#BlogTour: Song by Michelle Jana Song @michellejchan @unbounders @annecater #Song #RandomThingsTours

Book Synopsis:

Song is just a boy when he sets out from Lishui village in China. Brimming with courage and ambition, he leaves behind his impoverished broken family, hoping he’ll make his fortune and return home. Chasing tales of sugarcane, rubber and gold, Song embarks upon a perilous voyage across the globe to the British colony of Guiana, but once there he discovers riches are not so easy to come by and he is forced into labouring as an indentured plantation worker.

This is only the beginning of Song’s remarkable life, but as he finds himself between places and between peoples, and increasingly aware that the circumstances of birth carry more weight than accomplishments or good deeds, Song fears he may live as an outsider forever.

This beautifully written and evocative story spans nearly half a century and half the globe, and though it is set in another century, Song’s story of emigration and the quest for an opportunity to improve his life is timeless.

Song is published on the 28th June in paperback and ebook, you can pre-order your copy here.

My Review:

Firstly I have to say how much I love that cover, the bold colours and unusual picture really works.  I know you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover but I think there is no denying that a great cover definetly helps.

This was a surprising emotional read for me.  The hardships that Songs family endure at the start of the novel was just heartbreaking and I have no idea how I’d cope in a similar situation.  The strength and resilience the children show in this situation made me cry and i just wanted to give them a hug.  I ran upstairs to hug my kids after reading some parts of this book.

Song was a character it’s hard not to fall in love with.  He’s so brave setting off to try and help his family, even more so when you realise he’s only 9.  All the hardships and awful things he experiences on the way was very sad and I kept hoping he’d find someone to take him under his wing.

This isn’t a particularly fast moving book but what makes it is the beautiful descriptions and attention to detail that is included.  The author has clearly done her research and I found it fascinating to learn more about the history of this part of the world.  The reader wants to continue reading to find out what happens to Song and if he makes his fortune to help his family.  The story is ultimately uplifting and it was wonderful to see how far Song had come.

This is the author’s debut novel and I look forward to reading more from her in the future.

Huge thanks to Anne Cater and Unbound publishers for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book.

About The Author:

Michelle Jana Chan is an award-winning journalist and travel editor of Vanity Fair. She is also contributing editor at Condé Nast Traveller, presenter of the BBC’s ‘Global Guide’ and a writer for The Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times and Travel & Leisure. Michelle has been named the Travel Media Awards’ Travel Writer of the Year. She was a Morehead-Cain scholar at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

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