”Those Opulent Days” is a historical novel set in the Vietnam of the 1920s, when it was part of colonial French Indochina. In a review, Kendal Weaver writes that the novel, by Jacquie Pham, doubles as a murder mystery. Weaver says the story has flaws but, as Pham’s debut novel, it marks her as a young writer to watch.
This cover image released by Atlantic Monthly Press shows “Those Opulent Days” by Jacquie Pham. This cover image released by Atlantic Monthly Press shows “Those Opulent Days” by Jacquie Pham. This cover image released by Atlantic Monthly Press shows “Those Opulent Days” by Jacquie Pham. This cover image released by Atlantic Monthly Press shows “Those Opulent Days” by Jacquie Pham. This cover image released by Atlantic Monthly Press shows “Those Opulent Days” by Jacquie Pham.
Pham, who grew up in Vietnam before moving to Australia, ably describes the land of her youth, its history and culture, including the well-heeled Vietnamese who were complicit in the French plunder of resources a century ago. She vividly describes the Vietnamese peasants working long hours in rice paddies, bare feet in muddy water, pale yellow conical hats to block the harsh sun. “The fields were a vast, luscious green carpet,” Pham writes, “always filled with the fresh, intoxicating scent of young shoots.” But little of this bounty went to impoverished, starving peasant families. “They would pay ground rent on a monthly basis, with hardly anything to call their own,” Pham writes.
This extends partly to the four boys whose fate growing up is at the core of the coming-of-age story. The four are Duy, Minh and Phong, sons of well-to-do families in Annam, as the region then was known, and Edmond, a French youth who met them at a boarding school. They are a mix of friends, rivals and would-be lovers. They binge on opium and alcohol. When they reach their early 20s, they near a dreaded, deadly end predicted by a fortune teller years earlier.
Fiction Book Reviews United States Arts And Entertainment Vietnam
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Rihanna Sizzles in an Opulent Lace Bodysuit and Fur CoatDanielle Campoamor is Marie Claire's weekend editor covering all things news, celebrity, politics, culture, live events, and more.
Read more »
Electric vehicles and the $350K Celestiq: How Cadillac is trying to win back customersThe Celestiq and Opulent Velocity concept are the future of Cadillac.
Read more »
“Shopping” Neiman Marcus’s Second-Ever Bejeweled BallInside the opulent event, which had as many security guards as carats.
Read more »
Yankees Exercise $2.5M 2025 Option for Luke WeaverThe New York Yankees exercised the $2.5 million club option for Luke Weaver on Friday.
Read more »
Alien 3 Was Almost A Reunion For This 92%-Rated Cult British ComedySigourney Weaver, Paul McGann, and Ralph Brown in Alien 3
Read more »
Luke Weaver Shuts Down Dodgers in Game 4 to Continue Improbable RiseThe Yankees’ 31-year-old closer seemed to be nearing the end of his MLB career last year. A change he kept secret from the team over the offseason turned him into an elite reliever.
Read more »