The Gift of Rain is shot through with universal themes, a novel about agonizingly divided loyalties and unbearable loss. He asked Philip to show him places of interest in Malaysia, always taking detailed pictures of the areas. What is the picture of pre-war Malaya? Print. On this one evening the rain had momentarily lessened to an almost undetectable mist, as though preparing for her arrival. Set during the tumult of World War II, on the lush Malayan island of Penang, The Gift of Rain tells a riveting and poignant tale about a young man caught in the tangle of wartime loyalties and deceits. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Download The Gift of Summer Rain Books now!Available in PDF, EPUB, Mobi Format. Takes the readers from the final days of the Chinese emperors to the dying … It is a story of love, family, war, of defeat and acceptance. Citation formats are based on standards as of July 2010. Hachette Books; 34208th edition (May 5, 2009). Note! I'm shocked that this was the author's first novel. Today, Tamer (our driver) took us to the Western wall of Jerusalem which was also once known as the “wailing wall”. As a sixteen-year-old in 1939, he was the son of a prosperous English father and a deceased Chinese mother who felt like he did not fit into either community. He has spent the last year traveling around South Africa, living in Cape Town, and has recently returned to Penang to work on his second book. Reading Now. In 1939 Penang (Malaya), Anglo-Chinese teenager Philip Hutton forms a close friendship with an older Japanese man who trains him in the martial art of aikido. I was not disappointed . The Gift of Rain is the story of the relationship between Endo-san, a master, sensei, of aikijutsu, and his teenage pupil Philip immediately preceding the Japanese invasion of Malaya in 1941 and the following years of occupation. What he doesn’t realize until it is too late is that Endo is actually a Japanese spy, and that Patrick has unwittingly become complicit in helping the Japanese take over Penang and Malaya. The Gift of Rain. I'm also blown away that a book like this doesn't get as much attention as the Twilight Saga. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. The trials and tribulations of those caught up in the war on both sides were well portrayed. Weinstein $23.95 (435p) ISBN 978-1-60286-024-7. He studied law at the University of London, and later worked as an advocate and solicitor in one of Kuala Lumpur's most reputable law firms. As a sixteen-year-old in 1939, he was the son of a prosperous English father and a deceased Chinese mother who felt like he did not fit into either community. Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. It is a book to recommend to my best friends. Books like The Gift of Rain put me in awe, and I think, even though atheist, I hope if there is a heaven, it's as good as this writing. the gift of rain by Tan Twan Eng ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2008 Though this debut novel of divided loyalties in Southeast Asia during World War II has the epic sweep of a TV mini-series, portentous dialogue and belabored themes undermine its otherwise engrossing plot. ‘The Gift of Rain’ is the story of the relationship between Endo-san, a master, sensei, of aikijutsu, and his teenage pupil Philip immediately preceding the Japanese invasion of Malaya in 1941 and the following years of occupation. This is one of the best books I've read in years. Reply ↓ Gunta. It's one difficult to summarize. A poignant and moving saga of choices, fates, destinies, struggles and regrets. Spring is Mother Nature’s way of saying, “Oof–let’s try this again.” The last 12 months have been, well, challenging is the polite term.... Set in Penang, 1939, this book presents a story of betrayal, barbaric cruelty, steadfast courage and enduring love. So this is a love affair between a 16 year old boy a. yes, early in the book when Phillip meets Endo it is stated that he is a man in his late forties. He also indirectly causes the death of his half sister and aunt. The recipient of extraordinary acclaim from critics and the bookselling community, Tan Twan Eng’s debut novel casts a powerful spell. Fifteen-year-old Patrick Hutton is the youngest child of a long-established British family with major industrial holdings in Malaya. I wanted to know what happened, and historically it's fascinating. In Pentang, Malaya, he has yet to know his mother's father who disowned her once she married a Brit. RM 12.90. A rich and complex narrative of divided loyalties… Read More Author, Book Review, Literature Tan Twan Eng, The Gift of Rain Leave a Comment on Reading Now. He was remote, not examined enough to warrant the love that the main character and others feel for him. The Gift of Rain Summary & Study Guide includes comprehensive information and analysis to help you understand the book. Tan Twan Eng exposes the way in which the complexities of collaboration and resistance, and the duties to one's country, are made more difficult by a mixed-race heritage and the demands of friendship. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. 1. Out of stock. the ones searching for kindness in cruelty. Tan Twan Eng's debut novel, "The Gift of Rain" (2007), explores issues of allegiance and belonging through a conflicted figure of mixed heritage -- Philip Hutton. Philip recalls “magical days, just before the threads that bound the world together became unraveled” (p. 44). Philip Hutton … Considering the book is fundamentally about the relationship between two men during war time, I think there are a couple of well rounded female characters - Michiko, Isabel, and several lesser ones such Aunt Mai, Ming and the ghost of Philip's mother - if there were more women characters and they played a more prominent role in the book, then it would be a different story. Maugham cast a cynical eye on human nature and its frailties; Tan Twan Eng looks upon them with compassion, like a creator might view the imperfections of his handiwork. Now he realizes that Endo-san has been spying for the Japanese military and using him as a source of information. It is the kind of book that reaches into your soul and leaves a scar there that will never disappear. At her request, Hutton tells the woman the story of his friendship with Endo-san, back in the 1930s. When I come across books such as this one, I'm blown away at the amount of people I know who choose not to read. Historical fiction about the Pacific theater during World War II. [In his all-consuming desire to protect his family, he bows to Endo-san’s pressure and agrees to work for the Japanese. I have very mixed feelings about this book. Lonely and adrift, he finds a friend in the Japanese diplomat who rents one of his family’s properties. Good to the last drop… and you do manage to catch every luscious drop. Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video! It is a book I'll read over and over again. He studied law at the University of London and later worked as lawyer in one of Kuala Lumpur’s most reputable law firms; in 2016, he was an International Writer-in-Residence at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. The Gift of Rain. The population is a complex mix of races, ideologies, and income levels. I was taken in by the first sentence; by the second chapter, I knew I had a winner on my hands. The terrible sense of foreboding which permeates this novel makes for a tense, painful and gripping read. Which of us has cannot look back and see moments that have separated us forever from others we love, times that our decisions cannot be understood and are too complicated to explain, choices that seem thrust upon us as if fate had all control and we had none. ‘Penang, 1939. This kept me reading even when my heart continued to sink from the weight of the author's morally vacuous and fatuously self-justifying teenage narrator and his relationship with his manipulative Japanese mentor/lover. Set during the tumult of World War II, on the lush Malayan island of Penang, The Gift of Rain tells a riveting and poignant tale about a young man caught in the tangle of … Philip Hutton, half Chinese, half British, is caught between two powerful cultures and two dynamic families while feeling as though he belongs to neither. The star of the book for me was the Eastern and Oriental Hotel, where I was booked to stay, and I finished it the day I checked in. This study guide contains the following sections: Plot Summary; Chapters; Characters; Symbols and Symbolism. The gift of rain by Tan, Twan Eng, 1972-Publication date 2008 Topics Racially mixed people Publisher New York : Weinstein Books Collection inlibrary; printdisabled; internetarchivebooks; delawarecountydistrictlibrary; china; americana Digitizing sponsor Internet Archive Contributor Internet Archive Language English. The recipient of extraordinary acclaim from critics and the bookselling community, Tan Twan Eng’s debut novel casts a powerful spell. Booker club: The Gift of Rain by Tan Twan Eng This novel evokes inevitable comparisons with Joseph Conrad. His mother, however, was his father’s second wife, and Chinese; and he is shunned by both the Chinese community (for his British background and lifestyle), and by British society (for his Asian heritage). EMBED (for wordpress.com hosted blogs and archive.org item tags) Want more? The Gift of Rain by Tan Twan Eng About the Book Written in lush, evocative prose, The Gift of Rain spans decades as it takes readers from the final days of the Chinese emperors to the dying era of the British Empire, and through the mystical temples, bustling cities, and forbidding rain forests of Malaya. In a nutshell, I'm blown away by narrative, plot, central characters and, more importantly, the thought provoking elements to this tale. This was my second Tan Twan Eng novel. The Gift of Rain….is a Gift from Jane! Utterly compelling exploration of the meaning of life, Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 31, 2015. Top 4 Blog Posts. Buy now with 1-Click ® Add Audible narration to your purchase for just $12.99 The result is less a tragedy and more a melodramatic morass that left me feeling somehow complicit and unclean. Set in Penang, 1939, this book presents a story of betrayal, barbaric cruelty, steadfast courage and enduring love. Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. According to Gannon, “A Gift of Rain’’ is a beautifully written, haunting, and even mystical tale that focuses on “the complex dance of duty, honor, and loyalty to family and country.’’ This morning started off bright and early with a 6:15 breakfast followed by a 7am bus ride. The setting is the island of Penang, off the coast of Malaya. Good on place and period, but let down by a number of flaws, Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 27, 2017. I wish I could give this book more than five stars. This is my new favorite book! Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2020. 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