The perilous life of Jade Yeo

by Zen Cho

English language

ISBN:: 978-1-4761-7767-0

(6 reviews)

For writer Jade Yeo, the Roaring Twenties are coming in with more of a purr. She's perfectly happy making a living by churning out articles on what the well-dressed woman is wearing. But when she pillories one of London's leading literary luminaries in a scathing review, she may have made the mistake of her career.

Sebastian Hardie is tall, dark and handsome--and more intrigued than annoyed. Jade is irresistibly drawn to the prospect of adventure he offers. But if she succumbs to temptation, she risks losing her hard-won freedom--and her best chance for love.

EXCERPT

Hardie looked at me. I thought he was going to say something serious and philosophical about loneliness, but instead he lifted his hand and traced the air just above my cheekbones, almost touching me but not quite. “It’s a shame I’m no sort of artist,” he said, so low I had to strain to hear him over the noise. “How I should like to paint those lines.” Now what is one supposed to say to that? “I’m sure you’d be nice to paint too,” I said, unable to think of anything better. Hardie laughed. “Poor Ariel,” he said. “Alone on an incomprehensible island. Has any other mariner heard your whispers, or did they think it just the wind?” “I’m really more of a Caliban,” I said primly. Hardie tilted his head. “Even better,” he said.

1 edition

Stephanie Jane reviewed The perilous life of Jade Yeo by Zen Cho

An entertaining novella

4 stars

I spotted The Perilous Life Of Jade Yeo as a free Amazon ebook download last month and, having previously enjoyed Zen Cho's fantasy novel, The True Queen, I eagerly snapped up this novella too. The two books are very different in subject and genre - Regency witchcraft fantasy to 1920s urban romance - and I just as happily immersed myself in Jade Yeo's perilous life as I had in The True Queen.

Jade has escaped parental pressure to marry back home in Malaya by being terribly daring and travelling to London, alone, to write. The trouble is that her life now consists of even less by way of excitement as she fills her days with cooking, reading or writing. So when Bohemian cad Sebastian Hardie turns out to be more amused than offended by Jade's slating of his new book, she finds herself very tempted to embark on a little …

I loved Jade because we share a similarly dry sense of humour and I appreciated her frequently being underwhelmed by traditionally romantic situations. The novella is written as a series of private diary entries so Jade is hilariously honest about her first kiss and first sexual encounter. The repartee between her and Sebastian is fun as is the verbal sparring between Jade and her overbearing Aunt Iris. I liked spotting nods to various classic novels with Jade's frequent references to the Bronte sisters reminding me that I really must pick up their novels one day! Cho's sharply observed comments about English attitudes to 'the colonies' are still, unfortunately, still valid over a century after the story is set and I was interested in the different ideas around plain speaking and appropriate conversational topics that Jade notes between her Malayan upbringing and her London life.

The Perilous Life Of Jade Yeo is an entertaining novella that was perfect escapism from a grey, rainy day. Cho's brisk prose keeps the story moving along, but with enough geographical and historical detail to create a good atmosphere and depth to the tale.

Kathrin Passig reviewed The perilous life of Jade Yeo by Zen Cho

Review of 'The perilous life of Jade Yeo' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

Tagebuchroman mit lustiger Erzählerin. Bevor ich anfangen konnte, die Handlung vorhersehbar zu finden, war es auch schon wieder vorbei (nur 80 Seiten oder so). Riesenmaschine-Pluspunkt: "Erwartete, gefürchtete Standards entfallen oder verlieren ihren Schrecken".

Baltipink reviewed The perilous life of Jade Yeo by Zen Cho

Review of 'The perilous life of Jade Yeo' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

Cute

LuisVilla reviewed The perilous life of Jade Yeo by Zen Cho

Review of 'The perilous life of Jade Yeo' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

A cute little novella, told in the style of the diary of the main character. Not surprisingly, given these restrictions, only the main character has any depth, but this Malaysian young woman transplanted into 1920s London is fun: you'd enjoy having a bit of tea with her. Like tea, this is not a substitute for a real book, but fun as a palate cleanser between more serious reads.

satyajit

rated it

Sept. 26, 2016

arr

rated it

March 3, 2022