No Bed of Roses: The Rose Chan Story

by Cecil Rajendra

Rose Chan, Queen of Striptease at just 27 years old, enthralled men young and old in the heyday of cabaret in 1950s Malaya. Her accidental shot to fame, thanks to a wardrobe malfunction in which her bra snapped, catapulted her into the limelight. In No Bed of Roses, Cecil Rajendra pens an account of her life her childhood in Soochow, China, and then in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, her five marriages and personal struggles, how she circumvented the colonial decency laws that forbade nudity, and finally her fight with cancer that took her life in 1987 at the age of 62

279 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Siao · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay lah, but why must write until liddat?

Veli difficult to read leh, evelywan speak liddis, got so much Manglish in this book. Aiyo.

[Clare Nestor · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this because I’ve just been on holiday to Malaysia and found it in the E&O bookshop but quite a strange book. It didn’t really do justice to Rose Chan’s life and very strange the way some of the conversation was written.

[Marc Faoite · Rating 3 out of 5]

This could have been an excellent book and for a while it was. The story of Rose Chan is touching and sad and told with a great deal of humour and colloquial 'Manglish' (Malaysian-English), with a series of flashbacks and flashforwards and scenes rendered almost as theatre script. It does tend to repeat itself at times, and more than once Rajendra uses his authorial authority as a soapbox to rail against religious authorities and the spread of Wahhabism in Malaysia in a manner most direct. The grand finale is a full on x-rated floor show that spares the reader no details - at one stage a magnifying glass is even used to inspect a young lady's most intimate details and there is a whole appendix section dedicated to traditional methods to increase endurance and pleasure that this reader found quite unnecessary. That said, the story of Rose Chan's life is worth telling and for the most part is well told, and I appreciated that where it lapses into Malay or Hokkien there are accompanying translations, which is not always the case with Malaysian writers. If you are not an amateur of smut, avoid the last chapter and appendices and you will not squirm or suffer too much.

[Introvert Insane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm on the fence with this one. Rose Chan, the striptease queen led a crazy life and it is definitely interesting to read. While I appreciate the pacing, I find the overuse of the manglish in this book to be utterly distracting and hinders my understanding many times (and I'm a Malaysian). I get that it is for the sake of authenticity but it feels too much to the point that it feels hamfisted into the story. It's sad that Rose never really received closure but considering the beginning of her "Rose Era" was because of her sister's betrayal, maybe Rose is a better person than I am but I don't feel the need to reconcile with a sister who had an affair with my lover and has no remorse about it.

But another that left me uncomfortable as a Muslim was not even the sexy parts at the end. I mean, it is her art and profession and she's not a Muslim so who am I to tell her what to do about it. It's the lack of understanding of the purpose of the Islamic belief. Just like what I read and reviewed for The Accidental Malay, there's this sense of villainising the religion for its conservatism. They even bring up a case (I don't remember what) of a woman who painted names of Gods on her body and I assumed Allah was somewhere there and it wasn't well-received. It baffles me how some people just don't get that just because you want to do something doesn't mean you should. If Muslims don't appreciate the name of their God painted over someone's boobs then why are you mad that they're offended? I do agree that there are hyper-conservatists out there and they annoy the shit out of me too. But some things just shouldn't be messed with. It's that simple. You want to do art? Do it. Just respect others' cultures & religion.

[Kitty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sadly the only book about this wonderful lady Rose Chan.

Hence the 3 stars.

Editor was clearly asleep on this one. An absolute mess.

[Mahée Leclerc · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feeling about this book, the writing is awful but the story itself is very entertaining! This woman was so full of character, convictions, and so petty with her ex lovers haha. Such a fun and quick read! My only regret is that it’s the only book about her life. She deserves a better biography or even a movie!

[Maureen Lo · Rating 3 out of 5]

old style recipes included in this book reminds me of the food which I had during my childhood. As for the story of Rose Chan, she was a woman who doesn't rely on men for her livelihood no doubt she was married 5 times. She was street smart and brave in facing a world that don't take too kindly to women that strips for a living.

[Francesca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really loved this story and Rose Chan herself. But it was written very badly and sometimes this was difficult to overlook. Please someone else write a worthy memoir of our darling Rose?

[Kataklicik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to read. Loved the fact that the Manglish was full on, so as to capture the characters and the period. Not quite a full biography, but good enough for an insight into the enigma that was Rose Chan. And yes, that last chapter? Was it necessary? I think so. I think it was needed so that the reader is aware of what Rose Chan was all about. She wasn't shy and even by the standards today, she would cause quite a stir. :)