How Much of These Hills Is Gold
A Novel
(Sprache: Englisch)
"Belongs on a shelf all of its own."-NPR
"Revolutionary…A visionary addition to American literature." - Minneapolis Star Tribune
An electric debut novel set against the twilight of the American gold rush, two siblings are on the run in an unforgiving...
"Revolutionary…A visionary addition to American literature." - Minneapolis Star Tribune
An electric debut novel set against the twilight of the American gold rush, two siblings are on the run in an unforgiving...
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Klappentext zu „How Much of These Hills Is Gold “
"Belongs on a shelf all of its own."-NPR"Revolutionary…A visionary addition to American literature." - Minneapolis Star Tribune
An electric debut novel set against the twilight of the American gold rush, two siblings are on the run in an unforgiving landscape-trying not just to survive but to find a home.
Ba dies in the night; Ma is already gone. Newly orphaned children of immigrants, Lucy and Sam are suddenly alone in a land that refutes their existence. Fleeing the threats of their western mining town, they set off to bury their father in the only way that will set them free from their past. Along the way, they encounter giant buffalo bones, tiger paw prints, and the specters of a ravaged landscape as well as family secrets, sibling rivalry, and glimpses of a different kind of future.
Both epic and intimate, blending Chinese symbolism and re-imagined history with fiercely original language and storytelling, How Much of These Hills Is Gold is a haunting adventure story, an unforgettable sibling story, and the announcement of a stunning new voice in literature. On a broad level, it explores race in an expanding country and the question of where immigrants are allowed to belong. But page by page, it's about the memories that bind and divide families, and the yearning for home.
Story Locale: American West
Lese-Probe zu „How Much of These Hills Is Gold “
GoldBa dies in the night, prompting them to seek two silver dollars.
Sam's tapping an angry beat come morning, but Lucy, before they go, feels a need to speak. Silence weighs harder on her, pushes till she gives way.
"Sorry," she says to Ba in his bed. The sheet that tucks him is the only clean stretch in this dim and dusty shack, every surface black with coal. Ba didn't heed the mess while living and in death his mean squint goes right past it. Past Lucy. Straight to Sam. Sam the favorite, round bundle of impatience circling the doorway in too-big boots. Sam clung to Ba's every word while living and now won't meet the man's gaze. That's when it hits Lucy: Ba really is gone.
She digs a bare toe into dirt floor, rooting for words to make Sam listen. To spread benediction over years of hurt. Dust hangs ghostly in the light from the lone window. No wind to stir it.
Something prods Lucy's spine.
"Pow," Sam says. Eleven to Lucy's twelve, wood to her water as Ma liked to say, Sam is nonetheless shorter by a full foot. Looks young, deceptively soft. "Too slow. You're dead." Sam cocks fingers back on pudgy fists and blows on the muzzle of an imagined gun. The way Ba used to. Proper way to do things, Ba said, and when Lucy said Teacher Leigh said these new guns didn't clog and didn't need blowing, Ba judged the proper way was to slap her. Stars burst behind her eyes, a flint of pain sharp in her nose.
Lucy's nose never did grow back straight. She thumbs it, thinking. Proper way, Ba said, was to let it heal itself. When he looked at Lucy's face after the bloom of bruise faded, he nodded right quick. Like he'd planned it all along. Proper that you should have something to rememory you for sassing.
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There's dirt on Sam's brown face, sure, and gunpowder rubbed on to look (Sam thinks) like Indian war paint, but beneath it all, Sam's face is unblemished.
Just this once, because Ba's fists are helpless and stiff under the blanket-and maybe she is good, is smart, thinks in some small part that riling Ba might make him rise to swing at her-Lucy does what she never does. She cocks her hands, points her fingers. Prods Sam's chin where paint gives way to baby fat. The jaw another might call delicate, if not for Sam's way of jutting it.
"Pow yourself," Lucy says. She pushes Sam like an outlaw to the door.
Sun sucks them dry. Middle of the dry season, rain by now a distant memory. Their valley is bare dirt, halved by a wriggle of creek. On this side are the miners' flimsy shacks, on the other the moneyed buildings with proper walls, glass windows. And all around, circumscribing, the endless hills seared gold; and hidden within their tall, dry grasses, ragtag camps of prospectors and Indians, knots of vaqueros and travelers and outlaws, and the mine, and more mines, and beyond, and beyond.
Sam squares small shoulders and sets out across the creek, red shirt a shout against the barrenness.
When they first arrived there was still long yellow grass in this valley, and scrub oaks on the ridge, and poppies after rain. The flood three and a half years back rooted up those oaks, drowned or chased away half the people. Yet their family stayed, set alone at the valley's far edge. Ba like one of those lightning-split trees: dead down the center, roots still gripping on.
And now that Ba's gone?
Lucy fits her bare feet to Sam's prints and keeps quiet, saving spit. The water's long gone, the world after the flood left somehow thirstier.
And long gone, Ma.
Across the creek the main street stretches wide, shimmering and dusty as snakeskin. False fronts loom: saloon and blacksmith, trading post and bank and hotel. People lounge in the shadows like dragon lizards.
There's dirt on Sam's brown face, sure, and gunpowder rubbed on to look (Sam thinks) like Indian war paint, but beneath it all, Sam's face is unblemished.
Just this once, because Ba's fists are helpless and stiff under the blanket-and maybe she is good, is smart, thinks in some small part that riling Ba might make him rise to swing at her-Lucy does what she never does. She cocks her hands, points her fingers. Prods Sam's chin where paint gives way to baby fat. The jaw another might call delicate, if not for Sam's way of jutting it.
"Pow yourself," Lucy says. She pushes Sam like an outlaw to the door.
Sun sucks them dry. Middle of the dry season, rain by now a distant memory. Their valley is bare dirt, halved by a wriggle of creek. On this side are the miners' flimsy shacks, on the other the moneyed buildings with proper walls, glass windows. And all around, circumscribing, the endless hills seared gold; and hidden within their tall, dry grasses, ragtag camps of prospectors and Indians, knots of vaqueros and travelers and outlaws, and the mine, and more mines, and beyond, and beyond.
Sam squares small shoulders and sets out across the creek, red shirt a shout against the barrenness.
When they first arrived there was still long yellow grass in this valley, and scrub oaks on the ridge, and poppies after rain. The flood three and a half years back rooted up those oaks, drowned or chased away half the people. Yet their family stayed, set alone at the valley's far edge. Ba like one of those lightning-split trees: dead down the center, roots still gripping on.
And now that Ba's gone?
Lucy fits her bare feet to Sam's prints and keeps quiet, saving spit. The water's long gone, the world after the flood left somehow thirstier.
And long gone, Ma.
Across the creek the main street stretches wide, shimmering and dusty as snakeskin. False fronts loom: saloon and blacksmith, trading post and bank and hotel. People lounge in the shadows like dragon lizards.
... weniger
Autoren-Porträt von C Pam Zhang
C Pam Zhang
Bibliographische Angaben
- Autor: C Pam Zhang
- 2021, 336 Seiten, Masse: 12,8 x 20,1 cm, Kartoniert (TB), Englisch
- Verlag: Riverhead Books
- ISBN-10: 052553721X
- ISBN-13: 9780525537212
- Erscheinungsdatum: 25.03.2021
Sprache:
Englisch
Pressezitat
Praise for How Much of These Hills Is Gold: Arresting, beautiful. The New York Times
An aching book, full of myths of Zhang s making (including tigers that roam the Western hills) as well as joys, as well as sorrows. It s violent and surprising and musical. Like Lucy and Sam, the novel wanders down byways and takes detours and chances. By journey s end, you re enriched and enlightened by the lives you have witnessed. The New York Times
[A] glittering debut . . . This novel is at once a thrilling adventure, a tender coming-of-age story, an excavation of the corrosive mythmaking surrounding the American west, and the arrival of a major literary talent. Esquire
While the book presents a counter-narrative to conventional tales of America s origins, it also interrogates the more intimate dimensions of belonging and memory, asking, over and over, What makes a home a home? The New Yorker
Sure to be the boldest debut of the year. The Guardian
A fully immersive epic drama packed with narrative riches and exquisitely crafted prose . . . Zhang captures not only the mesmeric beauty and storied history of America s sacred landscape, but also the harsh sacrifices countless people were forced to make in hopes of laying claim to its bounty. San Francisco Chronicle
Outstanding . . . Zhang does more than just push against the cowboy narrative: She shoves it clear out of the way. . . . at once subversive and searching The Washington Post
"C Pam Zhang s stunning debut novel wends forward and backward in time, asking in stark terms what it takes to claim a piece of the American dream."
Just as Zhang tinkers with Western tropes, she also plays with language, weaving Chinese phrases with cowboy drawl, merging myths of tigers with fables about where the buffalo roam. Her prose at its best can be heart-stoppingly lyrical. USA Today
How Much of These Hills Is Gold is first and foremost a family story, a gorgeous novel
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that gives its characters room to learn, mourn, fight, and reinvent themselves. But it also reveals the flaws and false revisions in the American mythos, the ways we have never fully overcome the brutalities on which this country was built, and how much was lost, destroyed, and stolen in the pursuit of profit along the way. Chicago Review of Books
Imaginative, vital . . . Zhang s searing words pierce the heart of America s founding mythology, laying bare its lies, and offering up a new, much-needed vision of this country and its people. Refinery29
As she depicts their journey, Zhang prompts the reader to think about whose stories are told from this period of American history fictional or not and adds her urgent voice to the genre. Time
A world wrought of breath and blood and imagination. Lit Hub
Stunning . . . a long-overdue treatment of the American West. Outside
Lyrical and mythic, How Much of These Hills Is Gold reconceives the immigrant narrative to tell an original story of racism and American greed. The A.V. Club
C Pam Zhang s electrifying debut is a sweeping work of historical fiction the sort of masterpiece that immediately establishes an author as a force to be reckoned with. Harper s Bazaar
This moving tale of family, gold, and freedom rings with a truth that defies rosy preconceptions. The description of human and environmental degradation is balanced by shining characters who persevere greatly. Highly recommended. Library Journal (starred review)
[An] extraordinary debut . . . Gorgeously written and fearlessly imagined, Zhang s awe-inspiring novel introduces two indelible characters whose odyssey is as good as the gold they seek. Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Aesthetically arresting and a vital contribution to America s conversation about itself. Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Daringly original . . . Zhang s laser-sharp reexamination of America s myth-laden past is likely to help bring clarity to many issues that continue to challenge us all. BookPage (starred review)
Smart, beautiful, and intimate. The Millions
Ferocious, dark and gleaming, a book erupting out of the interstices between myth and dream, between longing and belonging. How Much of These Hills Is Gold tells us that stories like people, like the rough and stunning landscape of California itself are constantly in the process of being made, broken, and finally remade into something tender and new. Lauren Groff, The New York Times bestselling author of Fates and Furies
A haunting, riveting and truly remarkable debut. Zhang writes with the clear-eyed lucidity of ancient mythmakers whose eyes are attuned to the vicissitudes of nature and humanity. Chigozie Obioma, author of Booker Prize finalist An Orchestra of Minorities
This exhilarating novel unweaves the myths of the American West and offers in their place a gorgeous, broken, soulful, feral song of family and yearning, origin and earth. C Pam Zhang is a brilliant, fearless writer. This book is a wonder. Garth Greenwell, author of What Belongs to You
A truly gifted writer. Sebastian Barry, author of The Secret Scripture
A ravishingly written revisionist story of the making of the West, C Pam Zhang s debut is pure gold. Emma Donoghue, author of Room
How Much of These Hills is a miracle, as timely as it is timeless, propulsive but also wonderfully meditative, a ferocious, tender epic about a vulnerable immigrant family trying to survive the American Gold Rush. I read it in one night and know I ll revisit it soon: I envy you your first read of this book. R.O. Kwon, author of The Incendiaries
The writing here is intuitive, chewy, wonderful; the plot is devastating and the talent is dazzling. Zhang is a blazing writer. Daisy Johnson, author of Everything Under
Imaginative, vital . . . Zhang s searing words pierce the heart of America s founding mythology, laying bare its lies, and offering up a new, much-needed vision of this country and its people. Refinery29
As she depicts their journey, Zhang prompts the reader to think about whose stories are told from this period of American history fictional or not and adds her urgent voice to the genre. Time
A world wrought of breath and blood and imagination. Lit Hub
Stunning . . . a long-overdue treatment of the American West. Outside
Lyrical and mythic, How Much of These Hills Is Gold reconceives the immigrant narrative to tell an original story of racism and American greed. The A.V. Club
C Pam Zhang s electrifying debut is a sweeping work of historical fiction the sort of masterpiece that immediately establishes an author as a force to be reckoned with. Harper s Bazaar
This moving tale of family, gold, and freedom rings with a truth that defies rosy preconceptions. The description of human and environmental degradation is balanced by shining characters who persevere greatly. Highly recommended. Library Journal (starred review)
[An] extraordinary debut . . . Gorgeously written and fearlessly imagined, Zhang s awe-inspiring novel introduces two indelible characters whose odyssey is as good as the gold they seek. Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Aesthetically arresting and a vital contribution to America s conversation about itself. Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Daringly original . . . Zhang s laser-sharp reexamination of America s myth-laden past is likely to help bring clarity to many issues that continue to challenge us all. BookPage (starred review)
Smart, beautiful, and intimate. The Millions
Ferocious, dark and gleaming, a book erupting out of the interstices between myth and dream, between longing and belonging. How Much of These Hills Is Gold tells us that stories like people, like the rough and stunning landscape of California itself are constantly in the process of being made, broken, and finally remade into something tender and new. Lauren Groff, The New York Times bestselling author of Fates and Furies
A haunting, riveting and truly remarkable debut. Zhang writes with the clear-eyed lucidity of ancient mythmakers whose eyes are attuned to the vicissitudes of nature and humanity. Chigozie Obioma, author of Booker Prize finalist An Orchestra of Minorities
This exhilarating novel unweaves the myths of the American West and offers in their place a gorgeous, broken, soulful, feral song of family and yearning, origin and earth. C Pam Zhang is a brilliant, fearless writer. This book is a wonder. Garth Greenwell, author of What Belongs to You
A truly gifted writer. Sebastian Barry, author of The Secret Scripture
A ravishingly written revisionist story of the making of the West, C Pam Zhang s debut is pure gold. Emma Donoghue, author of Room
How Much of These Hills is a miracle, as timely as it is timeless, propulsive but also wonderfully meditative, a ferocious, tender epic about a vulnerable immigrant family trying to survive the American Gold Rush. I read it in one night and know I ll revisit it soon: I envy you your first read of this book. R.O. Kwon, author of The Incendiaries
The writing here is intuitive, chewy, wonderful; the plot is devastating and the talent is dazzling. Zhang is a blazing writer. Daisy Johnson, author of Everything Under
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