The Library of Legends - by Janie Chang (Paperback)

About the Book

"P.S. insights, interviews & more..."--Cover.

Book Synopsis

"The Library of
Legends is a gorgeous, poetic journey threaded with mist and magic about a
group from a Chinese university who take to the road to escape the Japanese
invasion of 1937 - only to discover that danger stalks them from within. Janie
Chang pens pure enchantment!" --Kate Quinn, New
York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Alice Network
and The Huntress

From the author of Three Souls and Dragon Springs Road comes a captivating historical novel--the third in a loosely-connected trilogy--in which a young woman travels across China with a convoy of student refugees, fleeing the hostilities of a brutal war with Japan.

"Myths are the darkest and brightest incarnations of who we are..."
China, 1937: When Japanese bombs begin falling on the city of Nanking, nineteen-year-old Hu Lian and her classmates at Minghua University are ordered to flee. Lian and a convoy of more than a hundred students, faculty, and staff must walk a thousand miles to the safety of China's western provinces, a journey marred by hunger, cold, and the constant threat of aerial attack. And it is not just the student refugees who are at risk: Lian and her classmates have been entrusted with a priceless treasure, a 500-year-old collection of myths and folklore known as the Library of Legends.
Her family's past has made Lian wary of forming attachments, but the students' common duty to safeguard the Library of Legends forms unexpected bonds. Lian finds friendship and a cautious romance with the handsome and wealthy Liu Shaoming. But after one classmate is murdered and another arrested, Lian realizes she must escape from the convoy before a family secret puts her in danger. Accompanied by Shao and the enigmatic maidservant Sparrow, Lian makes her way to Shanghai, hoping to reunite with her mother.
On the journey, Lian learns of the connection between her two companions and a tale from the Library of Legends, The Willow Star and the Prince. Learning Shao and Sparrow's true identities compels Lian to confront her feelings for Shao. But there are broader consequences too, for as the ancient books travel across China, they awaken immortals and guardian spirits to embark on an exodus of their own, one that changes the country's fate forever.
Based on true events, rich in Chinese history and lore, The Library of Legends is both an illuminating exploration of China's recent past and an evocative tale of love, sacrifice, and the extraordinary power of storytelling.

Review Quotes

Praise for: Dragon Springs Road "Janie Chang's second novel is a remarkable read, brimming with magic and the grit of realism. . . . With this novel, Chang asserts herself as an exciting, relatable voice . . . that requires us to re-examine our relationships to place, identity, and ancestry." - Quill & Quire (starred review)
"Beautifully told . . . fascinating . . . a great choice for a book club." - Huffington Post
"Chang unfurls this intriguing story--set against the chaotic backdrop of China in the early twentieth century-with precision. Rich with detail and a fascinating interplay between the spiritual and earthly realms, Chang's second novel explores whether it is possible to overcome your past." - Booklist on DRAGON SPRINGS ROAD
"Lyrical and magical . . . Chang's lovingly crafted novel will resonate with readers long after the story is done." - RT Book Reviews
"Janie Chang has a keen eye for detail and infuses them throughout this magical story, with its masterfully rendered setting of the early Chinese republic, characters who bring to life the constrictions of those girls, and a mystical benevolent spirit. The result is enchanting." - Shilpi Somaya Gowda, author of Secret Daughter and The Golden Son on DRAGON SPRINGS ROAD
"Dragon Springs Road is simply one of the best novels I have read in a long time. With her lyrical, heartfelt portrait of a vanished world . . . Janie Chang has created an enchanting and unforgettable book. I recommend it unreservedly." - Jennifer Robson, author of The Gown
"Love and fate entangle in a tender tale of star-crossed romance and scholarship. In The Library of Legends, Janie Chang whisks the reader on a journey of a lifetime, with the transportation of a university library of rare books across China. Based on Chang's father's own experience as a student-in-exile, it interweaves the pressures of war with a poignant saga of love lost and gained. Vibrant, rich, and moving, The Library of Legends brings an unusual true episode in Chinese history to shimmering, heartfelt life." - Yangsze Choo, New York Times bestselling author of The Ghost Bride and The Night Tiger
"Janie Chang's The Library of Legends delivers stark historical truths on the tail of a shooting star. Absolutely enchanting." - Ana Johns, bestselling author of The Woman in the White Kimono
"Janie Chang's The Library of Legends is a delicious mix of history, myth, and romance. Chang deftly intertwines Chinese folklore and historical detail to create a magical, heartfelt read." - Jean Kwok, New York Times bestselling author of Girl in Translation and Searching for Sylvie Lee
"There are many historical novels that begin in China in 1937 when the Japanese invade, but Janie Chang has found a new and fascinating story to tell about the university students and faculty who trekked hundreds and sometimes thousands of miles to escape the Japanese while preserving not just China's best minds, but also China's most precious books. I was entranced by the magical spirits, immortals, and fox spirits who accompany them. Janie Chang has beautifully melded history and the spirit world to create an adventurous love story for all of us readers who love books and who, in a perfect world, would do anything to save them." - Lisa See, New York Times bestselling author of The Island of Sea Women and Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
"Chang expertly weaves mysticism and historical details, and sets up a cast of memorable characters. This will charm readers from the very first page." - Publishers Weekly