Error loading page.
Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading.
Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help.

The Distant Land of My Father

ebook
An ambitious man and his adoring daughter are separated and estranged by an ocean and by the tides of history in this "marvelous" novel (Los Angeles Times).
For Anna Schoene, growing up in the magical world of Shanghai in the 1930s creates a special bond between her and her father. He is the son of missionaries, a smuggler, and a millionaire who leads a charmed but secretive life. When the family flees to Los Angeles in the face of the Japanese occupation, he chooses to stay, believing his connections and luck will keep him safe.
He's wrong—but he survives, only to again choose Shanghai over his family during the Second World War. Anna and her father reconnect late in his life, when she finally has a family of her own, but it is only when she discovers his extensive journals that she is able to fully understand him and the reasons for his absences. The Distant Land of My Father is a "beautiful" novel "for everyone who has ever felt himself in exile from any beloved place, or a time that can never return" (The Washington Post Book World).
"Seamlessly weaves together Anna's own memories with those of her father, gleaned from the journals . . . An elegant, refined story of families, wartime, and the mystique of memory." —Kirkus Reviews
"Vivid with details of prewar Shanghai and Los Angeles." —Publishers Weekly
"Lush and epic." —San Jose Mercury News
"Remarkable . . . A moving tale of love and the possibility of forgiveness." —Library Journal

Expand title description text
Publisher: Chronicle Books LLC

Kindle Book

  • Release date: October 12, 2021

OverDrive Read

  • ISBN: 9780811875219
  • Release date: October 12, 2021

EPUB ebook

  • ISBN: 9780811875219
  • File size: 2411 KB
  • Release date: October 12, 2021

Loading
Loading

Formats

Kindle Book
OverDrive Read
EPUB ebook

Languages

English

Levels

Lexile® Measure:1010
Text Difficulty:6-8

An ambitious man and his adoring daughter are separated and estranged by an ocean and by the tides of history in this "marvelous" novel (Los Angeles Times).
For Anna Schoene, growing up in the magical world of Shanghai in the 1930s creates a special bond between her and her father. He is the son of missionaries, a smuggler, and a millionaire who leads a charmed but secretive life. When the family flees to Los Angeles in the face of the Japanese occupation, he chooses to stay, believing his connections and luck will keep him safe.
He's wrong—but he survives, only to again choose Shanghai over his family during the Second World War. Anna and her father reconnect late in his life, when she finally has a family of her own, but it is only when she discovers his extensive journals that she is able to fully understand him and the reasons for his absences. The Distant Land of My Father is a "beautiful" novel "for everyone who has ever felt himself in exile from any beloved place, or a time that can never return" (The Washington Post Book World).
"Seamlessly weaves together Anna's own memories with those of her father, gleaned from the journals . . . An elegant, refined story of families, wartime, and the mystique of memory." —Kirkus Reviews
"Vivid with details of prewar Shanghai and Los Angeles." —Publishers Weekly
"Lush and epic." —San Jose Mercury News
"Remarkable . . . A moving tale of love and the possibility of forgiveness." —Library Journal

Expand title description text