Nanjing 1937 - Ye Zhaoyan

Set on the eve of the Rape of Nanjing - when Japanese troops invaded this historical capital city, massacred hundreds of thousands, and committed thousands of rapes - Nanjing 1937 is a tender and humorous story of an impossible love and a lively, detailed historical portrait of a people on the verge of destruction.'A treasure. The author has plundered public libraries and private archives so that the reader is treated to lists of theatre productions, popular songs, the building of housing developments, fashions for both men and women. Dozens of historical notables make cameo appearances, as in E. L. Doctorow's Ragtime . As a historical novel, Nanjing 1937 is impeccable and fascinating.' Washington Post