The Crystal MessengerThis award winning book has been described as the 'renaissance of Vietnamese literature'. Written by a young woman in her twenties at the end of an era when Vietnam closed itself off from the world, it is widely regarded as one of the most important works of fiction ever to come out of that country. Ostensibly, The Crystal Messenger is a magical and moving story of two sisters' journeys to emotional and sexual maturity. But it is also a powerful allegory about the fate of North and South Vietnam, the struggle with reunification after the war, and the effect of consumerism and westernisation on the nation's soul. Published in Vietnamese and also German, French, Spanish, Italian and Finnish, The Crystal Messenger has now become an international publishing phenomenon. This volume is the first English language edition of this extraordinary work to be published anywhere in the world. |
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LibraryThing Review
User Review - tomattic - LibraryThingAn extraordinary magical story of North and South Vietnam seen through the lives of twin sisters, Crystal Messenger is one of the most interesting modern South East Asian novels. Read full review
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