The Master Jeweler
The sheer artistry of beautifully handcrafted ornamental jewelry infuses itself into this luminous story. Starting in the northeastern corner of China near Siberia, it follows the life course of Anyu, a young woman growing up in difficult circumstances with her educated but impoverished mother. Nourishment comes in many forms, however, and her mother’s love, combined with her own persistence, bravery, and artistic skill, propels her forward in her quest to become a master jeweler.
This quest begins in earnest when she aids a stateless Russian jeweler in a perilous situation that unexpectedly results in an opportunity for her to pursue her own destiny. And pursue it she does, moving to Shanghai and making good on her exceptional talents while also encountering the dangerous undercurrents that run throughout the city in the 1920s and 1930s. Burgeoning relationships with wealthy expat clients, intrigue and competition among jewelers, and confrontations with both Chinese gang members and Japanese soldiers attempting to take control of the city all swirl around Anyu. Her own stubbornness and youthful passions further complicate her personal circumstances and entangle her in the tides of these ominous currents from which she must extricate herself by willpower and wits.
Filled with incandescent prose that matches the luster of the gems being burnished for jewels, this novel will pull readers into Anyu’s story. Her tumultuous life and times mirror her own work, encompassing moments of dim light and rough textures as well as moments of bright light with many glittering facets. Highly recommended for all readers intrigued by the intersections in an individual life between artistic creation and unfolding history in a momentous time and place.
