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Golden Mountain Chronicles #10
Dragons of Silk
The Weaving Maid wove robes of silk for Heaven, but when she met the Cowboy, she abandoned her loom to be with him. But Heaven would not allow this, and put the Milky Way in between them.
Silk binds the lives of four girls from different generations with the fate of the Weaving Maid. Across a span of seventy-five years both in China and America, each girl shows the strength and courage of a dragon as she fights and sacrifices for the survival of her family and the pursuit of passion.
In this masterfully woven conclusion to the series that includes two Newbery Honor Books, Dragonwings and Dragon’s Gate, award-winning author Laurence Yep brings the acclaimed Golden Mountain Chronicles full circle and pays tribute to the love of family, art, and heritage.
Silk binds the lives of four girls from different generations with the fate of the Weaving Maid. Across a span of seventy-five years both in China and America, each girl shows the strength and courage of a dragon as she fights and sacrifices for the survival of her family and the pursuit of passion.
In this masterfully woven conclusion to the series that includes two Newbery Honor Books, Dragonwings and Dragon’s Gate, award-winning author Laurence Yep brings the acclaimed Golden Mountain Chronicles full circle and pays tribute to the love of family, art, and heritage.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published September 13, 2011
2 people are currently reading
245 people want to read
About the author
Laurence Yep
120 books295 followersBorn June 14, 1948 in San Francisco, California, Yep was the son of Thomas Gim Yep and Franche Lee Yep. Franche Lee, her family's youngest child, was born in Ohio and raised in West Virginia where her family owned a Chinese laundry. Yep's father, Thomas, was born in China and came to America at the age of ten where he lived, not in Chinatown, but with an Irish friend in a white neighborhood. After troubling times during the Depression, he was able to open a grocery store in an African-American neighborhood. Growing up in San Francisco, Yep felt alienated. He was in his own words his neighborhood's "all-purpose Asian" and did not feel he had a culture of his own. Joanne Ryder, a children's book author, and Yep met and became friends during college while she was his editor. They later married and now live in San Francisco.
Although not living in Chinatown, Yep commuted to a parochial bilingual school there. Other students at the school, according to Yep, labeled him a "dumbbell Chinese" because he spoke only English. During high school he faced the white American culture for the first time. However, it was while attending high school that he started writing for a science fiction magazine, being paid one cent a word for his efforts. After two years at Marquette University, Yep transferred to the University of California at Santa Cruz where he graduated in 1970 with a B.A. He continued on to earn a Ph.D. in English from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1975. Today as well as writing, he has taught writing and Asian American Studies at the University of California, Berkeley and Santa Barbara.
Although not living in Chinatown, Yep commuted to a parochial bilingual school there. Other students at the school, according to Yep, labeled him a "dumbbell Chinese" because he spoke only English. During high school he faced the white American culture for the first time. However, it was while attending high school that he started writing for a science fiction magazine, being paid one cent a word for his efforts. After two years at Marquette University, Yep transferred to the University of California at Santa Cruz where he graduated in 1970 with a B.A. He continued on to earn a Ph.D. in English from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1975. Today as well as writing, he has taught writing and Asian American Studies at the University of California, Berkeley and Santa Barbara.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
December 18, 2018
The book “Dragons of Silk,” by Lauren Yep is similar to the book A Long Walk To Water in a multitude of ways. Firstly, DOS has a similar perspective or time format. In ALWTW two people in two different time periods come together in the future as one is much older. In DOS, the whole family line perspective is passed down with each generation. The time period format is similar as they both have different perspectives in different times. They both also work hard to achieve safety and food for their family. Nya from ALWTW slaves everyday to fetch warm, muddy water, and the bloodline from DOS also works hard to create silk to sell for the very little money that they have. They both use physical power to survive, instead of using brain power like, E.X. a business man or a lawyer. Finally, the last similarity is that none of these people have special rights from birth. They are both born into a life of poor opposed to lives of riches and luxury. They both have to work, they both have troublesome times, and so on. These two books, though very different form the outside, have more similarities than you could every imagine.
June 11, 2014
This book tells the story of several generations of formidable Chinese and Chinese-American women as they struggle to keep their families safe and happy. Their stories are bound together with the tale of the Weaver Maiden who abandoned her loom to be with her cowboy. But Heaven would not allow this, and put the Milky Way in between them. Silk is in their blood from the early days of growing the worms and weaving the cloth in China to the present day, the women of the story have to find a way to honor their past and look to the future.
I really liked the first section of the story set in 1835. I couldn't put it down. Though I found there was entirely too much description of caring for silk worms, I found the culture fascinating. The story is compelling and I stayed up too late wondering what would happen next. It's a bit predictable but something shocking happens. I didn't like that when the time period changed, characters dropped out of the story. I kept wondering what happened to one character and that isn't resolved until the end. The second section is also compelling and I found the culture of the girls' house very interesting. Again there was too much description of factory life and the silk industry. The story gets sped up and comes to a rushed, predictable conclusion. I loved the women in these sections. Their struggles and their feelings seemed so real. They're very strong and courageous women. The writing is also very beautiful and descriptive. I liked how the tale of the Weaver Maiden was woven through the story.
The next several sections are really short and rushed. I didn't like them as much. They were dark and depressing without any of the light-hearted moments or the cultural ties that made the first two parts so interesting. I found it difficult to believe that Little Swallow could have such an annoying daughter and I wanted to slap that woman. Lily/Little Swallow was a bit too serious for my tastes. I didn't really understand her or Rosie at all because her story was glossed over. One minute they're children and the next they're adults. What happened in between? I felt bad for both girls and wanted to see them happy but I felt the sections needed to be longer and they needed something to balance them out. It also made me sad that the family stories and traditions pretty much got lost through the generations. The final section deserved a lot more attention. It sort of brings the story full-circle to a conclusion but it isn't given enough attention.
I didn't read any of the other books in the series and I'm unsure how all of the characters are connected but I enjoyed this one a lot despite all the serious subject matters. I recommend it for older teens and young adults.
I really liked the first section of the story set in 1835. I couldn't put it down. Though I found there was entirely too much description of caring for silk worms, I found the culture fascinating. The story is compelling and I stayed up too late wondering what would happen next. It's a bit predictable but something shocking happens. I didn't like that when the time period changed, characters dropped out of the story. I kept wondering what happened to one character and that isn't resolved until the end. The second section is also compelling and I found the culture of the girls' house very interesting. Again there was too much description of factory life and the silk industry. The story gets sped up and comes to a rushed, predictable conclusion. I loved the women in these sections. Their struggles and their feelings seemed so real. They're very strong and courageous women. The writing is also very beautiful and descriptive. I liked how the tale of the Weaver Maiden was woven through the story.
The next several sections are really short and rushed. I didn't like them as much. They were dark and depressing without any of the light-hearted moments or the cultural ties that made the first two parts so interesting. I found it difficult to believe that Little Swallow could have such an annoying daughter and I wanted to slap that woman. Lily/Little Swallow was a bit too serious for my tastes. I didn't really understand her or Rosie at all because her story was glossed over. One minute they're children and the next they're adults. What happened in between? I felt bad for both girls and wanted to see them happy but I felt the sections needed to be longer and they needed something to balance them out. It also made me sad that the family stories and traditions pretty much got lost through the generations. The final section deserved a lot more attention. It sort of brings the story full-circle to a conclusion but it isn't given enough attention.
I didn't read any of the other books in the series and I'm unsure how all of the characters are connected but I enjoyed this one a lot despite all the serious subject matters. I recommend it for older teens and young adults.
June 18, 2015
This story follows generations of women from the 1800's to present day all in the business of making silk; spinning silk; making garments of silk; and designing clothing of silk. Included are the hardships each generation faces and the sacrifices each makes to keep their families together and alive.
April 18, 2014
Love the history in this.
October 24, 2017
An interesting conclusion to the Golden Mountain Chronicles- I'd have to go back and read earlier entries, but I don't think the Young family features even as cameos or family friends in this one. Dragons of Silk is thematically relevant though, with themes of family and works well as a standalone by itself, documenting a mother-daughter (or grandmother-daughter in various cases) relationship generation to generation. It also adds more female protagonists to the Golden Mountain Chronicles (as the only others I can think of are Cassia of Serpent's Children/Mountain Light, Casey & her paw-paw in Child of the Owl, and the girls in Thief of Hearts).
Given that Swallow & Lily's story (1835) takes up over 40% of the novel, I do wish we spent more time with later generations (Rosie in particular seems to get the short end of the stick, sharing Part 4 with her mother, Lillian. Lillian's Part 3 also felt pretty truncated). I would also be super into a parallel novel with Swallow's descendants .
Given that Swallow & Lily's story (1835) takes up over 40% of the novel, I do wish we spent more time with later generations (Rosie in particular seems to get the short end of the stick, sharing Part 4 with her mother, Lillian. Lillian's Part 3 also felt pretty truncated). I would also be super into a parallel novel with Swallow's descendants .
December 15, 2023
I absolutely loved this book. I saw it in the library and thought it looked interesting. It turned out to be a lovely book. The books follows the life of women, especially the first daughters of the family as they do their best for their families and sacrifice so much. Beginning with the silk industry in China..the family passes through so many troubles over the generations but keep their families first..till the cycle of making sacrifices and troubles slowly fade and they achieve success and become an inspiration to others.
October 9, 2019
I enjoyed reading Dragons of Silk. Laurence Yep does a great job telling the story of a family's journey through five generations. ~ Lizzie :)
January 16, 2020
Amazing, heartfelt story that really makes you think.
July 2, 2021
Chinese family working with silk and it's ties to Chinese culture.
May 1, 2024
The book started off great, but towards the end, it felt rushed.
May 25, 2024
I’ve read Dragonwings several times, but never knew about this series. Each segment left me with unanswered questions, so I need to find the rest of the books to fill in the gaps.
February 24, 2014
I thought this book was an okay book, after you started reading it got kind of boring though because all it talked about was silk in different generations. Also I thought having different parts in the book made it really confusing. The thing I did like though was most of the chapters were pretty short making it seem like the book really wasn’t as long as it actually was.
In this book it didn’t seem like the author thought very highly of the characters most were either not very wealthy or weren’t very good people. While there was mostly round characters throughout out the story there were also some flat characters. Character development does occur in in this book, in this book it is mostly indirect character development but there is also some direct character development but there is more indirect character development. In the book there are some engaging characters, you won’t know what is going to happen next with that character or what they will do or come up with.
The major theme in this book is about silk binds and the lives of four girls from different generations but the same family. They are revealed in developed in the 5 different parts of the book each part being a different generation but relating to the same family. The theme is new and original it isn’t like a traditional theme you would see.
The various elements of plot are handled in each section there is a different introduction, suspense, climax, and conclusion for each of the section. In section one the element of mystery or suspense is if the 2 children’s dad had actually changed from being bad to good or not. In section two the element of mystery or suspense was what her grandma was going to say to the factory owner after the girl’s father was injured. In section three it was if there plan would work and what was going to happen to the factory. In section four it was what she was going to decide to do with her life and where she was going to end up going. In this story there is not really a sub-plot. In this book the plot was probably secondary because of the different sections in the book.
The intellectual qualities of the writing are probably clarity and the suspense. The emotional qualities of the writing are grim, dark, and serious. The aesthetic qualities of writing are the description, vivid verbs. Dialogue is very effective in writing it helps you to tell a story better.
The setting of this book is Three Willows Village, Kwangtung province, China. This does play a significant role in the work because if it was in a different setting then the story would be totally different. In this story the sense of atmosphere evoked is underprivileged because in the story they couldn’t afford to buy very much even to help with their silk and food. The scenic effects I remember most is the mulberry trees and fishponds which was how they got most of their money. These are very important and effective because without them there would be no story because that’s what they use to make the silk. The setting does not really effect the characters and plot in this book.
In this book it didn’t seem like the author thought very highly of the characters most were either not very wealthy or weren’t very good people. While there was mostly round characters throughout out the story there were also some flat characters. Character development does occur in in this book, in this book it is mostly indirect character development but there is also some direct character development but there is more indirect character development. In the book there are some engaging characters, you won’t know what is going to happen next with that character or what they will do or come up with.
The major theme in this book is about silk binds and the lives of four girls from different generations but the same family. They are revealed in developed in the 5 different parts of the book each part being a different generation but relating to the same family. The theme is new and original it isn’t like a traditional theme you would see.
The various elements of plot are handled in each section there is a different introduction, suspense, climax, and conclusion for each of the section. In section one the element of mystery or suspense is if the 2 children’s dad had actually changed from being bad to good or not. In section two the element of mystery or suspense was what her grandma was going to say to the factory owner after the girl’s father was injured. In section three it was if there plan would work and what was going to happen to the factory. In section four it was what she was going to decide to do with her life and where she was going to end up going. In this story there is not really a sub-plot. In this book the plot was probably secondary because of the different sections in the book.
The intellectual qualities of the writing are probably clarity and the suspense. The emotional qualities of the writing are grim, dark, and serious. The aesthetic qualities of writing are the description, vivid verbs. Dialogue is very effective in writing it helps you to tell a story better.
The setting of this book is Three Willows Village, Kwangtung province, China. This does play a significant role in the work because if it was in a different setting then the story would be totally different. In this story the sense of atmosphere evoked is underprivileged because in the story they couldn’t afford to buy very much even to help with their silk and food. The scenic effects I remember most is the mulberry trees and fishponds which was how they got most of their money. These are very important and effective because without them there would be no story because that’s what they use to make the silk. The setting does not really effect the characters and plot in this book.
August 25, 2011
Laurence Yep is known for his beautiful exposés on Chinese history as it intersects with American history. His two books that have previously won the Newbery Honor awards, Dragonwings and Dragon’s Gate, bring to life the under-explored story of the men who came to America from China to work on the railroad. They brought with them the hope and promise of a better life only to be met by hardship and disillusionment, but had the strength and perseverance to see it through.
Dragons of Silk is a perfect addition to this series and companion to the previous books because it provides a new perspective on Chinese history and culture as it intersects with American history and culture through a different medium—silk—but also through a different voice—women. The plot and conflict is palpable and multifaceted. Yep has brought his reader into the lives of the characters and done a masterful job creating connection and empathy with their struggles and triumphs.
It seems no accident that Yep has chosen silk as the object of the plot and a main symbolic theme throughout the writing. One can feel the connection, the threads that bind chapter to chapter, person to person, and generation to generation as his story is weaved throughout its 75-year span. I recommend this to all readers 10+ as it will connect with both children and adults.
-Lindsey Miller, www.lindseyslibrary.com
Dragons of Silk is a perfect addition to this series and companion to the previous books because it provides a new perspective on Chinese history and culture as it intersects with American history and culture through a different medium—silk—but also through a different voice—women. The plot and conflict is palpable and multifaceted. Yep has brought his reader into the lives of the characters and done a masterful job creating connection and empathy with their struggles and triumphs.
It seems no accident that Yep has chosen silk as the object of the plot and a main symbolic theme throughout the writing. One can feel the connection, the threads that bind chapter to chapter, person to person, and generation to generation as his story is weaved throughout its 75-year span. I recommend this to all readers 10+ as it will connect with both children and adults.
-Lindsey Miller, www.lindseyslibrary.com
October 18, 2011
To me, this book is about two things -- silk and strong women. It is the conclusion of the Gold Mountain Chronicles, and features four different girls, across 75 years and two countries, who defend their families against all odds. Each girl sacrifices some of her dreams for the good of the family, for it is the family that must always be protected. We also learn a lot about the silk industry in China, from individual farmers to the larger factories. I need to go back and re-read the other books in this series, to see how all of the characters fit together. I would love some kind of family tree that outlines it all!
January 5, 2012
I was highly impressed with this book content and the depth of information it hold. This is the fourth book and last book in the series and since I have not had the pleasure of reading the first three it was a bit confusing. This book spans the years between 1835-2011 and the people who encounter the SILK. The overall ideas of the book are love, family, and heritage. The first-hand account of Chinese folk-lore and mythology along with the family immigration and culture norms make this book heavy in ideals and content. The pure success of the women encourages the reader to see their lives through a different set of eyes.
September 2, 2013
Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres; I love learning about China's history, its people, culture and traditions - therefore this book, with the many others I have read of the Golden Mountain Chronicles, are absolute winners for me. I love how Yep allows the reader to travel into a different time and place, returning with an amazing wealth of new knowledge. It was fascinating to read about silkworm farming and encounter once again several generations of brave women, willing to give up everything for the sake of their families.
November 1, 2015
"Dragons of Silk" by Laurence Yep is about four girls from different generations. All of the girls show the courage of a dragon and work with silk; and all of them have to sacrifice their pursuits of passion to help their family survive. Personally, I really enjoyed this story because I learned a lot about silk workers-some of my ancestors might have been silk workers. I learned a lot of different types of silk, such as bazar, oil, and shantung. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about silk making in Ancient China.
December 9, 2012
I liked this book, it was interesting and about something I don't know very much about (silk farmers in China), but it was somewhat unsatisfying in the end. The author spends a significant amount of time setting up the first part of the story and it seems like none of the subsequent parts have the same amount of detail or care that the first section had. Still, I'd recommend this book for the 10-12 age range- most likely kids aren't going to have the same criticisms that adults do!
September 15, 2016
It is an good book and very well written. But at first Lily and Swallow's part is the longest in the book. Then just as you get in to the story it changes to Little Swallow. And little Swallows part is even shorter. Then Lillian's part is barely five chapters. And finally Rosie's, the shortest in the the book. Overall I think it is an great book, and well written but the author could have made each part an little longer.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 8, 2013
This book is very interesting, but it doesn't work as a novel for me. I don't like collections of short stories and I don't like multi-generational tales, and this is really both. If we could have stuck with the first world, I would have liked it much better --- fascinating to watch silk worms being raised and harvested, with the leavings going to the pigs and fish.
October 22, 2013
Historical fiction in the Young Adult category. This was a great perspective of Chinese culture and Chinese immigrants and the process of silk making from the beginnings to the present. It was almost too realistic, as the main characters make sacrifices and don't get to live the lives they wanted to live, but engaging and educational and thought provoking.
June 4, 2013
A lovely conclusion to the Golden Mountain Chronicles. Unfortunately, each girl's section was shorter than the one before. I loved seeing all the connections to characters in the other books in the collection, but I wish this one had been a bit more fleshed out.
March 10, 2012
I loved the mulit-generational story. Lawrence Yep does it again!
March 29, 2017
Dragons of Silk This book is not related to any of the others in the Golden Mountain Chronicles as far as I can tell (and I've reread them all within the last two years or so... most of them this month). So don't go into this expecting a story revisiting any previous characters or storylines.
Parts of the book reminded me of Amy Tan's novels (mother vs daughter, born in China vs born in America conflicts). Not in a bad way, just in way that felt obvious to me. I was reading and then I was thinking, "This is the same stuff Amy Tan writes about" and then I was back in Yep's story. It didn't feel cliche to me, it felt more like, a lot of Chinese people probably experienced these generational problems.
As with the Golden Mountain Chronicles I enjoyed the modern day bits more than the historical. There are some instances of emotional and physical abuse in the book, especially early on. I thought they were pretty well handled, but I also have no personal experience dealing with abuse.
Yep does play into one of my biggest pet peeves. At the end of the book there is a new generation of kids that are half Chinese/half white. And of course one has blonde hair and one has blue eyes (or something like that) because that's what all half Asian/half white people look like in books. I know that half Asian/half white kids exist with very distinct "white" and/or "Asian" features, but most of the half Asian/half white people I know have brown hair and brown eyes.
Dragon's of Silk is worth checking out if you're a fan of Yep, but I wish it weren't included in the Golden Mountain Chronicles. It just doesn't fit.
Parts of the book reminded me of Amy Tan's novels (mother vs daughter, born in China vs born in America conflicts). Not in a bad way, just in way that felt obvious to me. I was reading and then I was thinking, "This is the same stuff Amy Tan writes about" and then I was back in Yep's story. It didn't feel cliche to me, it felt more like, a lot of Chinese people probably experienced these generational problems.
As with the Golden Mountain Chronicles I enjoyed the modern day bits more than the historical. There are some instances of emotional and physical abuse in the book, especially early on. I thought they were pretty well handled, but I also have no personal experience dealing with abuse.
Yep does play into one of my biggest pet peeves. At the end of the book there is a new generation of kids that are half Chinese/half white. And of course one has blonde hair and one has blue eyes (or something like that) because that's what all half Asian/half white people look like in books. I know that half Asian/half white kids exist with very distinct "white" and/or "Asian" features, but most of the half Asian/half white people I know have brown hair and brown eyes.
Dragon's of Silk is worth checking out if you're a fan of Yep, but I wish it weren't included in the Golden Mountain Chronicles. It just doesn't fit.
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October 1, 2018I very enjoy reading this book. It really brings me into the image of what's happening in the book.
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