. In the end, as one comes to expect while reading DRAGON BONES, all ends well and Liu Hulan faces and conquers her personal demons.

Despite its wooden characters and pop psychology marital melodrama, DRAGON BONES is a serviceable suspense story. Three stars for a fascinating setting and an interesting depiction of Chinese life and the country's attempts to reconcile modernization with its cultural heritage. Ms. See presents some interesting insights for those who want to learn about China while partaking of their mystery stories.


 for more information click here









 for more information click here


Bravo

I would like to say I have read Dragon Bones. This was the best book I have read in my life. The story is intriguing, captivating and visual. I was unable to put it down. I love the characters and plot. The 3 gorges, archeology background in particular, the plot conspiracies and twists were great. I hope one day a good director with true ethics would make a quality movie of Dragon Bones . I went on to read Flower Net. Again Bravo. I plan to start The Interior next. I hope Lisa See continues to write and create another episode for Hulan and David. I think Dragon Bones should be a classic. I found both these books superior over anything I have read. Again Bravo and I hope your publishers keep printing. I would recommend these books to anyone as a Great read. With See's writing it is easy to be submersed in the story. Thanks for such great work. It really makes a difference.

Jeffrey Miner
Brook Park Ohio


 for more information click here






East meets West

I really enjoyed this book. I plowed through it in 2 days because I couldn't put it down.

Don't look for any deep symbolism or meaning here - it's pure entertainment. The main characters are well drawn, and the plot interesting - a Chinese woman and her estranged American husband trying to solve a murder and theft of artifacts at an archeological dig. Liu Hulan and David Stark are an intense, powerful couple, and you are drawn into their anguish in the first few pages.

Lively supporting characters at the dig site make the book even more fun. The plot twists and turns, changing your opinion of the characters multiple times before the book's fantastic finish.

I did learn some things about Chinese culture and politics, but they were overshadowed by the luminous characters and gripping action.


 for more information click here


I loved it!

Dragon Bones is Lisa See's third book featuring Inspector Liu Hulan and American Attorney David Stark. Several years have passed since the last book, The Interior, and during that time, our heroes have experienced much love, happiness, and a devastating loss. As See points out, the Chinese have a saying: "Things always change to the opposite". Soon after the novel begins, David and Hulan are sent on two separate assignments near the Three Gorges Dam: David is to investigate the theft of ancient artifacts, while Hulan is to investigate the murder of a promising, young American archaeologist.

With See's articulate, clear, and wonderfully descriptive writing style, Dragon Bones is well-paced and full of intrigue, making it a challenge to put down. Plot twists and murders constantly keep readers on their toes, demonstrating See's excellent skills as a storyteller.

One reason I've always enjoyed See's series is for the protagonists, David and Hulan. See has done a brilliant job creating in-depth, captivating characters with an interesting past. You can't help but care about them as they struggle to solve these crimes as well as mend their broken relationship. Sometimes we get a glimpse of David's perspective, while other times we get into Hulan's mind. This is one of my favorite aspects of See's writing--her ability to switch points of view subtly, yet so effectively. By getting into David's and Hulan's minds, it's evident that the two of them are meant for each other. But as the story progresses, readers will wonder if their relationship can survive after all the tragedies they have experienced. The answer is clear at the end of the novel.

Not only are some of the scenes extremely poignant, some are also very funny, particularly those involving the acerbic Pathologist Fong. And though this novel was entertaining, I also learned much, including Chinese culture, archaeology, and history of the Three Gorges Dam.

I would highly recommend this book!


 for more information click here


reviews: 1, 2, page 3, 4



hot or not?    What's your opinion?     Write a review and share your thoughts!



recommendations

Is it a Bird, Is it a Plane, It's a Thriller
Breakneck, Breathtaking Suspense, Oh My!
Thrillers Far Beyond Ordinary Fiction
Up, Up and Away into a Thriller
Some Heart-Racers




search for books
a red princess, bones, dragon, mysteries, mystery, princess, red


Impressum / about us


Suche books: