Book Reviewed by:
Music and poetry are a central part of Song of the Six Realms by Judy I. Lin. They are cornerstones of life in the kingdom of Qi and the Celestial world beyond it. Music may entertain but it also expresses feelings Lin's characters can't express with words. Xue'er cannot bring herself to confess she is falling in love with Duke Meng, so she tells him through an ancient song about a courtesan waiting for a lost love. In Lin's world, music is also a tool of magic. Xue'er's mastery of the qin turns out to be the key to unlocking the mystery the duke is trying to solve and the music they make together will mean either the saving or destruction of both their realms.
The guqin, or qin, as it is informally called, is a very real instrument whose existence dates back between three and five thousand years ago. Considered a type of zither, it is China's quintessential classical musical instrument. Its curved top is meant to represent heaven, and the wider base to represent the earth. ...
