Dragon Springs Road: A Novel

by Janie Chang

Overview

From the author of Three Souls comes a vividly imagined and haunting new novel set in early 20th century Shanghai—a story of friendship, heartbreak, and history that follows a young Eurasian orphan’s search for her long-lost mother.

That night I dreamed that I had wandered out to Dragon Springs Road all on my own, when a dreadful knowledge seized me that my mother had gone away never to return . . .

In 1908, Jialing is only seven years old when she is abandoned in the courtyard of a once-lavish estate near Shanghai. Jialing is zazhong—Eurasian—and faces a lifetime of contempt from both Chinese and Europeans. Without her mother’s protection, she can survive only if the estate’s new owners, the Yang family, agree to take her in.

Jialing finds allies in Anjuin, the eldest Yang daughter, and Fox, an animal spirit who has lived in the haunted courtyard for centuries. But Jialing’s life as the Yangs’ bondservant changes unexpectedly when she befriends a young English girl who then mysteriously vanishes.

Always hopeful of finding her long-lost mother, Jialing grows into womanhood during the tumultuous early years of the Chinese republic, guided by Fox and by her own strength of spirit, away from the shadows of her past. But she finds herself drawn into a murder at the periphery of political intrigue, a relationship that jeopardizes her friendship with Anjuin and a forbidden affair that brings danger to the man she loves.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062388957
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	01/10/2017
Pages:	400
Sales rank:	275,741
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.90(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Born in Taiwan, JANIE CHANG has lived in the Philippines, Iran, Thailand, New Zealand and Canada. She writes historical fiction with a personal connection, drawing from family history and ancestral stories. Chang has a degree in computer science and is a graduate of the Writer’s Studio Program at Simon Fraser University. She is the author of Three Souls and Dragon Springs Road.

 

Editorial Reviews

Chang unfurls this intriguing story—set against the chaotic backdrop of China in the early twentieth century-with precision. Rich with detail and a fascinating interplay between the spiritual and earthly realms, Chang’s second novel explores whether it is possible to overcome your past.

Booklist

Janie Chang’s second novel is a remarkable read, brimming with magic and the grit of realism. . . . With this novel, Chang asserts herself as an exciting, relatable voice . . . that requires us to re-examine our relationships to place, identity, and ancestry.

Quill & Quire (starred review)

Dragon Springs Road is simply one of the best novels I have read in a long time. With her lyrical, heartfelt portrait of a vanished world . . . Janie Chang has created an enchanting and unforgettable book. I recommend it unreservedly.

Jennifer Robson

Lyrical and magical . . . Chang’s lovingly crafted novel will resonate with readers long after the story is done.

RT Book Reviews

Janie Chang has a keen eye for detail and infuses them throughout this magical story, with its masterfully rendered setting of the early Chinese republic, characters who bring to life the constrictions of those girls, and a mystical benevolent spirit. The result is enchanting.

Shilpi Somaya Gowda

[B]eautifully told . . . fascinating . . . a great choice for a book club.

Huffington Post

Chang unfurls this intriguing story—set against the chaotic backdrop of China in the early twentieth century-with precision. Rich with detail and a fascinating interplay between the spiritual and earthly realms, Chang’s second novel explores whether it is possible to overcome your past.

Booklist

A remarkable read, brimming with magic and the grit of realism. . . . Chang asserts herself as an exciting, relatable voice in Canadian fiction, a voice that requires us to re-examine our relationships to place, identity, and ancestry. . . . A story for our times.

Quill & Quire

A glorious, deeply readable novel-the kind you pick up and read voraciously, every chance you get. The kind you get lost in.

Shaena Lambert

Filled with enchantment and intrigue, this novel shines brightly with lyrical prose.

Toronto Star

Enthralling. . . . It’s both a pleasure and an education to read this sensitive, intelligent novel.

Vancouver Sun

I absolutely couldn’t put it down. . . . One of the most satisfying, enjoyable and interesting books I’ve read in a while.

Nancy Richler

Who can resist a child in jeopardy novel especially one set against the rich background of Shanghai at the turn of the century? . . . Illuminating and vivid . . . an involving, sympathetic novel, which exemplifies the best of historical fiction.

Roberta Rich

[D]elightful. Chang skillfully weaves China’s story with the fate of her characters, giving the novel a tone of importance that never becomes dull or pedantic.

Providence Journal on THREE SOULS