The Piano Teacher – by Janice Y.K. Lee

December 5, 2009 in Asian Authors, Authors writing about Asia by CatThief | No comments

THE PIANO TEACHER   In 1952, Claire Pendleton moves to Hong Kong with her husband and is hired by the wealthy Chen family as their daughter’s piano teacher.  As a provencial English newlywed, Claire is seduced by the colony’s glamourous social life.  Her new husband is boring and works long hours.  She begins an affair with an Englishman whose mysterious past during the war years in Hong Kong adds to her taste for excitement.  Soon she is embroiled in the sadness and darkness of a past war that wasn’t hers, yet makes her question everything she thought she was. 

This book was a page turner.  It is a tale of survival, the choices we make and the price we pay.  Definitely worth a read.

Janice Y.K. Lee was born and raised in Hong Kong.  She graduated from Harvard College and was a former features editor at Elle and Mirabella magazines.  She lives in Hong Kong.  This is her first book.