Published by Rootstock PublishingDate Published: 10 October, 2019
Pages: 248
Genres: Non Fiction
Format: Paperback
Source: Publisher
Purchase: Amazon
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The daughter of a missionary doctor, Claire Malcolm Lintilhac was born in China, became a nurse there, and lived and worked through China's whole momentous first half of the 20th century. Opening a unique window into the making of the world's newest yet oldest superpower, China in Another Time -- with over 160 photos and drawings -- is Claire's own story.
A remarkable true story that opens a window on the dramatic decades that made today's China. Born in China's interior as the daughter of a Canadian medical missionary, Claire Malcolm Lintilhac learned fluent Chinese, became a traveling nurse and lived through the whole momentous first half of China's 20th century. After her family barely escaped the bloody Boxer Rebellion of 1900, Claire witnessed firsthand the years of civil war that followed China's short-lived Nationalist Revolution of 1911. In the 1930s -- as Claire cared for patients both Western and Chinese, fell in love and started a family -- she survived Japan's two horrific attacks on Shanghai, and her British husband Lin was interned by the Japanese in a Shanghai camp during World War II. In 1949 Claire watched as China's greatest city fell to the Communist Party, and in 1950 she, Lin and their son Philip finally left the country they loved. Illustrated with over 160 photos and drawings, China in Another Time is Claire's vividly personal account of China's struggle to become its own modern nation, from the last imperial dynasty to the advent of Communist rule. With an introduction by eminent China scholar Nicholas Clifford, professor emeritus at Middlebury College.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the Author/Publisher and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.
My Thoughts
Reviewing books has taught me one thing: it’s okay to branch out of your normal comfort zone. I am not big on reading/reviewing memoirs, because most of the time, I don’t connect with the authors. I want something I can lost in, feel like I’m making new friends, and falling in love with the story. But, every once in awhile (a little more often lately than I’m used to!) I come across a memoir and get completely lost within it’s pages.
China In Another Time is one such memoir. I’ve heard so much about China and how it used to be, how it still is, and how it could be. I’ve never traveled there but I’ve heard the stories. I’ve seen pictures. But, Claire Malcolm Lintilhac photos brought all those stories to life for me. I felt like I was traveling first hand through China and seeing it through her eyes. I felt myself becoming Claire as she told of her time there, as her life as a nurse, and just felt like it was just the read I needed to freshen my mind.
If you are new to memoirs, this would be a lovely one to start with. If you aren’t new to them and want to add to your collection, then this is a wonderful addition. Claire Malcolm Lintilhac’s life comes to life for the reader, vividly portrayed through moving words and eye catching photos. I highly recommend this one and am, once again, happy that I took a chance on a memoir.
About Claire Malcolm Lintilhac
Author Claire Malcolm Lintilhac (1899-1984) was born in rural China, the daughter of a Canadian physician. She became a traveling nurse, then began a family in Shanghai — and except for the World War II years she lived in China until 1950, when Claire, her British husband and their young son left after witnessing the first year of Communist rule.
Claire spent the rest of her life in the U.S., and in the late 1970s she wrote a memoir of her China years and recorded 15 hours of storytelling. Vermont author Doug Wilhelm wove those accounts into China in Another Time, with brief historical sidebars and an introduction by an eminent China scholar. This is her story.
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