Popular Asian Historical Fiction Books
Find historical fiction books written by authors from Asia for the next part of the Read Around The World Challenge. (145)
41.
Dream of the Red Chamber by Cao Xueqin EN
ChinaDescription:
The Chia family experiences a decline in fortune during the Ch'ing dynasty.
42.
Dusk by F. Sionil Jose EN
Country: Asia / 
Philippines
Philippines
Description:
With Dusk (originally published in the Philippines as Po-on), F. Sionil Jose begins his five-novel Rosales Saga, which the poet and critic Ricaredo Demetillo called "the first great Filipino novels written in English." Set in the 1880s, Dusk records the exile of a tenant family from its village and the new life it attempts to make in the small town of Rosales. Here commences the epic tale of a family unwillingly thrown into the turmoil of history. But this is more than a historical novel; it is also the eternal story of man's tortured search for true faith and the larger meaning of existence. ... continue
43.
Dust Child by Que Mai Phan Nguyen EN
VietnamDescription:
From the internationally bestselling author of The Mountains Sing, a propulsive and moving tale of wartime love, family, and loss, as an American GI, two Vietnamese bargirls, and an Amerasian man are forced to make decisions during and after the Việt Nam War that will reverberate throughout each other’s lives.
44.
El castillo blanco by Orhan Pamuk, Rafael tr Carpintero ES
TurkeyDescription:
Un joven científico italiano es capturado por piratas cuando viaja de Venecia a Nápoles. Poco después es vendido como esclavo a un sabio turco deseoso de conocer los avances científicos de Occidente. Ambientada en la Turquía del siglo XVII, El castillo blanco cuenta la extraordinaria historia de estos dos hombres, que curiosamente guardan un gran parecido físico. Una fascinante exploración de la identidad, del fatídico pulso entre tradición y modernidad, y del destino del intelectual a través de la relación que surge ... continue
45.
English: A Novel by Wang Gang EN
Description:
"I loved this book and can't stop talking about it. . . . Transcendent." —Carolyn See, The Washington Post In the tradition of Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, Wang Gang's English is a captivating coming-of-age novel about the power of language to launch a journey of self-discovery. When a new teacher—a tall, elegantly dressed man from Shanghai carrying an English dictionary under his arm—comes to Urumqi, the capital of China's far west region of Xinjiang, twelve-year-old Love Liu turns away from Chairman Mao's little red book and toward the teacher's big blue book for answers to his ... continue
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47.
IndiaDescription:
"It was time for that tiny little dream that lay hidden all these years to gradually acquire a form and shape. The thought of making it come true was an audacious one. She dared not do it. On the other hand she dared a lot after all, she was Fateema Lokhandwala, a courageous young woman... " "As pots and words banged against each other, her two-wheeler would whizz past everything, leaving it all behind. Main road, Mashallah! Current-like, the city would course through her body... At such times, Fateema lived in the present, and in the future. " Thus begins Ila Arab Mehta s beautiful and skillf... continue
48.
Funny Boy : A Novel by Shyam Selvadurai EN
Sri LankaDescription:
A coming of age story about Arjun Chelvaratnam, who struggles with his homosexuality, entering into an affair with a schoolmate and breaking not only sexual taboos, but also social structures that separate the Tamil and Sinhalese.
49.
Golden Age : A Novel by Wang Xiaobo EN
Description:
"At the time Wang was writing, novels about the Cultural Revolution tended to be fairly conventional tales of how good people suffered nobly during this decade of madness. The system itself was rarely called into question. Wang’s book was radically different . . . The idea of how to stand up to power underlies Golden Age." —Ian Johnson, The New York Times Book Review Like Gary Shteyngart or Michel Houellebecq, Wang Xiaobo is a Chinese literary icon whose satire forces us to reconsider the ironies of history. “Apparently, there was a rumour that Chen Qingyang and I were having an affair. She wa... continue
50.
Gun Island : A spellbinding, globe-trotting novel by the bestselling author of the Ibis trilogy by Amitav Ghosh EN
Description:
Bundook. Gun. A common word, but one which turns Deen Datta's world upside down. A dealer of rare books, Deen is used to a quiet life spent indoors, but as his once-solid beliefs begin to shift, he is forced to set out on an extraordinary journey; one that takes him from India to Los Angeles and Venice via a tangled route through the memories and experiences of those he meets along the way. There is Piya, a fellow Bengali-American who sets his journey in motion; Tipu, an entrepreneurial young man who opens Deen's eyes to the realities of growing up in today's world; Rafi, with his desperate at... continue