When war threatens the comfortable life of Joan and Emma Lew, the daughters of a Hong Kong businessman, they escape with their family to spend the early 1940s in Macao. When they return home, Joan, the beautiful elder sister, hopes for a traditional marriage and children, until her passion for movies and romance gives her the promise of a different life. Emma, inspired by the independence of her aunt Go, considers college in San Francisco and the challenge of life in America. As the girls become women, each follows a path different from what her family expects. But through times of great happiness and sorrow, the sisters learn that their complicated ties to each other - and to the other members of their close-knit family - are a source of strength as they pursue their separate dreams. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

A work of historical fiction, Tsukiyama's (Samurai's Garden, LJ 2/15/95) latest novel contains several strong female characters. Set during the onset of the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong in 1940, it first introduces readers to sisters Joan and Emma Lew, ages 14 and nine. The girls, with their servant Foon and their mother's first cousin, Auntie Go, all live "privileged" lives together in Hong Kong until they decide to flee from the imposing Japanese and emigrate to Macao, leaving their father behind to watch the family home. At the war's end, the family returns to Hong Kong with the intention of rebuilding and reclaiming their lives. Culminating in the year 1965, this novel follows its characters through 15 years of growth, maturity, and self-discovery. The ending is a bit rushed, leaving the sisters' characters slightly underdeveloped (and perhaps allowing room for a sequel?). But because Tsukiyama writes with great sensory detail, allowing her reader to touch, taste, and feel the world she creates, the work does remain a satisfying read. Recommended for Asian American and larger fiction collections.Shirley N. Quan, Orange Cty. P.L., Fountain Valley, Cal. Copyright 1998 Cahners Business Information, Inc. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

In a story where the omniscient narrator moves the point of view among the family participants, and where time may shift years between chapters or linger over moments slow and sweet as honey, we view the world of Emma Lew of Hong Kong and, later, San Francisco; her older sister Joan; and their family from 1940 to 1965. The changing mores of Hong Kong society are the backdrop for the tender relationships among Emma, who longs for a wider world than her mother's ladies' lunches; Joan, who finds her place in the movies that have fed her dreams since childhood; Auntie Go, who pulls deeply against tradition by running her own business; and silent servant Foon, whose cooking forges a near-mystical familial bond. Particularly fine at evoking how scent and aroma can jog the memory and clutch at the heart, the tale grows in richness as it proceeds, a paean to the sustaining pleasures of family. (Reviewed February 15, 1998)0312171943GraceAnne A. DeCandido From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.