Red Lotus

By PAI KIT FAI

Published by Sphere in trade paperback - 1 December 2009 / RRP $36.99

Beautifully written and exquisitely told, Red Lotus is the captivating tale of forbidden love, passion and courage spanning three generations of women.

Yip Mann, an elderly spice farmer, should have known better than to purchase a fifteen-year-old cherry-girl as his concubine, especially one beautiful enough to be seen as Ch'ien Gum –  comparable to a thousand pieces of gold. But surely he deserves such a plaything to give him the last of his sons. To Yip Mann's dismay, the wilful concubine dies bearing him a worthless girl-child. After her death he must make use of the girl as best he can: by binding her feet in the forbidden practice of the Golden Lotus, he can sell her for a higher price. But the daughter he names Li X'ia - Beautiful One – has the fighting spirit of her rebellious mother, escaping the crippling bandages: she knows her feet will be her freedom. And when they lead her into the path of a mysterious 'foreign devil', Li X'ia takes the first steps on a new and perilous journey...

Red Lotus is a staff favourite at Little Brown:

'An evocative saga covering the tumultuous lives and loves of this fiery mother and daughter who refuse to bow to the traditional role of concubine and slave forced upon them and create their own destiny. Red Lotus has the same excitement and passion as The Russian Concubine, but a new, exotic setting and loveable fiery characters. Beautifully written, this novel will sweep you away, and as a lover of Amy Tan's deep and beautiful mother/daughter tales I couldn't ask for more!' –  Rachael Little, Brown Coordinator.

About the author:

Pai Kit Fai is the adopted Chinese name given to the author by his Eurasian family. This is his first novel under this name.  As with many of the best titles in this genre this story is based on true events from the author's family.

Published 30th Nov 2009

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