If you follow us on Twitter you know that we’re reviewing All The Emperor’s Horses in one episode. And you know that this read is also found under the title Peking Story, which is the newer version with a chapter added at the end, which was written years after the original story was told. Intrigued? You should be!
The Emperor’s Horses is the story of a young American teaching and studying in China. He marries into the aristocratic Yu family, and into the family mansion and gardens, which are characters in this book just as much as any of the people written about here. The year is 1949, and Peking has just surrendered to the Communist army. Our author, David Kidd, marries Aimee Yu in a rushed ceremony, which is charmingly and humorously written, and we follow along as the Yu family fortune, and ancient China’s culture and civilization are dismantled. This book is funny and heartbreaking, and will give you an understanding of how devastating it was to watch a 4,000 year old empire and all its tradition and beauty crumble.
David Kidd had a certain Bowie-like flair for style, both in his appearance and in his art. His observations and descriptions of people (and what they wore) and places are wonderful! This was, on multiple levels, a beautiful read.
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Bowie, Ep. 28 - On Having No Head by Douglas Harding & What If We Didn't Have An Eight Inch Ball
Bowie, Ep. 27 - Silence by John Cage & Why There Is Always Sound
Bowie, Ep. 26 - Strange People by Frank Edwards & Is "Freak" Really The Right Word?
Bowie, Ep. 25 - The Divided Self by R.D. Laing & Why This Book Seemed Personal
Bowie, Ep. 23 - Billy Liar by Keith Waterhouse & Why Two Ways of Thinking Aren't Better Than One
Bowie, Ep. 22 - The Leopard by Giuseppe Di Lampedusa, Part 2 & Why The Prince Is Really A Serval
Bowie, Ep. 21 - The Leopard by Giuseppe Di Lampedusa, Part 1 & Why the Prince is Swoon-worthy
Bowie, Ep. 20 - On The Road by Jack Kerouac, Part 2 & Why Your Feelings About Sal and Dean Might Change Over Time
Bowie, Ep. 19 - On The Road by Jack Kerouac, Part 1 & Why Bowie Might Be A Dean
Bowie, Ep. 18 - The Hidden Persuaders by Vance Packard, Part 2 & Why We're Living in the 1950s
Bowie, Ep. 17 - The Hidden Persuaders by Vance Packard, Part 1 and Why We Are Johnny
Bowie, Ep. 16 - A Grave For A Dolphin by Alberto Denti di Pirajno, Part 2 & Why Our Way Isn't The Only Way
Bowie, Ep. 15 - A Grave For A Dolphin by Alberto Denti di Pirajno, Part 1 & Why We Should Talk To The Animals
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Bowie, Ep. 13 - Room At The Top by John Braine, Part 1 & Why The Thin White Duke Is Everywhere
Bowie, Ep. 12 - The Outsider by Colin Wilson, Part 2 & Why We Think Bowie Was Not An Outsider
Bowie, Ep. 11 - The Outsider by Colin Wilson, Part 1 & Why This Book Is The Most Bowie Thus Far
Bowie, Ep. 10, Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, Part 2 & Why We Are No Longer Charmed
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