THE PORCELAIN MOON

Beautifully written and splendidly narrated, Chang's novel is a story of love and friendship that also reveals a little-known historical event--the importing of 140,000 Chinese workers into Europe to be noncombatant labor during WWI. The story focuses on a Chinese woman, Pauline Deng, portrayed with exquisite delicacy by Katharine Chin, and a Frenchwoman, Camille Roussel, perfectly portrayed by Saskia Maarleveld. As a series of tragic circumstances throws the two together, the dangerous secrets they hold create a bond between them. Smartly drawn characters allow James Chen to create multidimensional men, while Chin's and Maarleveld's performances project authentic and credible women. All three narrators offer strong character portrayals that neatly upend Western stereotypes of Asians. Chang's lyrical prose is enhanced by intelligent, thoughtful performances. S.J.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2023]