Praise and Reviews
A deftly woven and inherently fascinating study of the intergenerational human condition, “Unbound: A Tale of Love and Betrayal in Shanghai” is a truly extraordinary novel by an author with an undeniable set of narrative driven storytelling skills, the kind that readily engage and then hold the reader’s rapt attention from first page to last. While especially and unreservedly recommended for both community and college/university library Contemporary Literary Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that “Unbound: A Tale of Love and Betrayal in Shanghai” is also easily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.69).
-Mary Cowper’s Bookshelf in Midwest Book Review
Ting Lee has grown up within the confining walls of communism in 1970s Shanghai. Desperate to find connection and footing in the world, she is enchanted when her grandmother Mini comes to visit from America after being gone for decades. While Ting immediately is drawn to her charming, elegant grandmother, she is curious about her story of growing in Shanghai, a story that ends with Mini abandoning her daughter. As Mini tells the story, Ting begins to see the hardships, betrayals, and losses that defined her grandmother’s life. This multigenerational story told from both Ting and Mini’s perspectives paints a rich portrait of glamorous prewar Shanghai and the harsh reality Ting’s family experiences during the Cultural Revolution. Brumfield’s debut is a complex story that highlights the struggles between classes as well as racist practices against the Chinese by imperialist foreigners in their own country. Both protagonists are strong women who face difficult choices and choose to make their own ways even when the odds are stacked against them.
-Margaret Howard | Booklist
Issue: July 1, 2020
Advanced Review – Uncorrected Proof
Unbound: A Tale of Love and Betrayal in Shanghai. By Dina Gu Brumfield
Aug. 2020. 320p. Greenleaf, $22.95 (9781626347144)
“Dina’s debut novel Unbound is a gripping and heart-warming family saga with love and betrayal, and of rebellion and restraint in a time of war and peace. The journey of two strong women to break their visible and invisible bonds, and to search for freedom resonates today…”
–Geling Yan, Author of The Flower of War
“Brumfield’s novel is, at its essence, a well-paced historical novel that kept me turning pages. I know very little of Asian history—even the more recent chapters of the 20th century when this book is set—but I learned a lot from the dramatic scenes that featured characters who are often thrown into the midst of political turmoil. Particularly interesting to me were the moments that dramatized the changes generated in Chinese society by the death of Chairman Mao. Vivid drama also surrounds the era from the Japanese invasion of the country to their routing by the American/British forces. Seeing history through the eyes of people on the “other” side of the world, from the Western side that I am most familiar with, provided rich realism for this reader. And, of course, much of the suspense lay in wondering how, and if, Ting and her grandmother could survive the violence and heartbreak in their lives, to find safety and happiness…at last.
I would recommend this novel to readers interested in learning more about Eastern cultures and history. The author not only instructs, she entertains. And we leave the book in sympathy with her appealing characters.”
–Kathryn Johnson, author/teacher
“In the tradition of Wild Swans and The Woman Warrior, Unbound follows the perilous journeys of three generations of Shanghai women navigating politics, Chinese tradition, and love. You will find much to learn from this amazing novel as well as much to identify with.”
–Barbara Esstman
The Other Anna and Night Ride Home
“From the very first page – an ominous knock at the door — to the very last, Unbound binds us to an incredible story of heartbreak and passion, of dreams and desperation, of despair and unconditional hope. Through the eyes of Mini Pao and her granddaughter Ting Lee, Dina Gu Brumfield weaves a masterful tale that not only starkly captures both the promise and oppression of 20th Century China, but more importantly, brings to life the people who struggled to survive behind the facade. A master of craft, Brumfield never hesitates to lure the reader in close, so that we breathe the sweat and feel the pain; because only then will true understanding emerge about the human need for freedom and the power of will. This book is not so much a novel as it is an event – one that singularly proves the adage that history told through story will never be forgotten. This is one debut not to be missed!”
–James Mathews, author of Last Known Position
Praise and Reviews
A deftly woven and inherently fascinating study of the intergenerational human condition, “Unbound: A Tale of Love and Betrayal in Shanghai” is a truly extraordinary novel by an author with an undeniable set of narrative driven storytelling skills, the kind that readily engage and then hold the reader’s rapt attention from first page to last. While especially and unreservedly recommended for both community and college/university library Contemporary Literary Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that “Unbound: A Tale of Love and Betrayal in Shanghai” is also easily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.69).
-Mary Cowper’s Bookshelf in Midwest Book Review
Ting Lee has grown up within the confining walls of communism in 1970s Shanghai. Desperate to find connection and footing in the world, she is enchanted when her grandmother Mini comes to visit from America after being gone for decades. While Ting immediately is drawn to her charming, elegant grandmother, she is curious about her story of growing in Shanghai, a story that ends with Mini abandoning her daughter. As Mini tells the story, Ting begins to see the hardships, betrayals, and losses that defined her grandmother’s life. This multigenerational story told from both Ting and Mini’s perspectives paints a rich portrait of glamorous prewar Shanghai and the harsh reality Ting’s family experiences during the Cultural Revolution. Brumfield’s debut is a complex story that highlights the struggles between classes as well as racist practices against the Chinese by imperialist foreigners in their own country. Both protagonists are strong women who face difficult choices and choose to make their own ways even when the odds are stacked against them.
-Margaret Howard | Booklist
Issue: July 1, 2020
Advanced Review – Uncorrected Proof
Unbound: A Tale of Love and Betrayal in Shanghai. By Dina Gu Brumfield
Aug. 2020. 320p. Greenleaf, $22.95 (9781626347144)
“Dina’s debut novel Unbound is a gripping and heart-warming family saga with love and betrayal, and of rebellion and restraint in a time of war and peace. The journey of two strong women to break their visible and invisible bonds, and to search for freedom resonates today…”
–Geling Yan, Author of The Flower of War
“Brumfield’s novel is, at its essence, a well-paced historical novel that kept me turning pages. I know very little of Asian history—even the more recent chapters of the 20th century when this book is set—but I learned a lot from the dramatic scenes that featured characters who are often thrown into the midst of political turmoil. Particularly interesting to me were the moments that dramatized the changes generated in Chinese society by the death of Chairman Mao. Vivid drama also surrounds the era from the Japanese invasion of the country to their routing by the American/British forces. Seeing history through the eyes of people on the “other” side of the world, from the Western side that I am most familiar with, provided rich realism for this reader. And, of course, much of the suspense lay in wondering how, and if, Ting and her grandmother could survive the violence and heartbreak in their lives, to find safety and happiness…at last.
I would recommend this novel to readers interested in learning more about Eastern cultures and history. The author not only instructs, she entertains. And we leave the book in sympathy with her appealing characters.”
–Kathryn Johnson, author/teacher
“In the tradition of Wild Swans and The Woman Warrior, Unbound follows the perilous journeys of three generations of Shanghai women navigating politics, Chinese tradition, and love. You will find much to learn from this amazing novel as well as much to identify with.”
–Barbara Esstman
The Other Anna and Night Ride Home
“From the very first page – an ominous knock at the door — to the very last, Unbound binds us to an incredible story of heartbreak and passion, of dreams and desperation, of despair and unconditional hope. Through the eyes of Mini Pao and her granddaughter Ting Lee, Dina Gu Brumfield weaves a masterful tale that not only starkly captures both the promise and oppression of 20th Century China, but more importantly, brings to life the people who struggled to survive behind the facade. A master of craft, Brumfield never hesitates to lure the reader in close, so that we breathe the sweat and feel the pain; because only then will true understanding emerge about the human need for freedom and the power of will. This book is not so much a novel as it is an event – one that singularly proves the adage that history told through story will never be forgotten. This is one debut not to be missed!”
–James Mathews, author of Last Known Position