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A review by susieseeker
A Lady Cyclist's Guide to Kashgar by Suzanne Joinson
4.0
What a great read!
This book took me an uncharacteristically long time to get into. It did not grab me from the beginning and yet it intrigued me enough to keep going. Then bang - it got me and I sat for hours to finish it.
There are two story lines. The first is the story of 3 women, 2 of them missionaries who set out in 1923 to convert whoever they could find in a region in the far west of China, near present-day "---stan" countries. I thoroughly disliked the woman who seemed to be a leader, who was almost a stereotypical, self-centred religious bigot. I have trouble with the whole concept of proselytizing, so I kept wishing her harm.
The second story line is present day England with a woman who finds that she has been left the contents of a flat by a woman who died and she has no idea who the woman is, let alone what their connection might be. She meets a Muslim man who helps her unravel the mystery.
How the two stories intersect takes a long time to be revealed. I think it's fully 1/2 way through the story before there are even any hints, so it's in the second 1/2 that the stories become intertwined.
I do think the title of the book is deceiving, at least it was to me. The title struck me as a book that would be light, actually frivolous - one of those that outlined a fun-filled romp through foreign lands with the heroine experiencing humorous situations. And it's not that. It is multi-layered and thoughtful.
Another reviewer described the writing as sumptuous - which is so accurate. The writing is beautiful and I found the way the author developed the story to be simply compelling.
This one will stay with me for a while.
This book took me an uncharacteristically long time to get into. It did not grab me from the beginning and yet it intrigued me enough to keep going. Then bang - it got me and I sat for hours to finish it.
There are two story lines. The first is the story of 3 women, 2 of them missionaries who set out in 1923 to convert whoever they could find in a region in the far west of China, near present-day "---stan" countries. I thoroughly disliked the woman who seemed to be a leader, who was almost a stereotypical, self-centred religious bigot. I have trouble with the whole concept of proselytizing, so I kept wishing her harm.
The second story line is present day England with a woman who finds that she has been left the contents of a flat by a woman who died and she has no idea who the woman is, let alone what their connection might be. She meets a Muslim man who helps her unravel the mystery.
How the two stories intersect takes a long time to be revealed. I think it's fully 1/2 way through the story before there are even any hints, so it's in the second 1/2 that the stories become intertwined.
I do think the title of the book is deceiving, at least it was to me. The title struck me as a book that would be light, actually frivolous - one of those that outlined a fun-filled romp through foreign lands with the heroine experiencing humorous situations. And it's not that. It is multi-layered and thoughtful.
Another reviewer described the writing as sumptuous - which is so accurate. The writing is beautiful and I found the way the author developed the story to be simply compelling.
This one will stay with me for a while.