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The Piano Teacher: A Novel | 
| Author: Janice Y. K. Lee
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Category: Book
List Price: $15.00
Buy Used: $0.02
as of 9/4/2010 02:08 CDT details
You Save: $14.98 (100%)
New (83) Used (265) Collectible (2) from $0.02
Seller: CDC Books
Rating:  140 reviews
Sales Rank: 4594
Media: Paperback
Pages: 352
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 8 x 5.5 x 0.7
ISBN: 0143116533
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN: 9780143116530
ASIN: 0143116533
Publication Date: November 17, 2009
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
"A rare and exquisite story...Transports you out of time, out of place, into a world you can feel on your very skin." -Elizabeth Gilbert
In the sweeping tradition of The English Patient, Janice Y.K. Lee's debut novel is a tale of love and betrayal set in war-torn Hong Kong. In 1942, Englishman Will Truesdale falls headlong into a passionate relationship with Trudy Liang, a beautiful Eurasian socialite. But their affair is soon threatened by the invasion of the Japanese as World War II overwhelms their part of the world. Ten years later, Claire Pendleton comes to Hong Kong to work as a piano teacher and also begins a fateful affair. As the threads of this spellbinding novel intertwine, impossible choices emerge-between love and safety, courage and survival, the present, and above all, the past.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 140
 Engaging...at times August 12, 2010
Emily Writes
I picked up this book because it had the word "Piano" in the title. I assumed from the cover it would be a story about a love affair between two people. I did not expect all of the gore and violence. I loved the characters, especially Will. Some of the characters seemed very stereotypical, like Melody and Claire while some, like Dominick, seemed underdeveloped. I wished to read more about Trudy and Will's story than of Claire's, although I did enjoy Claire's presence in the book. Her intrusion started the unwinding of the plot, although that unwinding in my opinion was a little forced. This book can be confusing, once I got about 1/2 way through the book, I began to understand it. The last part of the book is difficult to follow, the author speaks in a way that is sometimes pompous. It is as if we are not supposed to understand the message. However, after rereading parts of the book out loud a few times, I did understand the story and enjoyed the book very much. I believe this is one book you have to read a few times in order to appreciate it. I loved it the historical aspect and gained a new respect for Chinese history during the 40s and 50s.
 Unforgetable characters, fascinating plot August 9, 2010
Laina M. Gerace (Rockford, IL)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Set in Hong Kong, this story alternates between the time of the WW II Japanese invasion and ten years later, after the war is over. I found the interchanging of time periods quite fascinating. Starting in 1952, you meet Claire, a niave young English woman, who comes to Hong Kong with her new husband and is hired by the influential Chen family as their daughter's piano teacher. You find out some of Claire's unique characteristics before the story switches to eleven years earlier. That's when you meet Will, recently arrived from England and his soon to be lover, the highly sought after Trudy, a delightful Eurasian woman, full of life and fun! As the story progresses within the rich culture of Hong Kong, the war looms, the war happens, and all kinds of events affect the characters and their relationships. I had to keep reading! I loved the book!
"Love is like playing the piano. First...play by the rules...then...by the heart." Unknown source August 5, 2010
michael a. draper (Guilford, CT)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The story begins in 1952. Claire Pendleton is newly married. She arrives in Hong Kong with her husband, Martin. Claire admits that she doesn't love her husband but got married to get away from home and away from her complaining mother.
Bored and in need of additional income, Claire gets a job teaching piano to the daughter of the wealthy Victor and Melody Chen. After one lesson, a trinket from the Chens falls into Claire's purse. When it's not noticed, she begins a period of petty thievery which ultimately results in the Chens firing their servant for the thefts.
The story flashes back to 1941, the period before the war and centers on Trudy Liang, a Eurasian, and Will Truesdale, an Englishman new to Hong Kong. They begin an affair and Will moves through Hong Kong society as the war approaches.
Back in 1952, Claire meets Will and they begin seeing more of each other, eventually starting an affair. At the time, Claire was age twenty-eight and Will was age forty-three.
One day, Claire and her husband are at the beach. Claire is wearing a scarf that she stole from the Chens. Unexpectidly, they run into the Chens. Melody tells her that she has a scarf just like the one Claire is wearing. Claire wonders if Melody figured out that she stole it.
Events move slowly. The Japanese take over Hong Kong and people do what they must to survive. Some people even do things that they must hide when the war finally ends.
Calire and Will continue their affair and then she learns something about his actions in the war. She must decide how this revelation will change their relationship.
The author is asking how much will love forgive.
The story was an interesting look back at the two moments in history but the characters were unappealing. Nevertheless, the author is a talented writer and the novel was a nice diversion.
 Great potential, but fizzles & disappoints July 16, 2010
Laura Christianson (Seattle)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
"The Piano Teacher" felt like a first novel in which the author had visions of creating a sweeping, Gone With the Wind-style saga, but was informed by her publisher to keep it to 85,000 words. After the first ponderous 125 pages, the story kicked into gear and was intriguing - for a while. But a series of enigmatic one-liners (intended to be mysterious, perhaps?) that were supposed to tie up loose ends didn't do the trick. The last quarter of the story felt disjointed and uninspired.
The book's title doesn't work well, either, as "the piano teacher" was but a footnote to "Trudy and Will's hopeless romantic obsession." This story had great potential and the author is a talented writer, but overall, it was a dissatisfying read.
A pretty good casual read... July 14, 2010
Book Club Mom (PA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I didn't know much about Hong Kong during World War II, so this part of the book was interesting to me. But I couldn't understand why the author kept switching from past tense to present tense, because it wasn't consistent and it drew my attention away from the story and its characters.
Lee seems to be better at plot than characters - I thought the storyline was pretty good and, although it dragged a little in the middle, Lee tied up the details well. SPOILER ALERT - I would say that Locket's lineage was pretty easy to figure out.
Her characters were a little stereotypical, particularly Trudy. We have all read books with a character like her mixed into the plot. And at times I felt like I was reading Gone With The Wind goes to Hong Kong!
I was disappointed that the initial storyline of Claire stealing from the Chens never developed. That was one of the more interesting traits of Claire's character, who, like some of the other characters, were a little flat.
Overall, however, I'd say it was a good, casual read.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 140
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