"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
In the years that follow she swiftly acquires English and French, great swathes of Flaubert's Madame Bovary and William Defoe, a habit for opium, and the devoted Arthur, foot fetishist to the last. As Mrs Arthur Cohen, May enters an extended Jewish household where she sees that its losses--of children, including May and Arthur's own Rose; of the devotion of her unruly niece, Alice; and ultimately of even their home--are heavier than its fabulous gains, built on wartime futures' markets.
In her chosen escape to Nice after the terrible influenza of 1919, taking what is left of her Cohen family, May comes to know that it is still "her feet that held her between one world and the next: balanced between East and West, China and Europe, misery, happiness".
Kathryn Harrison engagingly displays a wealth of research, binding the intricacies of Chinese and Caucasian customs and manners, the realities and myths of historical background, with the daily turmoil of all her characters. If occasionally the rush of events subsumes emotional content, there is still terrific pleasure in the felicitous writing and inventiveness of plot. --Ruth Petrie
‘A spellbinding novel, ruthless, moving and utterly without sentiment.' Mail on Sunday
'The Binding Chair is a disturbing, beautifully plotted novel, intricate in its detail and panoramic in its sweep. It presents us with a world in which tragedy is natural and everyday, where beauty is a reminder of cruelty.' Daily Telegraph
'Harrison's mesmeric voice compels the reader towards the inevitable climax. The Binding Chair is a beautiful account of the lives of two very different women and the difficulties they face in their quest for independence.' Observer
'A vivid family saga. The characters come alive on the page. Harrison has convincingly captured the Shanghai of the early twentieth-century, a jarring, cacophonous, swarming city of possibility.' Evening Standard
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Book Description Paperback. Condition: Very Good. The Binding Chair This book is in very good condition and will be shipped within 24 hours of ordering. The cover may have some limited signs of wear but the pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged. This book has clearly been well maintained and looked after thus far. Money back guarantee if you are not satisfied. See all our books here, order more than 1 book and get discounted shipping. . Seller Inventory # 7719-9781841156804
Book Description Paperback. Condition: Good. All orders are dispatched the following working day from our UK warehouse. Established in 2004, we have over 500,000 books in stock. No quibble refund if not completely satisfied. Seller Inventory # mon0006589270
Book Description Paperback. Condition: Very Good. Shipped within 24 hours from our UK warehouse. Clean, undamaged book with no damage to pages and minimal wear to the cover. Spine still tight, in very good condition. Remember if you are not happy, you are covered by our 100% money back guarantee. Seller Inventory # 6545-9781841156804
Book Description Condition: Used: Good. Occasion - Bon Etat - Etiquet? - The binding chair (2001) - Poche. Seller Inventory # 2883910
Book Description Soft Cover. Condition: Very Good. Cover photo AKG London (illustrator). First Soft Cover Edition. -----Tight square and clean, flat spine, no names, (xi) 312 pages, minor edge wear. "The magical tale of a young orphan's adventures after she flees rural China for turn-of-the-century Shanghai." Any image directly beside this listing is the actual book and not a stock photo. Seller Inventory # 007012