I nearly gave up on this book while reading the prologue but I'm glad I did not. Between Four Rivers is the story of Ning Xi, the sword-wielding, kung-fu fighting woman who once almost single-handedly chased away a group of bandits by grabbing the testicles of the leader. HAHA!

She goes on to build an empire by her resourcefulness and tenacity, amid the hardship and chaos of the 1700s in China. A woman of substance and excellence indeed!

Excellent story.. Just wish the translation from Chinese to English was better!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. This is my honest review.

"In order to revive Sichuan, our only choice is to recruit migrants, sending them to Sichuan to reclaim the wasteland and rebuild the province." Ning Degong, a demoted army officer, is posted as magistrate in Sichuan for one year and will provide Emperor Kangxi with a detailed report. Rongchang "...once a land of abundance, was in a state of dilapidation and desolation; destruction could be seen everywhere." In 1694, Emperor Kangzi issued an edict to recruit migrants in an attempt to repopulate and rebuild Sichuan. Causes for the dramatic drop in population included wars and famine, abandoned farmland and the increased presence of tigers that had descended from the mountains. "Manpower is the key to Sichuan's recovery. Once there are people, there will be hope...""To be worthy of the emperor's favor", Ning Degong returned to Sichuan to better aid in the province's recovery.

Ning Degong's "voice and appearance left a strong impression" in the mind of daughter, Ning Xi. She remembered his words. If something unforeseen happened and he did not return to Fijian, their hometown, his wife and child were expected to take the 10,000 mile trek to "set [themselves] as an example to other people." And so began Ning Xi's incredible journey and exemplary new life. During harsh conditions, she gave birth to twins, unassisted, in an abandoned temple, had the trajectory of her life altered by a tiger, and saved the life of a Fijian beggar, Lao Han, who kowtowed to her vowing to serve her for life.

As Ning Xi carved out a life for her family in Sichuan, she witnessed much government corruption. "The authorities have turned themselves into bandits...the authorities are as ferocious as tigers...government troops capture migrants to be sent to Sichuan. The emperor offered a handsome reward to officials who recruit the most migrants." Ning Xi's clan, the Chang clan, became embroiled in a feud with the Zhao clan...revenge...always revenge. But, Ning Xi held her head high and persevered.

"Between Four Rivers" by Wang Yu is a difficult book to review. Although Ning Xi is a standout, so many other principal and secondary protagonists have a story to tell. I was completely invested in their triumphs and tragedies. It seemed easy for officials to rise to high government positions through bribery, but, in an instant, one could fall from grace and be sent to the far corners of Sichuan sentenced to penal servitude for life! I was impressed with factual data about building sedan chairs and the production of silk and ramie fabric during early eighteen century China. The tome, however, had several drawbacks. Some character "meet-ups" seemed contrived. It might have been beneficial if the story was shortened. All in all, a fascinating historical fiction read.

Thank you Alain Charles Asia Publishing, Sinoist Books and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review "Between Four Rivers".

This is not an easy book to read due to fast plot and storyline. It is a very rewarding book to read. It has almost everything in it...history, struggle, death, love, life and more.
If you woud like to try something different this book is for you.

Between Four River is a book overall about the rebuilding of Sichuan after war, death and desertion left the region bare. By the Kings decree, he encouraged immigration to Sichuan to help rebuild the region offering immigrants to take the land and build on it, to make Sichuan prosperous again. The story is set around a family, their fights, struggles, loves, death and marriages throughout the generations, across the ruling of 3 kings, trying to help build Sichuan up to being rich and prosperous once more, but also fulfilling family duty. The main character taking centre stage is called, Ning Xi.

Entangled through the story are family disputes, foes, bandits, abductions, corruption, affairs, clan rules, fights, building something from nothing, food, travelling, trading. So much detail and lots going on, plus lots to understand culturally, with examples and explanations for why rituals take place, how tea and fabrics are grown and made for instance, the education system, hierarchy across towns and villages from the king to within families, filial piety, ceremonies, expectations of behaviour of men and women, plus the older generations ruling and controlling what the immediately below generations can and should do.

The story is almost written in a way to explain and tell what happened in the region at the time, what life was like, but also almost told in a fairy tale type way with historical explanations and repetition of meanings from conversation to understanding. Poetry from notable poets is used, as well as songs from the Song Dynasty, other periods, work songs for motivation, others made up to express feelings or mood.

The story is really good, but there is so much to take in from all the detail and explanations. There are notes at the back to explain various things such as measures, dynasty periods, names for government officials etc... but it would have been helpful to have the phonetic way to pronounce the main characters names correctly.

The epilogue was told in a slightly different style to the main story and almost unnecessary, or just an add on. Maybe it could have been put at the beginning to take you on a journey back in time to the life of Ning Xi and her family, or made more a point of, rather than a quick modern day, going back to China look back on old ruins and to see the location and names of family for the purpose of research and history.

I received this from Netgalley.com for a review.

1694: The emperor issues a decree asking citizens to re-settle Sichaun. Ning Xi vows to find her father and moves to Sichuan to find him.

Translated books can be a struggle, phrases don't always make sense and the thought gets lost in translation. The story was interesting enough but it kind of wandered around.

2.75☆