Blurb
San
Francisco,1849. Despite her objections, twenty-year-old Ah Toy and
her servant Chen voyage from China to San Francisco with her husband
who dies on board ship. With little cash and bound feet, how is she
to find employment in the Gold Rush town? Since she is the only
Chinese woman there, she opens a "Lookee Shop," catering to
miners who pay in gold dust to see her exotic beauty. As her
notoriety grows, so does her attraction to the devoted policeman,
John Clark. Yet should she put her faith in one man? Will their love
survive despite her frightening encounter with Sydney Ducks, threats
from rival madam Li Fan, and a tempting offer from Henry Conrad who
promises her wealth and security? Armed with her mystical beliefs of
the inner dragon and Goddess Mazu, Ah Toy faces much more than the
journey from the ancient ways in China to the new world in America.
In fact, she must find the true source of courage in a life or death
struggle for her own fate, justice, and dignity. Based on
page-turning accounts about the life of Ah Toy, one of San
Francisco's most legendary madams.
Excerpt
After
she swallowed what seemed like a rock, she found her voice. “If you
knew this Mr. Painter, why did you not contact us in Guangdong?” If
only her dragon would reach out its fangs to bite him.
“I
tried, but even when I sent your husband the letter, I knew you would
not receive it by the time you sailed. News came too late.” He
twisted the brim of his cap.
“Now
what do I do?” Those dragon fangs would tear off that hair on his
face. Then she would feed it to the chickens.
He
reached into his inner coat pocket, drew out an envelope, and held it
out to her. “Here is money to get by for a month. Lodging, room and
board.”
“Only
a month?” She took the envelope, her hands trembling.
Painter’s
patient tone grew curt. “I got you a room in Little Canton until
you can get another ship’s passage home. You better leave on the
next sail. Believe me, without a job you are a gone circumstance
amidst all these varmints.”
“What
are varmints?” she asked.
He
tapped the badge clinging to his lapel. “Men with no good intent.
You’ll see men who call themselves Hounds from New York who parade
around town with fife and drum. Stay away from that lot. They prey on
immigrants, such as your fellow Celestials and Mexicans. . . .
She
took a half-step toward him. “I am strong. Willing to work.”
Maybe if she said the words, they would come true. Was her dragon
listening?
Review
by Lisabet Sarai
An
Asian woman on her own in the wild, unruly boom town of San
Francisco, Ah Toy supports herself in the only manner feasible: by
running a brothel. Assisted by her faithful servant and long-time
friend, the eunuch Chen, she builds a prosperous new life in the
young, vibrant California territory. She must use every bit of
intelligence and persuasiveness she can muster to hold her own
against the xenophobic white men and corrupt Chinese who control the
city. Meanwhile, her deceased husband’s brother has vowed to bring
her back to Guangzhou and make her his wife, even if that means
kidnapping her. Ah Toy knows from dire experience that marriage is a
prison for a Celestial woman. Still, when wealthy businessman Henry
Conrad proposes, she’s tempted by the security such a union would
offer – though her heart truly belongs to rough and ready policeman
John Clark.
I
live in Asia and I’m quite familiar with San Francisco, so I was
eager to read Gini Grossenbacher’s historical romance, especially
when I learned the main character is loosely based on an actual
person. I love books that bring the past to life, letting me see,
hear, smell and taste that vanished world. I want to understand how
the people of the period felt, how they talked, what they believed.
Madam
in Silk partially succeeds in fulfilling these desires. In some
ways, Ah Toy felt very real. For the first time, I really understood
how bound feet, the mark of a high-born Chinese woman, meant
permanent disability. Ah Toy lives in near-constant pain. She’s
forced to rely on a donkey-drawn wagon when she needs to travel any
distance at all. And without slippers to cover her misshapen, broken
feet, she can’t even stand.
Ah
Toy’s enthusiasm for her independent life in her adopted country
also rang true. With all the difficulties and uncertainty she faces
as one of the only Chinese women in San Francisco, her position is
far better than when she was the abused wife of a cruel Guangzhou
tycoon. She is living by her wits, but is mistress of her own fate.
On
the other hand, aside from the changeable weather (which definitely
reminded me of my own sojourns in the city), I didn’t really get a
strong sense of place from this book. I know the streets were muddy
and unpaved, but I don’t know what the buildings looked like,
whether there was traffic, what people wore. The ubiquitous hills of
San Francisco are barely mentioned. There’s little description of
Ah Toy’s “parlor house” brothel, aside from the fact that the
girls met their clients downstairs then took them to bedrooms
upstairs.
Indeed,
the entire question of Ah Toy’s profession is treated with
surprising brevity. I was rather astonished by the speed with which
she agreed to purchase indentured young women to populate bawdy
house, given her own experiences as her husband’s chattel. Of
course, this could be plausible given the class and status
differences. She might not have felt any sort of connection to the
poverty stricken creatures. Once she has given the girls some
instruction and set them up, we hear almost nothing about the
operation of the brothel, except that it has been successful in
enriching Ah Toy. I would have liked more period details – and I
would have liked to know whether Ah Toy was really satisfied with her
occupation as a madam.
I
did appreciate the differences in attitude between Ah Toy herself and
her American friends, the Daileys and the Larkins. The Western women
view her profession as sinful and wicked; Ah Toy’s own perspective
is much more pragmatic and distinctly Asian. This struck me as
realistic and insightful. Furthermore, her exposure to Western
culture has made her aware that others will view her life as
shameful, even though she personally feels no shame.
Madam
in Silk is not only a historical novel. It is also a romance. In
this case, I felt the two genres did not meld very well. Although
John Clark is appealing, even with his flaws, it was difficult for me
to believe that Ah Toy would so willingly give up her independence
just to be with him. I had many questions. Would she continue to
operate her “parlor house”? Once she was Mrs. Clark, would her
husband treat her as immoral and sullied, like her other American
friends?
It’s
clear that Gini Grossenbacher did extensive research for this novel,
but I know from personal experience that it’s difficult to
transform historical facts and events into a vibrant, compelling
sense of daily life in the period of interest. I enjoyed Madam in
Silk, but I also found it a disappointment in some respects. It
was not exactly the all-consuming immersion in the past for which I
was hoping.
About
the Author
MADAM
IN SILK is California teacher and editor Gini Grossenbacher’s
second historical fiction novel. Her debut novel MADAM OF MY HEART
garnered the 2018 IPPY silver medal for Historical Fiction; finalist
in the 2018 American Fiction Awards for Historical Fiction;
honorable mention at the 2018 San Francisco Book Festival for General
Fiction; and runner-up in the 2017 Hollywood Book Festival for Genre
Fiction. She is also a copyeditor and leads an
aspiring writers group called Elk Grove Writers and Artists,
providing lessons in novel writing, memoir, poetry, and flash
fiction. When she’s not writing, Gini can be found taking long
walks, tending the roses in her garden, and barbecuing with her
husband and beloved dog, Murphy Brown.
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Gini
Grossenbacher will be awarding a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to
a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
