![War Machines: 3D Tank Shooter](/uploads/profile_image/e20/06dc7798-5376-4147-83b1-a8630562ae20.jpg?m=1522361584)
War Machines: 3D Tank Shooter
Games and Entertainment
App
Fight for your honor! Join now epic, explosive online multiplayer tank battles. Elaborate the...
![XB Deals - Cheap Xbox Games](/uploads/profile_image/a82/486381aa-df05-4bce-8af8-058789a7da82.jpg?m=1522359011)
XB Deals - Cheap Xbox Games
News and Entertainment
App
Xbox games price tracker in official Xbox Store with instant price drop notifications! Buy games...
![Theodolite HD](/uploads/profile_image/27c/ec2b22e3-c6ab-4c38-8ea0-4ed31927427c.jpg?m=1522357671)
Theodolite HD
Navigation and Photo & Video
App
***** 40%-OFF SALE ***** Theodolite HD is on sale for 40%-off to celebrate its seven year...
![Theodolite](/uploads/profile_image/880/640a89aa-f984-484b-b334-f678dca21880.jpg?m=1522362802)
Theodolite
Navigation and Photo & Video
App
***** 40%-OFF SALE ***** Theodolite is on sale for 40%-off to celebrate its seven year anniversary!...
![i-Boating: Nautical / Marine Charts & Fishing Maps](/uploads/profile_image/ac9/404c14da-e2f5-4f4c-8f06-64721915aac9.jpg?m=1522342308)
i-Boating: Nautical / Marine Charts & Fishing Maps
Navigation and Travel
App
This App offers access to Marine Charts for USA,Canada,UK/Ireland,Germany,Netherlands/Holland &...
![Penalty Soccer](/uploads/profile_image/479/b859b47e-d530-4b4b-9bd7-559281b9c479.jpg?m=1522329070)
Penalty Soccer
Sports and Games
App
★★★★★ Follow us on Twitter for the latest news! http://twitter.com/bakumens...
![Stock Master: realtime stocks](/uploads/profile_image/910/99a30b6f-9241-4092-8d78-dcb3e84c6910.jpg?m=1522324549)
Stock Master: realtime stocks
Finance and Games
App
Stock Master is designed to bring you a streamlined mobile stock market experience. Whether you are...
![40x40](/uploads/profile_image/fef/dd83aaee-9dcc-42fb-a1f6-a947789d8fef.jpg?m=1578784661)
Hazel (1853 KP) rated In a Land of Paper Gods in Books
May 25, 2017
“My name is Henrietta S. Robertson. That’s my English name… My Chinese name is Ming-Mei.”
As the child of members of the Interior Alliance Mission, Henrietta has grown up between two cultures: English and Chinese. From the age of six she was sent to boarding school on a mountain in the Jiangxi Province, where four years later she remains as a small, pale, lonely girl.
For a girl as young as ten, Etta has a big imagination. She decides that God has called her to be a prophetess, and encourages the other girls in Dormitory A to join her in a Prophetess Club. This results is Etta getting into all sorts of trouble as she naively goes about inventing prophecies; all the while the Second Sino-Japanese War gets closer and closer to their mountain sanctuary.
Told mostly from Etta’s point of view, In a Land of Paper Gods is a hilarious historical novel about a young girl’s innocence. A large part of the story is about the missionary school rather than the ongoing war, therefore the focus is on Etta’s interpretation of the bible and her understanding of the differences between Western Christian and Chinese culture. However, once America joins the war effort, it is shockingly quick how the tale can go from humorous to heartbreaking.
The other character who plays a large part in this novel is Muriel, a dorm aunty, whom Etta regards highly. Muriel wanted to be a missionary but instead has found herself working at the Lushan school, keeping an eye on the ten and eleven year old girls. Although most of the book is written in Etta’s first person narrative, Rebecca Mackenzie has also included the occasional diary entry from Aunty Muriel. Since these are so few, it is not clear what their purpose is, as the story could easily continue without them.
Despite being an historical novel, In a Land of Paper Gods focuses less on fact and more on the impact the times had on a young girl. It is interesting to see the character development of Etta as she goes from a naughty, attention-seeking schoolgirl, to a young woman who must fend for herself. All the while she has her belief in God to resort to for explanations about the world she is living in. The reader also witnesses the growth of a relationship between Aunty Muriel and Etta. To begin with it is that of an adult and child, however it ends with them being equals in their suffering.
In a Land of Paper Gods is a pleasure to read. It is comically entertaining to begin with as the reader grows to love the characters, particularly mischievous Etta. It is hard to put the book down due to pure delight of the storyline, yet when the story turns darker it is just as difficult to put down, as we want to find out if the characters are going to be okay.
For some people, the Christian content will not mean anything, however it is possible to enjoy the novel without a religious background. For those, like myself, who do have a Christian upbringing, this aspect makes the story even better. Readers may recognize themselves or of their childhood in Etta, particularly her understanding of the bible.
Overall I loved this book. I was not sure what to expect, and have often found historical novels set in China to be rather dull. Therefore I was pleasantly surprised to discover how good this book was. I encourage others to read In a Land of Paper Gods, and I look forward to reading what Mackenzie writes next.
![40x40](/uploads/profile_image/9db/63f89154-9fb7-41cc-ad86-e42e1451e9db.jpg?m=1526308993)
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated Summerland in Books
May 10, 2018
This was my first book by Elin Hilderbrand. I have many of her books on my TBR list and this was available so I snatched it up. I listened to the audio book rather than reading this title. The book is told from several different perspectives throughout. The voice of the island of Nantucket, Jake Randolph, Zoey Alistair(Penny & Hobson's mother), Demeter, Jordan Randolph(Jake's father), Hobby, Lynn Castle(Demeter's Mother), Ava Randolph(Jake's mother). Each one of them have a connection to each other and a connection to the accident. Telling the story from these different perspectives, you get a look how the accident as well as other events in their lives have shaped them and brought them to this particular point. The story is told throughout the summer after the accident.
One of my favorite lines from the book was "Penelope has a heart made from the finest bone china." When I heard that line, and they say it at least twice in the book, it made my heart hurt for Penny. She was a very sensitive person. She took other's pain as her own. It was Demeter who had said something to Penny that made her upset, but what was it. Hobby and Jake spend most of the summer trying to figure it out. It could have been anything, but what could have made her so mad she would have wanted to kill herself.
One thing that I wish was included in this book was Penny's perspective. I know she was dead, but I would have like to hear a little from her in this book. We hear about different things that were going on with her from everyone else's point of view, but I would have liked to hear her "voice" in this book.
This was a good book with diverse characters. You can see the struggles and concerns of teenagers in this book and it made me think about my own children and my childhood. All the things I kept from my parents and I wonder if they ever knew. I hope that other mother's will read this book and will want to keep an open dialogue with their children about the trials and tribulations they are going through. We have all been teenagers at some point and we can probably help our own children if we can talk to them about how our lives were at that time. I know when I was a teen, I was sure my mother would never understand me, but she had been in my position once in life as well.