Golden Lilies

Viking Adult, 1990. Hardcover. Used: Acceptable. First edited and translated by American missionary Elizabeth Cooper in 1914, and issued as My Lady of the Chinese Courtyard, this two-part collection of letters has been adapted by best-selling author Goudge ( Garden of Lies, LJ 4/1/89). The first letters, written in the 1880s, are from a young wife to her new husband, who is traveling. They provide details of aristocratic family life within the strict confines of a traditional Chinese courtyard home. The second set, written 25 years later, are from the wife to her mother-in-law and record the early-20th-century transition to modern China. Unfortunately, the editorial additions (made in the original translation by Elizabeth Cooper) today result in a lack of authenticity. Kwei-Li could have had no reason to explain certain aspects of traditional Chinese culture to either her husband or her mother-in-law. The illustrations, by Zhang Ging, are delightful. Consider for lay readers interested in Chinese social history. Hardback with dustjacket - 1990 - good condition - - .