A transfixing portrait of a woman and a nation eagerly burying the past to transform the future. In his enthralling new novel, Ian Buruma uses the life of the starlet Yamaguchi Yoshiko as a lens through which to understand the lure of erotic fantasies in the conquest of nations. The China Lover reveals the catastrophic results when theatre and politics blend in a lethal manner. In her earliest days Ri Koran-a Japanese girl, born in Manchuria, who sang and acted in Japanese and Chinese-was forced to keep her Japanese ...
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A transfixing portrait of a woman and a nation eagerly burying the past to transform the future. In his enthralling new novel, Ian Buruma uses the life of the starlet Yamaguchi Yoshiko as a lens through which to understand the lure of erotic fantasies in the conquest of nations. The China Lover reveals the catastrophic results when theatre and politics blend in a lethal manner. In her earliest days Ri Koran-a Japanese girl, born in Manchuria, who sang and acted in Japanese and Chinese-was forced to keep her Japanese identity a secret, to become a Manchurian singer and movie star playing Chinese beauties who fell in love with brave Japanese empire builders. In U.S.-occupied Tokyo, she returned to the screen as Yamaguchi Yoshiko, starring in films approved by American censors and designed to promote American-style democracy. Before long, she decided to reinvent herself yet again by moving to the United States. Three months after Japan and the United States signed a peace treaty in San Francisco, Yamaguchi rededicated herself to pursuing a career in American movies, this time as Shirley Yamaguchi, playing exotic Japanese beauties falling in love with American soldiers. But she was not just the subject of male fantasies on the cinema screen. She married the Japanese American sculptor Isamu Noguchi, who wanted her to be the perfect traditional Japanese woman. When her many roles, in life and in film, proved impossible to reconcile, Shirley left Noguchi, retired as an actress, and married a promising young Japanese diplomat. At the outset of the 1970's, the life of Yamaguchi Yoshiko took another dramatic turn. As host of a Japanese television show for housewives, Yoshiko accepted an assignment in the Middle East, where she met Yassir Arafat and a prominent Palestinian terrorist. A member of her crew, affiliated with the Japanese Red Army, would return to commit a terrible crime while Yoshiko became a founding member of the Japanese- Palestinian Friendship Association, and ended her career as a politician in the right-wing ruling party of Japan. In Buruma's reimagining of the life of Yamaguchi Yoshiko, a Japanese torn among patriotism for her parents' homeland, worldly ambition, and sympathy for the Chinese, she would reflect almost exactly the twists and turns in the history of modern Japan.
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Add this copy of The China Lover to cart. $3.59, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Austell, GA, UNITED STATES, published 2009 by Penguin Publishing Group.
Add this copy of The China Lover to cart. $3.98, like new condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Austell, GA, UNITED STATES, published 2008 by Penguin Press.
Add this copy of The China Lover to cart. $3.98, like new condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 2008 by Penguin Press.
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Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of The China Lover: a Novel to cart. $4.00, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Diamond rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2008 by Penguin Press HC, The.
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Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of The China Lover: a Novel to cart. $4.00, very good condition, Sold by Half Price Books Inc rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2008 by Penguin Press HC, The.
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Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
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Very Good. Hardcover A well-cared-for item that has seen limited use but remains in better than average cosmetic condition. The item is complete, and without major damage. It may have limited signs of use. Packed with care, shipped promptly.
Add this copy of The China Lover: a Novel to cart. $6.00, like new condition, Sold by Pomfret Street Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Carlisle, PA, UNITED STATES, published 2008 by Penguin Pr.
Add this copy of The China Lover to cart. $6.00, very good condition, Sold by Pomfret Street Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Carlisle, PA, UNITED STATES, published 2008 by Penguin Press.
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Good. Trade Paperback. Creasing to cover along spine. Bumping to spine. Marking to ISBN barcode. No apparent marks throughout this book. Tracking available on most domestic orders.
