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'Former Elle editor Lee delivers a standout debut dealing with the rigours of love and survival during a time of war, and the consequences of choices made under duress…The rippling of past actions through to the present lends the narrative layers of intrigue and more than a few unexpected twists. Lee covers a little-known time in Chinese history without melodrama, and deconstructs without judgement the choices people make in order to live one more day under torturous circumstances' Publishers Weekly
'Rarely does one encounter a debut work as beguiling and assured as Janice Lee's The Piano Teacher. Rich with intrigue, romance, and betrayal, this wonderfully written, utterly captivating novel dazzles with its sharp-eyed renderings of beau monde Hong Kong as it is plunged into the crucible of war. With its fascinating interplay of East and West and wide cast of effervescent characters, especially the singularly haunting Trudy Liang, this is a truly transporting - and indeed irresistible - work of fiction.’ Chang-Rae Lee, author of ‘Aloft’
'One of the most insightful, elegant and atmospheric novels I've read in a long time. Janice Lee is nothing short of brilliant and her novel is impossible to put down.' Gary Shteyngart
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.Review
'[An] impressive debut, which explores the moral ambiguities of war, culture, race and romantic love.'
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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60 of 60 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
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Janice Lee's portrayal of wartime and post war Hong Kong is a compelling story of love, war and betrayal. Claire, the piano teacher of the title, arrives in Hong Kong in 1952 with her new husband Martin, and quickly becomes involved with the expat community. Some of the people she meets have survived the wartime occupation of Hong Kong by the Japanese and Claire begins an affair with the mysterious Will. As the book evolves, Claire finds out more about Will's background and the tragic events which took place during the occupation.
Lee does not shrink from describing the harsh realities of life under occupation and the brutality visited upon both native Chinese and foreign nationals alike. Hong Kong's experience is often forgotten but in the timescale she has used in this novel it is still a fairly raw and recent memory. One of the interesting sides to the book is the way in which so many of the characters reached various sorts of compromise in order to survive and it makes one wonder what one would do in similar circumstances.
A very moving and thought-provoking account which will no doubt appeal to many readers who are interested in the human condition and the way people react under pressure.
Lee does not shrink from describing the harsh realities of life under occupation and the brutality visited upon both native Chinese and foreign nationals alike. Hong Kong's experience is often forgotten but in the timescale she has used in this novel it is still a fairly raw and recent memory. One of the interesting sides to the book is the way in which so many of the characters reached various sorts of compromise in order to survive and it makes one wonder what one would do in similar circumstances.
A very moving and thought-provoking account which will no doubt appeal to many readers who are interested in the human condition and the way people react under pressure.
27 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
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For a story embracing war, compromise, survival and guilt there are many characters in `The Piano Teacher' but the leading man and his two heroines dominate. They are interesting and intriguing and become totally credible within the turn of events described. `The Piano Teacher' is a love story and a historical novel, covering two main periods (1941-42 and 1952-53) skilfully interwoven plus some forward and backward glances. Author Janice Lee deals sympathetically with relationships and choices, and she steers and manipulates with incisive commentaries by the hero and heroines on each other, on additional individuals, on social groups, and on nations and nationalities. Their musing and philosophising is piercing and perceptive, and the reader is unlikely to predict outcomes.
Set in Hong Kong `The Piano Teacher' is clearly well researched and the author has in-depth knowledge of Hong Kong as a place and of its people together with cognisance of the influence of `Empire' before the Japanese invasion, internment, and the `ex-pat' situation after the Second World War. She finds easy ways of defining characters, detailing circumstances, describing scenes and discussing cultures without use of fancy or florid language. The narrative flows well and varies in tempo as appropriate to issues of love and lust, loyalty and betrayal, crime and corruption, and many more emotions and traumas. There are surprises throughout, and though the final pages reveal the unexpected, the somewhat loose ending deliberately leaves the reader thinking and wondering. I deliberately refrain from producing a précis or exposing the plot - read the novel.
Set in Hong Kong `The Piano Teacher' is clearly well researched and the author has in-depth knowledge of Hong Kong as a place and of its people together with cognisance of the influence of `Empire' before the Japanese invasion, internment, and the `ex-pat' situation after the Second World War. She finds easy ways of defining characters, detailing circumstances, describing scenes and discussing cultures without use of fancy or florid language. The narrative flows well and varies in tempo as appropriate to issues of love and lust, loyalty and betrayal, crime and corruption, and many more emotions and traumas. There are surprises throughout, and though the final pages reveal the unexpected, the somewhat loose ending deliberately leaves the reader thinking and wondering. I deliberately refrain from producing a précis or exposing the plot - read the novel.
65 of 68 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
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I've just finished the pre-publication version of this book. I was rather wary - love story - but I have to say that I couldn't put this down. It's a romance without the dirty bits, a war story without the gruesome bits, an "Empire" story without the heavy historic bits and quite believable throughout. Set in Hong Kong before, during and just after the Japanese Occupation, the tale deals with one mans infatuation with a Eurasian woman and, subsequently, his involvement with a rather sheltered, recently married Englishwoman recently arrived (The piano teacher). An engaging, well written and pleasing book that has sufficient detail to believe that the story is real without getting bogged down in pages of detail just to make the Author feel more self important.
The writer, new to me, has worked hard on the background material but, most of all, has found a remarkably good writing style that takes the reader along at a pleasant pace. I'm really impressed and hope that she can set to writing some more (and soon please). A worthwhile and very enjoyable book. I defy anyone who buys it not to be tempted to carry on for "just one more chapter" well after bedtime!
The writer, new to me, has worked hard on the background material but, most of all, has found a remarkably good writing style that takes the reader along at a pleasant pace. I'm really impressed and hope that she can set to writing some more (and soon please). A worthwhile and very enjoyable book. I defy anyone who buys it not to be tempted to carry on for "just one more chapter" well after bedtime!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
The Piano Teacher
I did quite like this book but I was only ever interested in one side of the story at a time. Initially I quite liked Claire's story and seeing how she approached the culture in... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Lucybird
Really easy reading
I finally got around to reading The Piano Teacher and finished it earlier today. I'm really in two minds about whether I enjoyed it or not. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Lincs Reader
Too many words...
Action skips back and forwards around the period of Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, revealing snippets of information about a cast of characters (rather too many to maintain... Read more
Published 5 months ago by JoTownhead
Great potential but didn't really deliver
This book had all the ingrediants to be fanastic but it doesn't quite deliver. I couldn't help thinking the author was trying to write too many different types of books within one. Read more
Published 11 months ago by D. Winters
interesting if a little depressing
Excellent holiday reading as it was not particularly challenging; the content was intense but gave an insight into the psyche of Hong Kong pre, during and during the... Read more
Published 12 months ago by H. Pritchard-smith
A good read
The book is set during two time periods- 1940's and 1950's Hong Kong. It begins in the 1950's and introduces us to Claire Pendleton, a young newlywed who has moved to Hong Kong... Read more
Published 12 months ago by TraceyC
Pleasantly Surprised!
I purchased this book ages ago and for some reason I was put off from reading this mainly because I assumed this would be the usual sugary sweet Mills & Boon love story. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Leggylou
Easy to read but ultimately forgettable
Essentially the plot of this book is split in two - pre world war two leading into the war in Hong Kong compared with post war Hong Kong. Read more
Published 15 months ago by J. Draper
What more could you want in a novel?
As someone who writes (or tries at least) I read widely, and I have learnt a lot. Now and again I come across a book that I feel from the very beginning is the type of book I would... Read more
Published 18 months ago by Trevor Johnson
Lovely, realistic, easy to read
I loved this book for several reasons:
* Having been to Hong Kong (though well after the time in which the book is set), I felt that it really caught a sense of the... Read more
* Having been to Hong Kong (though well after the time in which the book is set), I felt that it really caught a sense of the... Read more
Published 18 months ago by H. B. Hosegoood
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