Publisher’s Choice June 2021

“Mistress Miao” by Yon Rou

Reviewed by Anita Finley

For those readers who are fascinated by the Rubric Cube and are proficient at completing it, I found Yun Rou’s book, Mistress Miao, similar in making all the plots fit together. If you don’t know anything about the Daoist philosophy, it will open your eyes and mind to incredible possibilities.

This tantalizing book starts out with a love story that is compelling and perfect: Lulu and Solomon, opposite in nature, find Solomon, totally mesmerized by Lulu, a green-eyed Chinese mystery woman. Life is not simple for them as the chapters unfold. When Lulu is almost fatally shot, life as they knew it, is forever changed. In a comatose state, pregnant with twins, Lulu is on life support. Solomon is dedicated to keeping her alive which forces him to unravel her past life, leading him to China, her family, and devastating secrets.

The complexity of this novel is displayed by every other chapter, continuing with the resent life of Lulu and Solomon are the opposite chapters, which are like reading another book, taking the reader into a parallel life in ancient China, with mysterious and weird occurrences and strange people, too frightening to forget.

Not knowing much about ancient Chinese history, I found myself wanting to know more. He author, Yun Rou, being a Taoist monk, intertwines his philosophy and natural curiosity and blends it with magical expression of life’s truthful realizations. This book is a revelation for anyone who wants to learn about China, its ancient past, its complicated history all displayed through the eyes and works of a talented writer.

It is rare for me to be so interested in a book that is highly intellectual, historically obsessed with ancient evolution, while at the same time discovering the exotic natural world. After reading it, I found myself thinking about so many of Yun Rou’s ideas and philosophies. Yes, he has written many more books for colossal reading challenges and noteworthiness. We are featuring another one of his books in our July issue, Turtle Planet, so be on the lookout for it! (Photo credit: Angela Alvarez)

(Photo credit: Angela Alvarez)

About the author:

Yun Rou has been called the “Zen Gabriel Garcia Marqez” for the works of magical realism, many set in China. Born Arthur Rosenfeld in New York City, he received his academic background at Yale and Cornell Universities and the University of California. He was officially ordained a Taoist monk in Guangzhou PRC. His award-winning non-fiction works on Taoism bridge science, spirituality, and philosophy while his novels have been optioned in film both in Hollywood and Asia. He lives in the American southwest and travels extensively to the Far East.

(To purchase Mistress Miao, go to Amazon.com)