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The Porcelain Moon: A Novel of France, the Great War, and Forbidden Love

About the Book

The Porcelain Moon: A Novel of France, the Great War, and Forbidden Love

From the critically acclaimed author of THE LIBRARY OF LEGENDS comes a vividly rendered novel set in WWI France about two young women --- one Chinese, one French --- whose lives intersect with unexpected, potentially dangerous consequences.

France, 1918. In the final days of the First World War, a young Chinese woman, Pauline Deng, runs away from her uncle’s home in Paris to evade a marriage being arranged for her in Shanghai. To prevent the union, she needs the help of her cousin Theo, who is working as a translator for the Chinese Labour Corps in the French countryside. In the town of Noyelles-sur-Mer, Camille Roussel is planning her escape from an abusive marriage, and to end a love affair that can no longer continue. When Camille offers Pauline a room for her stay, the two women become friends. But it’s not long before Pauline uncovers a perilous secret that Camille has been hiding from her. As their dangerous situation escalates, they are forced to make a terrible decision that will bind them together for the rest of their lives.

Set against the little-known history of the 140,000 Chinese workers brought to Europe as non-combatant labor during WWI, THE PORCELAIN MOON is a tale of forbidden love, identity, belonging and what we are willing to risk for freedom.

The Porcelain Moon: A Novel of France, the Great War, and Forbidden Love
by Janie Chang