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Brothers : A Novel
by Da Chen

Published: 2006-09-19
Hardcover : 432 pages
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At the height of China’s Cultural Revolution a powerful general fathered two sons. Tan was born to the general’s wife and into a life of comfort and luxury. His half brother, Shento, was born to the general’s mistress, who threw herself off a cliff in the mountains of Balan only ...
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Introduction

At the height of China’s Cultural Revolution a powerful general fathered two sons. Tan was born to the general’s wife and into a life of comfort and luxury. His half brother, Shento, was born to the general’s mistress, who threw herself off a cliff in the mountains of Balan only moments after delivering her child. Growing up, each remained ignorant of the other’s existence. In Beijing, Tan enjoyed the best schools, the finest clothes, and the prettiest girls. Shento was raised on the mountainside by an old healer and his wife until their deaths landed him in an orphanage, where he was always hungry, alone, and frightened. Though on divergent roads, each brother is driven by a passionate desire—one to glorify his father, the other to seek revenge against him.

Separated by distance and opportunity, Tan and Shento follow the paths that lie before them, while unknowingly falling in love with the same woman and moving toward the explosive moment when their fates finally merge.

Brothers, by bestselling memoirist Da Chen, is a sprawling, dynamic family saga, complete with assassinations, love affairs, narrowly missed opportunities, and the ineluctable fulfillment of destiny.

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Excerpt

Chapter 1
1960
BALAN, SOUTHWEST CHINA

To tell the tale of my birth, I must start not from the beginning, but from the end to my beginning. I was born twice, really. First when I tore through my mother's dark passage. The second time when the old medicine man saved me. ... view entire excerpt...

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Member Reviews

Overall rating:
 
 
  "A Chinese Prince and the Pauper tale. A great tale set during the Cultural revolution"by Patricia P. (see profile) 12/02/07

 
  "A sibling rivalty that serves as a metaphor for the China's current conflicts"by Robin S. (see profile) 03/07/07

having spent significant time in China, i can attest to the fact that this books captures the economic, political and cultural conflicts afffecting China today. The tragic tug-of-war between these two... (read more)

 
  "A quick read of a grand tale....."by melanie m. (see profile) 01/21/07

Brothers was an easy read but sometimes felt epic in it's storyline. Tan and Shento were both at times likable and at other times irritating--in other words, they were real characters with believable... (read more)

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