The Jade Rubies
By
Valerie Lee
In 1915 two small
sisters, Sulan and May, who were ripped away from their loving mother and sold
to a ‘Child Broker’ who then sold them to a wealthy businessman named, Ming Yik
and his wife Yook Lan.
The Jade Rubies is a gripping tale that describes
the severe and abusive treatment the two girls endured after they were taken to
Vancouver, Canada where they were subjected to every evil nightmare possible. Sulan
and May faced such horrors as rape and the torment of inhuman sexual
abuse. The two lovely young ladies become the victims of adults who used
them as victims of their evil games.
Perhaps the most powerful part of the
book is the description of how these two imprisoned little girls face their
plight and struggle to survive as slaves and servants of their taskmaster,
their owners evil wife. I felt like their mother was the secret to their
survivial. Before losing her children, she sown jade rubies into a secret
pocket of their clothing, and it was that sign from their mother that in the
face of hatred and sexual abuse, there was someone out there who truly loved
them. It was that knowledge, after many years of inhuman treatment that
preserved their lives until they were finally reunited with their Mother and
Aunt.
This novel is more than just a story. In
fact, it depicts what many sad and enslaved young girls and boys face today,
throughout the world that one should never give up hope and fight to find a
life worth living. Such horrible situations are sadly, far more prevalent than
we wish to admit.
Valerie Lee is an amazing writer and a
wonderful person. I have known Valerie for a while and have gotten to see the
deep and rich heart that beats within her. Valarie Lee loves to take on hard
and bitter issues that need to be revealed to those of us who live in relative
calm and loving environments. It is important that we all realize that everyone
out there is not as fortunate as we might be. I highly recommend that everyone
read this powerful read! It will bring tears to your eyes and I guarantee that
after you read it, the next time you see little children crossing your path,
you’ll remember Sulan and May and you’ll be driven to pray for the helpless and
the innocent victims of violence and abuse who are invisible and silently
crying out for deliverance from their world of pain. It made me renew my heart
to always remember that it is the things that to us may be small signs of love
and care that might be the mountain of kindness and hope to someone in the
midst of evil. – Author Steven Clark Bradley
Valerie
was born in Vancouver. She has worked for several newspapers writing cultural
awareness pieces for the Chinese community. Valerie Lee studied creative
writing at West Valley College and is an avid writer. She has completed two
screenplays, written several novels, articles, children's book and a book of
poetry. She has many more excellent and powerful stories to reveal to the
reading public in the future.To The World, You are One
But
To One,
You are The World
The Jade
Rubies
A Book
Review by Robert A. Garfinkle
I
really liked this fascinating look into the world of Chinese immigrants to
Canada in the early years of the last century. Valerie Lee is a local author
with a talent to dig deep into this somewhat mysterious (to non-Chinese) world.
The novel is the tale of two young Chinese sisters, Sulan and May, sold into
slavery by their father. Their new owner, Ming Yik and his sadistic wife Yook
Lan, soon move to Vancouver, Canada. Ming Yik is trying to escape from his
gangster past in China and sets up an illegal opium importing business in
Canada. Yook Lan considers herself to be of royalty and treats the girls
poorly. She beats and degrades them at every opportunity.
The girls have one driving force that helps them to endure their new life. Their mother gave each of them a piece of precious jade and ruby jewelry that she sewed into secret pockets in their clothes. The jewelry is a constant reminder of their mother's love. The girls hope to escape from the tyranny of their slave masters and to be reunited with their mother.
Ming Yik is able for a time to hide his past, but eventually it catches up with him. He also has impregnated Sulan and she is taken out of the house by Yook Lan's lover (Ming Yik's nephew) and left to fend for herself in a small town several miles away from Vancouver. Will Sulan be reunited with May and her mother? Does evil befall Yook Lan? Do the police finally catch Ming Yik and close his opium import business? Who dies along the way to the end of the book?
Ms. Lee has woven a book of tight intrigue, and I'm not going to spoil it for you. You will have to read the book to find out.
One aspect of Ms. Lee's writing that I liked is the way that the author introduces us to Chinese terms and then uses them throughout the book. It gave the book authenticity. I highly recommend this fascinating book to all.
The Jade Rubies, by Valerie Lee
2007 Pp 251, $21.95
Lucky Eight Books; paperback
ISBN 978-1-60402-300-8
2007 Pp 251, $21.95
Lucky Eight Books; paperback
ISBN 978-1-60402-300-8
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More About Valerie Lee's Writing
