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Title: An exploration of the impact of Western ideas upon China in the 1940s.
Review: This novel begins in the world of the classic Chinese novel--it could be The Dream of the Red Chamber or a Judge Dee tale. All is beautiful, precise, elegant, traditional ... But soon Madame Wu realizes that the traditional ways are not working anymore. She tries to use tradition to satisfy Western, feminist cravings to find deeper meaning for her life. Understanding and then loving a Western man, Madame Wu suddenly sees her life and family in an entirely new way. The novel is poetic, philosophical, and yet personal. As Madame Wu and the world politics of the 40s change forever the Wu family, the mind of the reader is changed as well.
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