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Li Jun and the Iron Road
Adapted from the award-winning TV miniseries "Iron Road," starring Sam Neill and Peter O'Toole, the story of a woman whose search for herself helped shaped two nations.
Set in the 1880s in southern China and the mountains of British Columbia, "Li Jun and the Iron Road" tells the story of a feisty street urchin nicknamed Little Tiger, who works in a fireworks factory and yearns to sail across the ocean to the country she knows as Gold Mountain. Sent by her dying mother to find her father, who had left years earlier, Little Tiger disguises herself as a boy and finds herself working on the railroad in Canada. When her deception leads to a forbidden love with a privileged son of a Canadian railroad tycoon, the results leave two worlds shaken.
Set in the 1880s in southern China and the mountains of British Columbia, "Li Jun and the Iron Road" tells the story of a feisty street urchin nicknamed Little Tiger, who works in a fireworks factory and yearns to sail across the ocean to the country she knows as Gold Mountain. Sent by her dying mother to find her father, who had left years earlier, Little Tiger disguises herself as a boy and finds herself working on the railroad in Canada. When her deception leads to a forbidden love with a privileged son of a Canadian railroad tycoon, the results leave two worlds shaken.
184 pages, Paperback
First published September 30, 2015
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June 18, 2015Copy Received from Netgalley
This short YA historical novel centers around Li Jun, a teenager Chinese girl who is forced to labor as a servant in an increasingly grim environment until her mother summons her to her deathbed. After that Li Jun disguises herself as a boy in order not to be forced into prostitution, and ends up on the streets of Hong Kong until she can get a job in a firecracker factory.
She is determined to find her father, who had left the family for Canada in hopes of finding Gold, to rescue his wife and daughter from poverty. But he has vanished. Through various wiles, specifically making friends withJames Nicoll, the handsome young scion of the railroad line owner, Li Jun, in her disguise as Little Tiger, is taken to Canada, where she has various adventures, and uses the skills she has learned.
The historical research is grimly and unflinchingly accurate as to the treatment of poverty-stricken Chinese people in their homeland and abroad. Tait writes convincingly and vividly about the hardships, prejudice, and dangers faced by the railroad workers, and those are compounded by the fates of women without families to protect them.
Li Jun is suitably determined and smart and appealing, and her emotions are genuine and written sympathetically, as are the plights of the Chinese. Unfortunately, what could be a really good novel suffers from "novelization" syndrome, that is, apparently it is based on a series made some time ago--which might explain the jumpy plot from dramatic occurrence to dramatic occurrence, each with Li Jun as its center, and the scrambled ending.
Just when the novel is reaching some depth, it ends abruptly, and
This short YA historical novel centers around Li Jun, a teenager Chinese girl who is forced to labor as a servant in an increasingly grim environment until her mother summons her to her deathbed. After that Li Jun disguises herself as a boy in order not to be forced into prostitution, and ends up on the streets of Hong Kong until she can get a job in a firecracker factory.
She is determined to find her father, who had left the family for Canada in hopes of finding Gold, to rescue his wife and daughter from poverty. But he has vanished. Through various wiles, specifically making friends withJames Nicoll, the handsome young scion of the railroad line owner, Li Jun, in her disguise as Little Tiger, is taken to Canada, where she has various adventures, and uses the skills she has learned.
The historical research is grimly and unflinchingly accurate as to the treatment of poverty-stricken Chinese people in their homeland and abroad. Tait writes convincingly and vividly about the hardships, prejudice, and dangers faced by the railroad workers, and those are compounded by the fates of women without families to protect them.
Li Jun is suitably determined and smart and appealing, and her emotions are genuine and written sympathetically, as are the plights of the Chinese. Unfortunately, what could be a really good novel suffers from "novelization" syndrome, that is, apparently it is based on a series made some time ago--which might explain the jumpy plot from dramatic occurrence to dramatic occurrence, each with Li Jun as its center, and the scrambled ending.
Just when the novel is reaching some depth, it ends abruptly, and
June 30, 2015
Unbelievable...and not in the fun, exciting kind of way. More like, why did I waste my time on this? The pacing was terrible, the romance was terrible, the characterization was nonexistent and well, I should've known this was going to happen, but why do characters in "China" books always sound so ignorant? You know that when they're thinking they'll be thinking in Chinese and therefore you don't have to make them sound so simplistic? You DO know that?
Of course, that problem is a symptom of a larger problem with this entire book: it is so goddamn shallow.
The pacing was just zipping all over the place. First we were here then we went to the factory then the harbor and oh wow we're in Canada. There was no time spent examining any of the rich Chinese and Hong Kong culture. No details besides the fact that Li Jun's life is hard. We're in Hong Kong for God's sake. Write like it.
The characters were also really shallow. Li Jun was this dumbass who thinks things like "I'm first class!" (Paraphrased). UH lol...even Chinese teenagers don't think like that. I realize the author must be trying to make this out to be some Chinese girls thoughts but honestly, Hong Kong girls don't go around trying to be "first class" (as a side note when Li Jun says first class she just means she aims to be the best and go really far in life, so yes I get what Li Jun was trying to say I just don't think it's realistic). James, Li Jun's love interest was also badly written. He was apparently handsome and kind, which I don't get. When you're so privileged and have no reason to change your thinking you're not going to care about the Chinese man's plight. Strike two for the shallow and shitty characterization.
And um...the plot was really weird and all over the place. Really not cohesive at all. I had a hard time following what exactly we were supposed to be doing because it's like Tait wanted to add a million things into a relatively short book (its saving grace: this was a fast read). On top of this, the plot twist was really obvious. I suspected that
This is not related to any of the above, but I didn't like how Tait chose to romanize the names. These are Cantonese speakers from 廣東 - I assure you, they do not speak Mandarin (recent times there are Mandarin speakers because of immigrants from other provinces but obviously that isn't related to this). The names were romanized from Mandarin which is weird. For example, I wouldn't answer to my name in Mandarin because I wouldn't even understand it. So I don't get why we had Wang Ma, Hong Di, and Li Jun.
And seriously, why do most books set in China make the characters sound so stilted and dumb? I get that the immigrants you might have met have not impressed you with their brilliant command of English, but people tend to sound a lot smarter when speaking in their own language. Since Li Jun is supposed to be pretty bright too, I would expect her thoughts to sound deeper and more coherent. Instead, it's all like "first class! I'm fantastic!" Okay.
So yeah, this was just not doing it for me. I couldn't bring myself to feel engaged in any of it, and I'm also annoyed that I wasted my time reading this when I could've been reading, for example, the rest of the Vampire Diaries series. :/
Many thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for a honest review.
Of course, that problem is a symptom of a larger problem with this entire book: it is so goddamn shallow.
The pacing was just zipping all over the place. First we were here then we went to the factory then the harbor and oh wow we're in Canada. There was no time spent examining any of the rich Chinese and Hong Kong culture. No details besides the fact that Li Jun's life is hard. We're in Hong Kong for God's sake. Write like it.
The characters were also really shallow. Li Jun was this dumbass who thinks things like "I'm first class!" (Paraphrased). UH lol...even Chinese teenagers don't think like that. I realize the author must be trying to make this out to be some Chinese girls thoughts but honestly, Hong Kong girls don't go around trying to be "first class" (as a side note when Li Jun says first class she just means she aims to be the best and go really far in life, so yes I get what Li Jun was trying to say I just don't think it's realistic). James, Li Jun's love interest was also badly written. He was apparently handsome and kind, which I don't get. When you're so privileged and have no reason to change your thinking you're not going to care about the Chinese man's plight. Strike two for the shallow and shitty characterization.
And um...the plot was really weird and all over the place. Really not cohesive at all. I had a hard time following what exactly we were supposed to be doing because it's like Tait wanted to add a million things into a relatively short book (its saving grace: this was a fast read). On top of this, the plot twist was really obvious. I suspected that
This is not related to any of the above, but I didn't like how Tait chose to romanize the names. These are Cantonese speakers from 廣東 - I assure you, they do not speak Mandarin (recent times there are Mandarin speakers because of immigrants from other provinces but obviously that isn't related to this). The names were romanized from Mandarin which is weird. For example, I wouldn't answer to my name in Mandarin because I wouldn't even understand it. So I don't get why we had Wang Ma, Hong Di, and Li Jun.
And seriously, why do most books set in China make the characters sound so stilted and dumb? I get that the immigrants you might have met have not impressed you with their brilliant command of English, but people tend to sound a lot smarter when speaking in their own language. Since Li Jun is supposed to be pretty bright too, I would expect her thoughts to sound deeper and more coherent. Instead, it's all like "first class! I'm fantastic!" Okay.
So yeah, this was just not doing it for me. I couldn't bring myself to feel engaged in any of it, and I'm also annoyed that I wasted my time reading this when I could've been reading, for example, the rest of the Vampire Diaries series. :/
Many thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for a honest review.
December 4, 2015
I loved the view into the Chinese and Canadian settings during the 1880s. This is a period in history that I've been really curious about, so I enjoyed a chance to read about it, even in a fictional setting.
Li Jun is a clever, brave heroine who I found it very easy to root for. She's focused on her goals, but she clearly cares for the people around her. Though there's some romance, it doesn't overtake the story. Li Jun's quest to find her father who had disappeared after becoming a railroad worker kept me guessing all the way until the end.
Li Jun is a clever, brave heroine who I found it very easy to root for. She's focused on her goals, but she clearly cares for the people around her. Though there's some romance, it doesn't overtake the story. Li Jun's quest to find her father who had disappeared after becoming a railroad worker kept me guessing all the way until the end.
November 27, 2022
Important book, detailing how Chinese workers were treated differently as the Canadian railway was built.
July 30, 2015
Li Jun and the Iron Road was adapted from the TV miniseries, The Iron Road. Li Jun is a young Chinese girl whose father Li Junhas gone to Canada to build the railroads. After a time he has not been heard from or sent money, so Li Jun is sent by he mother to work as a servant for the first wife of the head of their clan in Hong Kong. When her mother dies, she is determined not to return to her abusive position, but to travel to Canada to work on the railroad and seek her father, Li Man.
LI Jun goes back to Hong Kong, disguised as a boy, and gets work in a firecracker factory. There she also earns extra cash delivering laundry. One of her customers, a kind man who is an alcoholic named Mr. Relic, becomes her tutor and teaches her Engllish. Another mentor is Mr. Zhou from the fireworks factory. In one of my favorite scenes from the book, Mr. Zhou teaches Li Jun how to explode a walnut shell without shattering the nut inside. This will be a valuable skill when she becomes a railroad builder.
There is a lot to be commended in this book. Baits can paint intimate scenes, like the one of her working with Mr. Zhou, or moments with her mother, but it all seems very rushed. She seems to become an excellent English speaker overnight. Her daily life in the railway is not fully explored and her relationship with Mr. James proceeds too quickly.
Nevertheless the story of Chinese railway workers, the discrimination, unsafe conditions, the lying and cheating that were used to get cheap labor is told.
I would give this 2 1/2 stars and recommend it to 4th and 5th graders. It may have been intended for older audiences, but it lacks substance for it to be a praiseworthy YA read.
LI Jun goes back to Hong Kong, disguised as a boy, and gets work in a firecracker factory. There she also earns extra cash delivering laundry. One of her customers, a kind man who is an alcoholic named Mr. Relic, becomes her tutor and teaches her Engllish. Another mentor is Mr. Zhou from the fireworks factory. In one of my favorite scenes from the book, Mr. Zhou teaches Li Jun how to explode a walnut shell without shattering the nut inside. This will be a valuable skill when she becomes a railroad builder.
There is a lot to be commended in this book. Baits can paint intimate scenes, like the one of her working with Mr. Zhou, or moments with her mother, but it all seems very rushed. She seems to become an excellent English speaker overnight. Her daily life in the railway is not fully explored and her relationship with Mr. James proceeds too quickly.
Nevertheless the story of Chinese railway workers, the discrimination, unsafe conditions, the lying and cheating that were used to get cheap labor is told.
I would give this 2 1/2 stars and recommend it to 4th and 5th graders. It may have been intended for older audiences, but it lacks substance for it to be a praiseworthy YA read.
July 8, 2015
My initial reaction: This is a retelling of Disney's Mulan set in the 1800s. Instead of training in the army to fight the Huns, she is working on the railroad fighting the evil 'white man'. She finds herself as an undercover girl disguised as boy to escape the poor conditions of Hong Kong for women while also searching for her father.
Unfortunately, her 'voice' reminds me of "Data", the little asian kid from the Goonies, as a result of her dialogue with other characters and how quick she is to run toward dangerous situations. I think that there was a ton of room for the authors to make Li Jun's inner dialogue more intelligent and contrast with her broken, spoken English. However, I did find her fixation on the word "Fantastic" quite entertaining.
In regards to the romance, I found it unappealing and shallow. I gave back a start for surprising me with the ending for not ending traditionally and for the cover art. But I'd really like to give a three.
Unfortunately, her 'voice' reminds me of "Data", the little asian kid from the Goonies, as a result of her dialogue with other characters and how quick she is to run toward dangerous situations. I think that there was a ton of room for the authors to make Li Jun's inner dialogue more intelligent and contrast with her broken, spoken English. However, I did find her fixation on the word "Fantastic" quite entertaining.
In regards to the romance, I found it unappealing and shallow. I gave back a start for surprising me with the ending for not ending traditionally and for the cover art. But I'd really like to give a three.
April 23, 2016
This story has an interesting premise. Li Jun, a Chinese girl, has to disguise herself as a boy and find a way to get to Canada. She is searching for her father who went to work on the Canadian railroad years before.
This was a rather short read in all. It totally reminded me of Mulan. I mean, she is a girl disguised as a boy fighting a “war” against the Huns/white man she shouldn’t be able to win.
I didn’t really like the romance. It didn’t seem to work, especially since she is disguised as a boy. It was strange.
I felt a bit like this story was not nearly as developed as it could be. It talked about the cruelties of the working conditions for the Chinese workers on the Canadian railroad. I didn’t feel like I connected with any of the characters though.
I don’t really know what else to say about this book. I really didn’t connect with it and it didn’t leave me with anything. If you like historical fiction involving Chinese and Canadians, you might like this book.
I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley for review consideration. This in no way affects my opinion of the title nor the content of this review.
This review first appeared at Orandi et Legendi.
This was a rather short read in all. It totally reminded me of Mulan. I mean, she is a girl disguised as a boy fighting a “war” against the Huns/white man she shouldn’t be able to win.
I didn’t really like the romance. It didn’t seem to work, especially since she is disguised as a boy. It was strange.
I felt a bit like this story was not nearly as developed as it could be. It talked about the cruelties of the working conditions for the Chinese workers on the Canadian railroad. I didn’t feel like I connected with any of the characters though.
I don’t really know what else to say about this book. I really didn’t connect with it and it didn’t leave me with anything. If you like historical fiction involving Chinese and Canadians, you might like this book.
I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley for review consideration. This in no way affects my opinion of the title nor the content of this review.
This review first appeared at Orandi et Legendi.
June 5, 2015
The book was good though I was left unhappy at the end. It didn't as a traditional romance novel should and actually romance was not the focus of the novel. The book was more of a historical fiction, with a touch of romance. It portrayed life for Li Jun or Little Tiger well, though. Both how and why she had to live as a boy, and how her life as a chinese railway worker in Canada was. It didn't sugarcoat the cruelties and difficulties that those men faced, nor try to offer excuses for why they were treated such a way. The ending seemed a little rushed, but otherwise i enjoyed this book.
November 29, 2015
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Historical fiction in YA (very young) form. Tells the story of Li Jun, who leaves a nowhere life in China disguised as a boy, to try to find her father who had disappeared from her life years ago to work the on the railroad in British Columbia. Although the ending was sudden and a bit of a let down, the research into the treatment of the Chinese railroad workers is accurate and brutal.
Historical fiction in YA (very young) form. Tells the story of Li Jun, who leaves a nowhere life in China disguised as a boy, to try to find her father who had disappeared from her life years ago to work the on the railroad in British Columbia. Although the ending was sudden and a bit of a let down, the research into the treatment of the Chinese railroad workers is accurate and brutal.
January 22, 2016
The story of Li Jun disguising herself to come to America to find her father read extremely quickly. There wasn't really much substance to the story itself, but the romance between her and James was a plus. Although it was surprising she would chose to go back to China rather than stay in America.
This book was a short, quick read. Predictable at times and could have been built up to be something more, and is probably not for my age level.
This book was a short, quick read. Predictable at times and could have been built up to be something more, and is probably not for my age level.
May 6, 2015
Fabulous historical fiction. Just the right amount of history, tension and romance.
Want to read
July 14, 2015I won this book via Goodreads First Reads Giveaway.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews