I came to this book after having read Wendy Law-Yone's 'Golden Parasol'.
I found the latter quite brilliant in terms of communicating a 'life' (her extraordinary father's, as much as her own), my not having any previous knowledge of Far Eastern history / politics etc specifically. Also, despite the relative constraints of that book's biographical 'luggage', the author's word-smithery shone through enough - particularly in the 'prologue' and the extraordinary 'climax' of her finding long-sundered family - to make me want to try her fiction.
And so I plumped for Irrawaddy Tango and ... , for the tldr summary, am absolutely stunned by its brilliance ... so much so that I've bought (in a Bernard Levin-esque sign of approval) the Hard-back, on top of the paper-back!
Neither copy was purchased through this site, but I've long meant to post my appreciation of the book here, and with circumstance having brought it to mind once more, here goes ...
Looking at the Amazon listing(s), I am firstly reminded of, and remain shocked by, the fact that the book is OOP - at least here in the UK afaik.
No justice as far as that goes. But also, in terms of my fellow reviewers, I'm a little concerned that, positive or not, their comments are serving to pigeon-hole the book too firmly in terms of time and place, with the implication of it being a dry and thinly-veiled (social) history essay (Virgo Girl's list of defining 'tags' being the non plus ultra in this regard, well-meaning though it obviously is - and technically correct I suppose ...).
I say this, because I consider Irrawaddy Tango to be an utterly superb piece of writing in and of itself, by an author of the very first-order in terms of literary merit alone.
The brilliance of her prose - it's cadences and rhythm, her observational and decriptive nuances, natural and yet still somehow 'writerly' dialogue - make it a joy to read, while yet being in the service of a story that very often deals with subject matter far from joyful.
There's a kind of lightness of touch, writing-wise, even when traversing battle-grounds both literal and metaphorical / psychological. Although, actually, I think I mean 'elegance' rather than 'lightness', and in so being, her style always serves to emphasise the 'human' in the story's content rather than any 'sturm und drang'.
There is plenty of the latter however, with said content never less than enthralling, and often challenging (the book details no simple picaresque jaunt through life's trials and there is some very 'strong' subject matter, although, again, the absolute brilliance of the author's writing far transcends descent into gratuitous unpleasantness for the sake of it).
Upon the narrative substance I will not dwell for fear of spoiling things for readers-to-be, but, the author's intertwining of the fictional with what I take to be historical incidents etc is entirely masterful and seamless in an utterly compelling way.
And so to sum up, I must give this book my strongest recommendation and hope that an author that really can be spoken of in the same breath as a Proulx or even Conrad (a comparison that I guess can be given all-too-glibly, given the (mainly) far eastern locales and English being the author's second language [I assume!?], but it really is deserved on merit alone imo) gains the reputation and readership she deserves, in so far as this remains necessary.
BTW, film producer folk: the book would make be brilliant material for screen-adaptation, along the lines of the very successful recent 'night manager' - hope it happens!
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Delivery rates and Return policy Irrawaddy Tango: A Novel Paperback – 16 April 2003
by
Wendy Law-Yone
(Author),
Amitav Ghosh
(Foreword)
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Irrawaddy Tango, a pepper-tongued, tango-dancing Asian beauty, rises from a village girlhood to become the wife of her country's dictator and then a leader of the rebel forces arrayed against him. Tango captures the attention of an ambitious colonel - the self-proclaimed Supremo - while dancing at a talent contest. Once married, she is forced to endure the cruelties of a ruthless and foolish husband, is kidnapped by rebel forces, recaptured and brutally punished by her husband's military clique and eventually exiled to America. Her return to the fictional Republic of Daya (clearly Burma) brings about the destruction of her husband and his dictatorship. "Irrawaddy Tango" tells the unsettling tale of powerful men and powerless women. It also evokes the harshness of exile, revealing the misunderstandings between East and West and by doing so captures the intensity of living between the two.
- Print length304 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication date16 April 2003
- ISBN-100810151421
- ISBN-13978-0810151420
Product description
Review
"In recounting this life of leaping from frying pan to fire and back, Tango's narration is as stylish, restrained, violent, and full of thrilling juxtapositions and reversals as that dance." - New Yorker; "[T]here is no doubt that [Irrawaddy Tango] is the work of a very fine writer indeed." - Washington Post Book World
About the Author
Wendy Law-Yone was born in Mandalay, Burma, and raised in Rangoon. She is currently David T. K. Wong Follow at the University of East Anglia.
Product details
- Language : English
- Paperback : 304 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0810151421
- ISBN-13 : 978-0810151420
- Customer reviews:
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Em Perdue
4.0 out of 5 stars
What a Dance!
Reviewed in the United States on 17 November 2012Verified Purchase
My first reaction to this book was to shake my head over the positive reviews on the cover. Then, looking back after reading more and more about Burma, I decided this novel is probably based on a lot of what really went on during the junta. The author is certainly one who is in a position to know. If you decide to read this book, do check out her others including a memoir. She is a talented Burmese author.
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