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Book Summary and Reviews of The Painter of Shanghai by Jennifer Cody Epstein

The Painter of Shanghai by Jennifer Cody Epstein

The Painter of Shanghai

by Jennifer Cody Epstein

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  • Published:
  • Mar 2008, 416 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

Down the muddy waters of the Yangtze River and into the seedy backrooms of "The Hall of Eternal Splendor," through the raucous glamour of prewar Shanghai and the bohemian splendor of 1920s Paris, and back to a China ripped apart by civil war and teetering on the brink of revolution: this novel tells the story of Pan Yuliang, one of the most talented—and provocative—Chinese artists of the twentieth century.

Jennifer Cody Epstein's epic brings to life the woman behind the lush, Cezannesque nude self-portraits, capturing with lavish detail her life in the brothel and then as a concubine to a Republican official who would ultimately help her find her way as an artist. Moving with the tide of historical events, The Painter from Shanghai celebrates a singularly daring painting style - one that led to fame, notoriety, and, ultimately, a devastating choice: between Pan's art and the one great love of her life.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"Starred Review. Convincing historic detail is woven throughout and nicely captures the plight of women in the era. Epstein's take on Yuliang's life is captivating to the last line." - Publishers Weekly.

"Fans of Arthur Golden's Memoirs of a Geisha and Lisa See's Snow Flower and the Secret Fan will enjoy this engrossing story of a woman forced to choose between following her heart and pursuing her art." - Library Journal.

"The enlivening spark flickers only intermittently in this professional account of an unusual life." - Kirkus Reviews.

This information about The Painter of Shanghai was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

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