Summary:
This novel chronicles the life of an educated Chinese
woman trying to navigate China’s rapidly changing social, economic, and political environment. Set
in the reform period of the 1990s, the protagonist, Lin Jun, was a child during
the Cultural Revolution and has vivid memories of its terrible consequences for
her educated parents. However, she is still young enough to benefit from the
changes in contemporary Chinese life. Torn between traditions that dictate self-sacrifice
for one’s family and the allure of new freedoms, Lin Jun must decide how
best to live her life in a world almost completely unrecognizable from that of
her youth.
Reviews:
“ ‘Maybe it’s impossible to explain being a Chinese to a foreigner,’ says
Lin Jun, the 31-year-old Chinese schoolteacher who’s at the center of May-lee
Chai’s plucky novel. Lin Jun is in charge of easing the way for Cynthia,
a visiting American instructor at her middle school in Nanjing. But Lin Jun is
negotiating unfamiliar territory herself. Though she has been envied for her ‘lucky
face,’ the good looks that her jealous co-workers think have won her unusual
privileges and a handsome husband, Lin Jun doesn’t feel particularly fortunate.
Her estrangement from her husband is so deep that she spends many cold nights
alone, riding her Flying Pigeon (the brand name of the un-stylish but sturdy
black bicycle that she calls her ‘stalwart ally’). Lin Jun also feels
distant from her adored only son, who must live away from home at his nursery
school during the week. The author was herself a student at Nanjing University
and taught English at a middle school there, so she makes a sympathetic and knowledgeable
chronicler of Lin Jun’s efforts to find a place and a voice for herself.”--The
New York Times Book Review.
“For anyone interested in the changing face of China, or the Cultural Revolution
as seen from the perspective of dissidents and their families, this book demands
to be read.”--Jerusalem Post.
“By the end of My Lucky Face, readers have grown to care deeply for this
woman who faces so much adversity and yet continues to seek honest answers and
fulfillment...she is a unique character in American fiction.”--San Francisco
Chronicle.
“The most fascinating thing about this compelling, deftly written story
is the picture of Chinese society in transition and the widening gap between
the martyrs of the Cultural Revolution and the young generation, with its new
freedoms and expectation.” --Booklist.
“One woman’s triumph beautifully told.” --San Diego Union-Tribune.