Dreams of the Red Phoenix, by Virginia Pye
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Dreams of the Red Phoenix, by Virginia Pye
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During the dangerous summer of 1937, a newly widowed American missionary finds herself and her teenage son caught up in the midst of a Japanese invasion of North China and the simultaneous rise of Communism. Meanwhile a charismatic Red Army officer requests her help and seems to have shared some surprising secret about her husband. Shirley must manage her grief even as she navigates between her desire to help the idealistic Chinese Reds fight the Japanese by serving as a nurse and the need to save both herself and her son by escaping the war-ravaged country before it’s too late.Taking her own grandmother's life as inspiration, Virginia Pye, author of the critically-acclaimed debut novel River of Dust, has written a stunning new novel of Americans in China on the cusp of World War II.
Dreams of the Red Phoenix, by Virginia Pye- Amazon Sales Rank: #746119 in Books
- Brand: Unbridled Books
- Published on: 2015-10-13
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 8.20" h x .90" w x 5.40" l, .0 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 288 pages
Review “With cunning plot twists — and especially an early one that leaves the reader amazed at her audacity — Pye raises the ante while giving equal attention to creating well-drawn characters . . . . And as if that’s not enough to grip the reader, her seamless and evocative prose enhances her story . . . . A tale of idealism and courage, deceit and treachery, “Dreams of the Red Phoenix” blends religion, family, geopolitics and history into a hearty, heartwarming and heart-rending feast of fact-based fiction, one inspired by Pye’s imagination and rendered with care and love.”—The Richmond Times-Dispatch“There's a comparison to Ballard's Empire of the Sun, but this unflinching look at a brutal era in a faraway place shares truth in its own way.” --Kirkus“Gripping, convincing, and heartbreaking, Dreams of the Red Phoenix is powerfully evocative of the complexities of life in 1930's China. A real page-turner and thought-provoker — wonderful.” —Gish Jen
About the Author Virginia Pye holds an MFA from Sarah Lawrence College and has taught writing at the University of Pennsylvania and New York University. Her highly acclaimed first novel, River of Dust, is also a historical novel set in China. Her father, Lucian W. Pye, was born and raised in China and became an eminent political scientist and sinologist. Her grandfather, Watts O. Pye, was a founder of the Oberlin College-Shansi Program which took him and his wife, Gertrude, to China as the first returning missionaries after the Boxer Rebellion of 1900. Her grandmother stayed in China after the death of her husband and fled with her son—Virginia’s father—on the last ship out of China to the U.S. following Pearl Harbor. Pye currently divides her time between Richmond, VA, and Boston, MA.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Beautifully Crafted By Helen M. Foster As an observer of psychological processes, I found it satisfying that DREAMS OF THE RED PHOENIX, Virginia Pye's second historical novel about China, opened cabinets in my own mind via the telepathy and time travel of writing, conjuring an illusion that I was reading a sequel to her beautiful novel, RIVER OF DUST. But be advised: Though Shirley, the missionary widow, resembles the wife, Grace in RIVER OF DUST and shares many of her Grace's circumstances and character traits, DREAMS OF THE RED PHOENIX picks up with slightly altered circumstances and different characters. The satisfaction of discovering what happened to Grace and her family is illusory, though such is the gift of well-crafted fiction. It provides answers to questions lingering in the unconscious of the reader and tempts us to read on and find out more. Dreams of the Red Phoenix opens in 1937 as Japanese soldiers invade North China and Communism rises among the suffering people. Charles, the adolescent son of American missionaries to China, has recently lost his father and thrusts instinctively toward manhood. Failing to appreciate the dangers that his Chinese friends find all too clear, he spits over the mission wall at Japanese soldiers, the first of many impulsive actions. Hungry locals take refuge on mission grounds, and Charles's mother, Shirley, rouses from her grief and opium-induced apathy to nurse the victims of Japanese aggression. She and Charles, both complex and artfully drawn characters, stumble again and again, rising with new strength as they learn from the suffering, foibles, compassion, cruelty, and wisdom of their Chinese and Japanese servants, guests, neighbors, and potential enemies. Virginia Pye mined the experiences of her grandparents and father in China and researched the time and setting carefully for background in this powerful novel, which kept me reading past my bedtime and rang true as both a well-plotted read and an exploration of the relationships of people bending under the harsh pressure of history. I strongly recommend Dreams if the Red Phoenix to those who enjoy character-rich historical fiction set in other lands.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Everything I Want from a Novel By Fredda Weeks after having finished Dreams of the Red Phoenix, I’m still wondering about what will happen to the characters now that the story has ended. This is the remarkable effect of Virginia Pye’s skillful character portrayal and expert handling of historic events.A Christian mission in China has endured for 10 years in its protected enclave. For all these years, the intrepid missionary, Caleb Carson, has dedicated his life to the Chinese, venturing far outside the walls to serve the people. His wife, Shirley, sheltered by her husband, devotes herself to their one child, Charles. Her contact with the Chinese is mostly limited to her son’s nanny and the others who serve the household.But all of this has begun to change by the time the book opens. Shirley, learning that her husband has died, is in mourning for Caleb. But now that she is suddenly on her own, and forced into the position of head of household, the Japanese invasion spreads to the town and the Red Army comes to fight against them; the fighting brings casualties and there is an immediate need for a medical clinic.It seems Shirley had been a nurse before she was married, and as she begins to use her skills to save lives and her home becomes a hospital for not only the local people but the Red Army soldiers, she finds herself the very capable boss of this impromptu sick ward, working closely with Captain Hsu, a dedicated officer in the Red army. Through her relationship with him and her role as nurse to the soldiers, she transforms. Essentially, she assumes the role of her husband and adopts the Communist vision. She comes to believe she is vital to the Chinese people, a doctor to the soldiers, risking her life to defend her adopted country against the Japanese and thus contribute to the coming ideal society. Her belief in her great value leads her to risk her life and forsake her son.Charles is also a vividly portrayed character, an adolescent thrust into near total independence. Though furious with his mother for abandoning him, he dives right into the chaos and opportunities for relationships with the Chinese as they start to dominate the household. In many ways, Charles’s perspective on the societal restructuring is far more accurate than his mother’s.Eventually, Shirley must make a choice that will shift her priorities, and her decision will lead to consequences she will never know. At this point, as I was reading, I actually became frightened of the repercussions of the event—well, frightened that it would end ironically. I often find ironic events painful to read, as though I’m either being forced to mock the characters or made to feel a gut-wrenching pity. But this is the point in the book where Pye’s talent as a writer proves transcendent. Instead of being led to despair, we are taken through a unique vision that is difficult to describe without giving too much away. I’ll just say I’ve never before thought of mud as a means of transcendence. Pye’s treatment of this moment reminds me of some of my favorite Chekhov stories.Unlike some other readers, I don’t know if Shirley will be transformed by this remarkable period of her life. I think that in choosing pragmatism over idealism, she may turn her back on her transformative experience in order to survive. You never know what people will do. In my life, they have continuously surprised me, and since Shirley has jumped off the page, I’m ready for her to do the same.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. A thrilling complex ride By Wendi A thrilling, complex ride through Japanese-invaded North China in 1937. It asks, among many other thought-provoking questions, what would you do for family?The inner resources of missionary wife Shirley Carson, a former Vassar girl and trained nurse, and her son Charles inspire as they mourn the apparent loss of the head of their family. The Reverend Caleb Carson has gone missing, and the local lore is that he died in a landslide.Shirley continues her husband's work as she believes he would want her to do, caring for the villagers and the hardworking peasants.Reluctantly at first and then with more conviction, she and her son reach out to the Red Army leading the Communist revolt. They set up a medical facility in their temporary home, the American compound.Their own lives in danger, at times it seems they have waited too long to plan an escape as they witness the mounting atrocities committed by the encroaching Japanese army. A page turner, I could not put the book down waiting to find out what would happen to this American family in such fraught times.
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