Based loosely on a true event it is really difficult to explain how good it is without any spoliers. Four Treasures of the Sky tells the story of Daiyu, who is brought to America against her will and forced to hide who she is even as she grows into her true self. Extraordinary…Those who want to learn about a little-known incident in Chinese-American history will be enlightened by this moving debut. Zhang shines a scathing light on the history of the USA's treatment of Chinese people, whilst creating a heroine and cast of characters that really stay.

It’s one your emotions will force you to hold on to as Zhang’s poetic prose unravels a story of reclamation—even though there’s no justice, no closure, no happiness at the end. Zhang’s debut novel imaginatively illuminates an often overlooked aspect of American history that resonates powerfully today, the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and concurrent anti-Asian violence… Zhang’s blend of history and magical realism will appeal to fans of Ta-Nehisi Coates’ The Water Dancer as well as Amy Tan's The Valley of Amazement. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. as a man…horrors, hope, love, kidnapped, treated cruel, empowering family memories, (that helped to draw strength), at times starving — unbearable hunger….

Faced with racism, hatred and fear, Daiyu stands on her own character, as bold and indomitable as one of Master Wang’s perfectly drawn lines. Daiyu/Feng] would become someone who did not bend to the will of fate and the stories she was named after.

Jenny Tinghui Zhang captures the adventure, the isolation, the violence, and the glittering hope of the American West. The resonance and immediacy of these barbarous 19th-century events are testament to Zhang’s storytelling powers, and should stand as a warning to all of us. A dazzling combination of history, unforgettable voice and Chinese mythology that promises much more to come from this bright and devastating new talent. A year locked in a dark room, forced to learn English, Daiyu traces Chinese characters with her fingers in hope for familiarity, home, and roots —recounting the significance of each stroke in a character.

Daiyu frequently wonders throughout the story if she would succumb to the misfortune of the character she is named after, and constantly tries to run away from the destiny attached to this name. Daiyu was convinced that her namesake, a heroine who died an untimely death, was the cause of her troubles.

But when she is kidnapped and forced across an ocean from China to America, Daiyu must relinquish the home and future she imagined for herself.Sweeping…[Zhang] manages to build in delicate moments of beauty…[Daiyu’s] defiant optimism in the face of what the reader knows are impossible dreams…gives her character strength and meaning.