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Master Wu's Bride
It is Chi Lin’s wedding day – an exciting time for any bride, unless the groom has died before the ceremony and the ceremony, as per contract, must proceed. Chi Lin becomes the Fourth Wife – the ghost bride in the House of Wu, a respectable Ming Dynasty household. But to keep her honor, Chi Lin assumes her role under the stern command of her mother-in-law and the disdainful eye of the First Wife. Still, as Mistress Purple Sage, Chi Lin survives, managing to bring fresh breath into this ancient household.
Women in Fourteenth Century China played a subservient role. Most accepted their lot and worked within a man’s world, supporting their husbands, revering their fathers and elders, and assuring their children followed the same dauntless path. Still, within the narrow confines of a subservient life, there was always a place to leave a mark and make a difference for the future.
Master Wu’s Bride is a journey seen from a woman’s point of view — a woman who held secrets and cultivated them to everyone’s advantage. From yesterday’s stale cabbage, Chi Lin manages to cultivate her world to bloom. Come take this journey with Mistress Purple Sage, the ghost bride. Come take this journey that many women in a host of cultures still take today in the shadow of inequality’s quagmire.
Women in Fourteenth Century China played a subservient role. Most accepted their lot and worked within a man’s world, supporting their husbands, revering their fathers and elders, and assuring their children followed the same dauntless path. Still, within the narrow confines of a subservient life, there was always a place to leave a mark and make a difference for the future.
Master Wu’s Bride is a journey seen from a woman’s point of view — a woman who held secrets and cultivated them to everyone’s advantage. From yesterday’s stale cabbage, Chi Lin manages to cultivate her world to bloom. Come take this journey with Mistress Purple Sage, the ghost bride. Come take this journey that many women in a host of cultures still take today in the shadow of inequality’s quagmire.
308 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 17, 2016
321 people are currently reading
249 people want to read
About the author
Edward C. Patterson
60 books35 followersEdward C. Patterson has been writing novels, short fiction, poetry and drama his entire life, always seeking the emotional core of any story he tells. With his eighth novel, The Jade Owl, he combines an imaginative touch with his life long devotion to China and its history. He has earned an MA in Chinese History from Brooklyn College with further post graduate work at Columbia University. A native of Brooklyn, NY, he has spent four decades as a soldier in the corporate world gaining insight into the human condition. He won the 1999 New Jersey Minority Achievement Award for his work in corporate diversity. Blending world travel experiences with a passion for story telling, his adventures continue as he works to permeate his reader's souls from an indelible wellspring.
Published Novels by Edward C. Patterson include No Irish Need Apply, Bobby's Trace, Cutting the Cheese, Surviving an American Gulag and Turning Idolater. Poetry includes The Closet Clandestine: a queer steps out and Come, Wewoka - and - Diary of Medicine Flower.
From my mind to your imagination . . .
Published Novels by Edward C. Patterson include No Irish Need Apply, Bobby's Trace, Cutting the Cheese, Surviving an American Gulag and Turning Idolater. Poetry includes The Closet Clandestine: a queer steps out and Come, Wewoka - and - Diary of Medicine Flower.
From my mind to your imagination . . .
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
March 10, 2017
A historical novel set during the Ming Dynasty, "Master Wu's Bride" is the story of Chi Li, a young woman taken into the Wu household as a "ghost bride," the wife of someone who dies before the wedding can take place. As such she occupies a tenuous position somewhere between respected wife and lowly servant.
When we first meet Chi Li, she is unhappy about the marriage and acts in a fairly stereotypical "spunky heroine" fashion, meaning that she sulks and pouts and secretly does "boy" things; in this case, reading and writing. Since I consider this to be one of those tropes--and probably the most common of them--that are supposed to be empowering to women but in fact only serve to disempower them, I started off with only lukewarm feelings towards the book, but as Chi Li's character grew, so did my appreciation for her and for the story. She learns how to negotiate the byzantine and restrictive rules and interpersonal dynamics of her household and society, winning the respect of her superiors and eventually becoming a force to be reckoned with within both her family and her district. The traps around her are woven with skill, and her trials and tribulations become genuinely dramatic, so that by the latter half of the book I had a hard time putting it down.
The setting is described in a way to immerse Western readers in the society of medieval China without confusing them, and in this it succeeds admirably. Social customs, business practices, and native words are presented with a balance of closeness and estrangement that allows readers ignorant of these topics to have the sensation that they are learning new information about the culture without being overwhelmed by it. An interesting read about characters and customs that manage to be sympathetic and familiar despite their separation from their intended audience in both time and space.
When we first meet Chi Li, she is unhappy about the marriage and acts in a fairly stereotypical "spunky heroine" fashion, meaning that she sulks and pouts and secretly does "boy" things; in this case, reading and writing. Since I consider this to be one of those tropes--and probably the most common of them--that are supposed to be empowering to women but in fact only serve to disempower them, I started off with only lukewarm feelings towards the book, but as Chi Li's character grew, so did my appreciation for her and for the story. She learns how to negotiate the byzantine and restrictive rules and interpersonal dynamics of her household and society, winning the respect of her superiors and eventually becoming a force to be reckoned with within both her family and her district. The traps around her are woven with skill, and her trials and tribulations become genuinely dramatic, so that by the latter half of the book I had a hard time putting it down.
The setting is described in a way to immerse Western readers in the society of medieval China without confusing them, and in this it succeeds admirably. Social customs, business practices, and native words are presented with a balance of closeness and estrangement that allows readers ignorant of these topics to have the sensation that they are learning new information about the culture without being overwhelmed by it. An interesting read about characters and customs that manage to be sympathetic and familiar despite their separation from their intended audience in both time and space.
September 30, 2020
Kudos for Edward C. Patterson's novel Master Wu's Bride!
As an ardent fan of Chinese history and culture, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. It's in-depth exploration of life within a wealthy Chinese family was fascinating. I loved its narrative about the tradition of Ghost Brides, proscribed behavior for women, descriptions of the observation of holidays and rituals, superstitions and folklore. Like The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane it also describes in detail the work of a family; namely salt and silk production. So fascinating! I loved this novel.
As an ardent fan of Chinese history and culture, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. It's in-depth exploration of life within a wealthy Chinese family was fascinating. I loved its narrative about the tradition of Ghost Brides, proscribed behavior for women, descriptions of the observation of holidays and rituals, superstitions and folklore. Like The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane it also describes in detail the work of a family; namely salt and silk production. So fascinating! I loved this novel.
January 7, 2017
A sweet story but really depressing. Whoever conspired to strip women of equality has a lot to atone for, especially here. This is not a time or place I'm ever going to romanticize.
The book itself confused me, rife with editing errors, mostly wrong verb tenses. I couldn't tell if it was an attempt to sound Chinese or just sloppiness. Either way, it detracted from the flow of the story.
The book itself confused me, rife with editing errors, mostly wrong verb tenses. I couldn't tell if it was an attempt to sound Chinese or just sloppiness. Either way, it detracted from the flow of the story.
July 12, 2022
Brilliant Book!
Mr Patterson’s writing is superb! The character development, scene settings so well developed that I felt I was there in that time and place. I will not recount the story as it deserves to be read as it was written. I could not put it down till the end. And yet there is not an end as I find it lingering in my mind not to be forgotten.
Mr Patterson’s writing is superb! The character development, scene settings so well developed that I felt I was there in that time and place. I will not recount the story as it deserves to be read as it was written. I could not put it down till the end. And yet there is not an end as I find it lingering in my mind not to be forgotten.
July 19, 2023
Book Review:
A beautifully woven story told thru the ages ....I loved all the character's ....I will surely remember Mistress Purple Sage and how she grew into her own strong self....The sacrifice she made for her son and the extraordinary life she lived...Thank - you for an enjoyable read ....Even the ending had me crying....Just such a poignant tale ....I loved it....M.L.🙂
A beautifully woven story told thru the ages ....I loved all the character's ....I will surely remember Mistress Purple Sage and how she grew into her own strong self....The sacrifice she made for her son and the extraordinary life she lived...Thank - you for an enjoyable read ....Even the ending had me crying....Just such a poignant tale ....I loved it....M.L.🙂
October 23, 2017
Excellent
I have read Pearl S. Buck and Amy Tan and this work was in a class of its own. While reading this book, I wondered if there was a ghost writer because it so captures the Chinese woman's soul.
I have read Pearl S. Buck and Amy Tan and this work was in a class of its own. While reading this book, I wondered if there was a ghost writer because it so captures the Chinese woman's soul.
October 31, 2019
Deeply interesting
Please give this book some time, once you get into it,you will find it difficult to put it down!
The characters are fleshed out so well. You will discover very smart women, even if it illegal for women to read and write. Amazing how many get around that!
Please give this book some time, once you get into it,you will find it difficult to put it down!
The characters are fleshed out so well. You will discover very smart women, even if it illegal for women to read and write. Amazing how many get around that!
October 23, 2020
Extremely Compelling Novel
I totally recommend this well written, compelling novel to anyone who enjoys reading about Chinese history with characters who are so well developed that I could imagine what each one looked like. Colorado Jim’s wife, Glenna
I totally recommend this well written, compelling novel to anyone who enjoys reading about Chinese history with characters who are so well developed that I could imagine what each one looked like. Colorado Jim’s wife, Glenna
September 7, 2021
Excellent story, but this book has about a million mistakes in it - tons of misspelled words, wrong words and grammatical mistakes. If these were corrected, I would easily give this book 4 or 5 stars. I almost stopped reading it due to the sheer volume of mistakes.
May 30, 2017
Nice story
The name switching made it confusing at times. I found myself to be skipping over paragraph s because I was unsure of who the character was..
The name switching made it confusing at times. I found myself to be skipping over paragraph s because I was unsure of who the character was..
October 23, 2017
Entrancing
A book that is hard to put down. The description of the Chinese rural culture and practice woven through the life of woman.
A book that is hard to put down. The description of the Chinese rural culture and practice woven through the life of woman.
June 6, 2018
Entertaining
An interesting story that gives you a picture of a past world and the importance of respect in a culture. A respect for elders and sacrifices for families.
An interesting story that gives you a picture of a past world and the importance of respect in a culture. A respect for elders and sacrifices for families.
January 10, 2021
Love it
While I expected a little more of a ghost story, I was not disappointed with where it went. Great saga about a woman surviving after marrying a ghost.
While I expected a little more of a ghost story, I was not disappointed with where it went. Great saga about a woman surviving after marrying a ghost.
May 25, 2022
Easy reading while learning about 14th century Chinese customs.
December 15, 2022
Great story
This story was great but it was chock full of typos and grammatical errors. It was very distracting and took away from my enjoyment of the book
This story was great but it was chock full of typos and grammatical errors. It was very distracting and took away from my enjoyment of the book
January 25, 2024
Loved this book! The story of Chi Lin is sad, hopeful, proud, happy, and so much more. This rollercoaster ride of emotions was well worth it.
July 17, 2016
I don't know why I picked this one up. It was a decent read, kept my interest, had some twists.
April 17, 2017
This one is a bit different from my normal choice in books, but I have to say I'm really glad I took this one up. Set between the late 1300s and early 1400s in China, this is a unique look into a world way beyond ours (or my own American Pacific Northwest world, anyway) and how the lowest person can become the heart and soul of an entire family.
Chi Lin was arranged to marry Master Wu Hung-lin, head of the Wu household, as his fourth wife. However, when Wu Hung-lin meets an untimely death, Chi Lin is given a choice: either be shipped off to a nunnery or become Wu Hung-lin's ghost bride, married to his spirit and least of all his wives. Chi Lin accepts her fate as a ghost bride and becomes Mistress Purple Sage. She is sent to live in the Wu household, where it's clear she isn't entirely welcome. She's given a rundown pavilion to live in, hand-me-downs to wear, ancient and half-blind servants, and is made to do chores under the watchful eye of the Old Lady of the House and the shrewd First Wife. However, little by little, Chi Lin starts to make a name for herself and become a great influence in the House of Wu until she becomes the heart and soul of the family, never acknowledged but necessary and loved.
This story takes a very interesting dive into what it is to be a woman in ancient China, or really any woman in any time period when women's rights are scarce, if not nonexistent. They could very easily have gone the Cinderella route with this story, making her treated like a slave until a new life is just offered on a silver platter and whisks her way from hardship, but it doesn't do that. Chi Lin never gets whisked away, but makes the best of what she has and with hard work and a great attitude, she becomes a source of major change, all while staying incredibly humble. Though this world doesn't give her a lot of say or rights, she does everything she can within what rights she has and makes an impact.
Chi Lin, herself, is a really good character. She's kind, sympathetic, and almost never gets frustrated or angry (there's only one time in the book that she's frustrated and that's saying a lot). She's a dutiful ghost bride who does what she's told, even if it's at her expense, but never complains and adapts well. Through these quiet acts of duty and obedience, you can see how she's able to also impact the world that she's not supposed to touch. It's her job to oversee the operations of the salt business and she knows how to fix problems, but merely offers suggestions rather than demands things be done. At first, she's ignored but the suggestions stay in the minds of those in charge and are remembered and then acted upon. However, she's by far not a perfect character and can make mistakes, including one that could have been catastrophically bad, but uses her head to think things through and turn things in her favor. She's quick and clever and just a delight.
Sometimes, however, I felt things might have been resolved a little too well in some regards. That big mistake I mentioned earlier is resolved in a very convenient way and maybe a little too easily, but its impact is still a big deal in the story and emotions are remembered and felt throughout the book. It doesn't magically go away and there are consequences for the actions of those involved so, in that case, I guess it's okay. Also, when I checked this book out originally, it set up the First Wife to be this really nasty character and...yeah, she's definitely trouble for Chi Lin, but not quite to the degree I was expecting. I was thinking it'd be closer to "wicked stepmother" territory, with beatings and scoldings and messing up her work on purpose and getting her in trouble and that kind of thing. However, the First Wife never does anything like that. She and Chi Lin definitely don't get along and she certainly does her best to keep Chi Lin in a defeated state and at the bottom of the totem pole where (she feels) she belongs, but she doesn't go near as far as I was imagining. As such, she comes off as more of a nuisance than a downright antagonist. But these are nitpicks, really, and not necessarily flaws so they don't hurt the story.
The overall story is very laid back and taking in the wonder of Chinese traditions and how they work. There are some tense moments in the story, some really, really tense ones, but they're few and far in between. Again, it's just about the life of this one wife. It's how she deals with her servants, her nieces and nephews, the other wives, her in-laws and how each interaction brings her further into the life of this house and how she's able to use those interactions to her advantage. It's making the best with what you've got and life slowly returning the favor. There's a lot of Chinese terminology used throughout the book, but in a manner that even ignorant Americans like myself can figure out with little difficulty. It was simple, it was elegant, it told its story with great care to great effect.
Chi Lin was arranged to marry Master Wu Hung-lin, head of the Wu household, as his fourth wife. However, when Wu Hung-lin meets an untimely death, Chi Lin is given a choice: either be shipped off to a nunnery or become Wu Hung-lin's ghost bride, married to his spirit and least of all his wives. Chi Lin accepts her fate as a ghost bride and becomes Mistress Purple Sage. She is sent to live in the Wu household, where it's clear she isn't entirely welcome. She's given a rundown pavilion to live in, hand-me-downs to wear, ancient and half-blind servants, and is made to do chores under the watchful eye of the Old Lady of the House and the shrewd First Wife. However, little by little, Chi Lin starts to make a name for herself and become a great influence in the House of Wu until she becomes the heart and soul of the family, never acknowledged but necessary and loved.
This story takes a very interesting dive into what it is to be a woman in ancient China, or really any woman in any time period when women's rights are scarce, if not nonexistent. They could very easily have gone the Cinderella route with this story, making her treated like a slave until a new life is just offered on a silver platter and whisks her way from hardship, but it doesn't do that. Chi Lin never gets whisked away, but makes the best of what she has and with hard work and a great attitude, she becomes a source of major change, all while staying incredibly humble. Though this world doesn't give her a lot of say or rights, she does everything she can within what rights she has and makes an impact.
Chi Lin, herself, is a really good character. She's kind, sympathetic, and almost never gets frustrated or angry (there's only one time in the book that she's frustrated and that's saying a lot). She's a dutiful ghost bride who does what she's told, even if it's at her expense, but never complains and adapts well. Through these quiet acts of duty and obedience, you can see how she's able to also impact the world that she's not supposed to touch. It's her job to oversee the operations of the salt business and she knows how to fix problems, but merely offers suggestions rather than demands things be done. At first, she's ignored but the suggestions stay in the minds of those in charge and are remembered and then acted upon. However, she's by far not a perfect character and can make mistakes, including one that could have been catastrophically bad, but uses her head to think things through and turn things in her favor. She's quick and clever and just a delight.
Sometimes, however, I felt things might have been resolved a little too well in some regards. That big mistake I mentioned earlier is resolved in a very convenient way and maybe a little too easily, but its impact is still a big deal in the story and emotions are remembered and felt throughout the book. It doesn't magically go away and there are consequences for the actions of those involved so, in that case, I guess it's okay. Also, when I checked this book out originally, it set up the First Wife to be this really nasty character and...yeah, she's definitely trouble for Chi Lin, but not quite to the degree I was expecting. I was thinking it'd be closer to "wicked stepmother" territory, with beatings and scoldings and messing up her work on purpose and getting her in trouble and that kind of thing. However, the First Wife never does anything like that. She and Chi Lin definitely don't get along and she certainly does her best to keep Chi Lin in a defeated state and at the bottom of the totem pole where (she feels) she belongs, but she doesn't go near as far as I was imagining. As such, she comes off as more of a nuisance than a downright antagonist. But these are nitpicks, really, and not necessarily flaws so they don't hurt the story.
The overall story is very laid back and taking in the wonder of Chinese traditions and how they work. There are some tense moments in the story, some really, really tense ones, but they're few and far in between. Again, it's just about the life of this one wife. It's how she deals with her servants, her nieces and nephews, the other wives, her in-laws and how each interaction brings her further into the life of this house and how she's able to use those interactions to her advantage. It's making the best with what you've got and life slowly returning the favor. There's a lot of Chinese terminology used throughout the book, but in a manner that even ignorant Americans like myself can figure out with little difficulty. It was simple, it was elegant, it told its story with great care to great effect.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews