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Fragrant Harbour

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( 2,135 ratings, 210 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Fragrant Harbour by John Lanchester is a sweeping narrative that spans several decades, focusing on the lives of four characters whose stories interweave with the rich tapestry of Hong Kong's history. It explores themes of love, power, and survival against the backdrop of the region's turbulent developments. The novel offers a vivid portrayal of colonial legacies and the intricate dynamics of cultural identity in a rapidly changing society.
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book may appeal to you if you enjoy sweeping narratives that span decades, diving into the rich and often tumultuous history of Hong Kong through intertwined characters' lives. It's perfect for those who appreciate intricate storytelling that explores themes of love, ambition, and the clash of cultures amidst a backdrop of historical change.

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John Lanchester's much-loved novel, beautifully republished alongside his bestseller Capital.

John Lanchester's much-loved novel Fragrant Harbour, beautifully republished alongside his bestseller Capital.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

"It's Hong Kong," she said. "Heung gong. Fragrant harbour."

Fragrant Harbour is the story of four people whose intertwined lives span Asia's last seventy years. Tom Stewart leaves England to seek his fortune, and finds it in running Hong Kong's best hotel. Sister Maria is a beautiful and uncompromising Chinese nun whom Stewart meets on the boat. Dawn Stone is an English journalist who becomes the public face of money, power, and big business. Matthew Ho is a young Chinese entrepreneur whose life has been shaped by painful choices made long before his birth.

The complacency of colonial life in the 1930s; the horrors of the Japanese occupation during the Second World War; the post-war boom and the handover of the city to the Chineseβ€”all these are present in Fragrant Harbour, an epic novel of one of the world's great cities.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Fragrant Harbour by John Lanchester is praised for its evocative portrayal of Hong Kong's rich history and cultural tapestry. Readers appreciate the intricate storytelling which weaves together multiple narratives spanning the 20th century, offering insights into colonialism, love, and survival. The characters are well-developed, and the narrative is lauded for its ability to capture the dynamic spirit and complexity of the region, making it an engaging read.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780571294855

Publisher: Faber & Faber

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 03 January 2013

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Faber & Faber

Edition: Main

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 20.0mm

Width: 126.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 252g

Pages: 320

About the Author

John Lanchester was born in Hamburg in 1962. He has written four novels, The Debt to Pleasure, Mr Phillips, Fragrant Harbour, and Capital, and two works of non-fiction: Family Romance, a memoir; and Whoops!: Why everyone owes everyone and no one can pay. His books have won the Hawthornden Prize, the Whitbread First Novel Prize, E.M Forster Award, and the Premi Llibreter, been longlisted for the Booker Prize, and been translated into twenty-five languages. He is married, has two children and lives in London.

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