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Sale

The Thorn of Lion City : A Memoir

by Lucy Lum
Save up to 45%
The Thorn of Lion City : A Memoir - Thryft
The Thorn of Lion City : A Memoir - Thryft

Emotional memoir capturing the struggles of a wartime childhood.

This heartfelt memoir is a powerful exploration of a young girl's experiences growing up in a repressive Chinese family during the Second World War. Through Lucy's perspective, we witness the hardships and fear faced not only within the walls of her home but also in the war-torn streets of Singapore. The author's honest and poignant storytelling delves into the complexities of family, resilience, and the profound bond between a father and his daughter, making it a compelling read for those interested in personal narratives of survival and triumph amidst adversity.

Note: While we do our best to ensure the accuracy of cover images, ISBNs may at times be reused for different editions of the same title which may hence appear as a different cover.
Sale

The Thorn of Lion City : A Memoir

by Lucy Lum
Save up to 45%
Condition guide

Book Condition Guide

Books in Like New Condition

This book may contain very minor cosmetic defects, but it is in pristine condition. There should be no yellowing, no foxing, no water damage, and no annotations of any kind on the cover and the pages. For paperbacks, there should not be any crease marks on the spine. This book is good as new — lucky you!

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

Books in Very Good Condition

This book has been used, but it is still in a clean condition. There should be no foxing or annotations of any kind on the inner pages, but a sparse amount may be present on the cover, title pages, or outside edges of the book. There should be no water damage of any kind. For paperbacks, there may be light crease marks on the spine.

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

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We do our best to ensure the quality of our books, but there is no escaping the wear and tear that comes with time. Slight foxing and some annotations may be present on the pages and the cover. There should be no water damage of any kind. For paperbacks, there may be several crease marks on the spine.

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

Books in Well Read Condition

This is a well-read book, which means that the previous owner probably really enjoyed it! The cover and pages may include moderate foxing and annotations, but the text is not obscured and still readable. Moderate cosmetic defects and minor water damage may be present on the edges of the book. For paperbacks, there may be multiple crease marks on the spine.

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

 

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ISBN: 9780007200351
Authors: Lucy Lum
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Date of Publication: 2008-04-01
Format: Paperback
Related Collections: Biographies & Memoirs, History
Related Topics: Biography, Memoir, World War II, Asia
Goodreads rating: 3.52
(rated by 132 readers)

Description

An intense and emotive memoir of one girl's difficult family upbringing in a Singaporean Chinese family during the Second World War. Lucy Lum was the third of seven children, born in Singapore in 1933 into a Chinese immigrant family ruled with an iron hand by Popo, her fearsome and superstitious grandmother. Popo is a firm believer in the old ways, in stomach-churning herbalist remedies, in the dubious fortune-telling of mystics, and in mischievous little girls like Lucy knowing their place, and is forever keen to dispense her own wicked brand of justice, much to the despair of her adopted family. Yet the suffering does not end at home. This is Singapore in the forties, a former British colony now living under the spectre of the invading Japanese - the hungry worms crawling down from the north as Lucy knows them - and fear floods the streets outside the family home. Lucy's father, a kind-hearted and talented linguist, finds himself being used by the occupiers as a translator, and brings back terrifying stories of his merciless employers, family friends blown apart inside their rickety shelters, dead bodies heaped on top of one another by the roadside, that he confides to his daughter under the heavy teak table in the dining room. 'The Thorn of Lion City' is a fascinating and honest account of wartime occupation and of a little girl's upbringing in a repressive Chinese family. At times harrowing, at others touching, it breaks the long silence of the Singaporean Chinese and speaks of hardship, family and the softly-spoken, redemptive relationship between a father and daughter.
 

Emotional memoir capturing the struggles of a wartime childhood.

This heartfelt memoir is a powerful exploration of a young girl's experiences growing up in a repressive Chinese family during the Second World War. Through Lucy's perspective, we witness the hardships and fear faced not only within the walls of her home but also in the war-torn streets of Singapore. The author's honest and poignant storytelling delves into the complexities of family, resilience, and the profound bond between a father and his daughter, making it a compelling read for those interested in personal narratives of survival and triumph amidst adversity.

Note: While we do our best to ensure the accuracy of cover images, ISBNs may at times be reused for different editions of the same title which may hence appear as a different cover.