Four Treasures of the Sky

Hardcover, 336 pages

Published April 5, 2022 by Flatiron Books.

ISBN:: 978-1-250-81178-3

Daiyu never wanted to be like the tragic heroine for whom she was named, revered for her beauty and cursed with heartbreak. But when she is kidnapped and smuggled across an ocean from China to America, Daiyu must relinquish the home and future she imagined for herself. Over the years that follow, she is forced to keep reinventing herself to survive. From a calligraphy school, to a San Francisco brothel, to a shop tucked into the Idaho mountains, we follow Daiyu on a desperate quest to outrun the tragedy that chases her. As anti-Chinese sentiment sweeps across the country in a wave of unimaginable violence, Daiyu must draw on each of the selves she has been—including the ones she most wants to leave behind—in order to finally claim her own name and story.

At once a literary tour de force and a groundbreaking work of historical fiction, Four Treasures …

Daiyu never wanted to be like the tragic heroine for whom she was named, revered for her beauty and cursed with heartbreak. But when she is kidnapped and smuggled across an ocean from China to America, Daiyu must relinquish the home and future she imagined for herself. Over the years that follow, she is forced to keep reinventing herself to survive. From a calligraphy school, to a San Francisco brothel, to a shop tucked into the Idaho mountains, we follow Daiyu on a desperate quest to outrun the tragedy that chases her. As anti-Chinese sentiment sweeps across the country in a wave of unimaginable violence, Daiyu must draw on each of the selves she has been—including the ones she most wants to leave behind—in order to finally claim her own name and story.

At once a literary tour de force and a groundbreaking work of historical fiction, Four Treasures of the Sky announces Jenny Tinghui Zhang as an indelible new voice. Steeped in untold history and Chinese folklore, this novel is a spellbinding feat.

6 editions

rainworm reviewed Four Treasures of the Sky by Jenny Tinghui Zhang

a gripping tale

5 stars

I enjoyed reading this a lot. It's good historical fiction about a sad part of history that isn't well-known. The writing flows well, the characters have character, and I feel that the author cares a lot about the material. My only issue with the book is that the cultural references are at times a bit too on the nose and stereotypical, therefore felt like pandering to a western audience. But it's my culture so I'm obviously biased here.

GG reviewed Four Treasures of the Sky by Jenny Tinghui Zhang

Review of 'Four Treasures of the Sky' on 'Goodreads'

2 stars

This book is beautifully-written, and it’s an interesting story, but I can’t recommend a book that is essentially “torture porn.” It is stuffed with descriptions of physical and sexual violence, with no hope for any of the characters. A better ending may have redeemed it, but instead we see all of the main characters suffer until it ends with their brutal deaths. Reading the author’s note, I appreciate that the author was drawing from a specific historical event, but she still could have written the ending differently while preserving the historical accuracy. Just a huge downer that I would not recommend.