From ancient Vietnam, historically based sisters organize an army of women to fight and regain their local power and way of life.

I was not familiar with the Trung sisters or this folktale before reading these book, so it was interesting to learn about these fierce sisters and their army of women warriors. I feel like if you did already know the story though, this book doesn't really bring anything new to the table. It appears to be just an exact retelling.

The book was written in simple, plain language that made it easy to get through quickly, but that also meant sacrificing any real character or plot development. The characters felt very one-dimensional, so it was hard to feel any real connection to them a lot of the the time.

Overall, an interesting book if you're unfamiliar with the story, but you probably won't get much out of this otherwise.

I was so looking forward to this historical fiction novel about the Vietnamese sisters who overthrew the Han in their lands, rode to battle on elephants, and declared themselves king. And it truly is a fascinating and important bit of history. Unfortunately it gets bogged down by telling their entire story with so many details that the narrative becomes difficult to focus on. I'm glad to have read it but disappointed not to have loved it.

I've been waiting for a South East Asian book for a long time. Given the opportunity to read and review this book I felt so happy and excited.

Bronze Drum is the story of real life historical figures from Vietnam, the Trung sisters. The sisters headed the rebellion againts the Han dynasty and became co-queens. But they were ultimately defeated by China. The story shows the depiction of suffering by the Vietnamese people under the rule of China. It is a really powerful story that shows the strength of sibling relationship. I learned a lot of things about the Vietnamese culture and history through the characters. Nguyen doesn't tell readers but shows everything to readers through the characters.
Overall this is a good book.

The Trung sisters are national heroines of Vietnam. They rebelled against Han China and became co-queens. However, they were eventually defeated by China. In this historical novel, Bronze Drum tells not only the story of the Trung sisters, but how the Vietnamese suffered under China. The oppression they suffered under the hands of China forces the Trung sisters to go to war.

I was really excited about this novel because there are very few novels written about the Trung sisters. Yet, it did not take long for my excitement to begin to turn to disappointment. The reason why I was letdown was to die with the characterization of Trung Trac and Trung Nhi. The two sisters were very one-dimensional. They were not given much depth. Trung Trac is introduced as the obedient daughter who stays inside to read and write. There are times when she is rebellious, but she mostly stays the same. Trung Nhi stays the same throughout the novel. She is rebellious and does not want to conform to society. She does not undergo a character arc. Therefore, the sisters were very bland. Trung Trac had more character development. However, it was not much. Therefore, I could not connect with them emotionally, and they seemed very distant. Therefore, I was not heavily invested with the story. It took me a while to finish it, and sometimes I contemplated not finishing the book.

Overall, this novel is about war, injustice, and sisterhood. The characters were all bland. The story was very slow moving. There are very few action scenes. The writing was simplistic and did not have any vivid imagery. However, the novel is meticulously researched and was filled with many facts about ancient Vietnam. Therefore, I wished that it was a nonfiction work on the Trung sisters rather than historical fiction. Thus, Bronze Drum has potential but is not executed well. I appreciate that there is a novel about the Trung sisters, but Mrs. Nguyen did not do them justice. Instead, I recommend you to skip this and read the more superior version of the Trung sisters by Georgina Hutchinson called Daughters of Lac. I’ll be rereading Daughters of Lac and keep my eye out for any novels about the fascinating Trung sisters in the future.

I enjoyed the opportunity to learn more about Vietnams history. The way the women worked together and fought for freedom in a way that the men couldn’t even try to was impressive. There is a lot of backstory given and I felt like the conclusion was a little rushed. I will definitely look into more books about Viet history and culture.

I liked this one. It was definitely detail-heavy and it felt I wasn't being shown anything, only told. But, I still enjoyed it. I think it was well written and I will definitely be trying more books from this author in the future.

This one was really good and I enjoyed it. I loved the history of it and feel like I learned a lot while reading/listening. Would definitely recommend to those that like Asian history, and stories along the same lines as The Mountains Sing, etc.

This was a really powerful story. I loved that it was based on a true story of two sisters who raised and led an army of women to overthrow the Han Chinese. The cultural aspects and legends shared throughout were wonderful and I loved the history behind the bronze drums. The first half of the novel was a bit slow for me but after the shocking event around the halfway mark, things started to speed up and as the sisters came into their own, I really found myself invested in their journey. Overall, it was a good read and I learned a lot about Vietnamese culture, which was interesting!

I was hooked by the premise, and I’m definitely glad I read this one! It’s about a time and place and people I don’t know much about, and that’s kind of what I enjoyed about it. I loved getting to read about something that’s so new to me and learning about this history.

There were so many characters in the story, it was hard to keep track of them all. And maybe for the same reason, some of them felt a bit flat to me. There was too much telling and not enough showing for me, I think. I also expected the war stuff to happen sooner in the book, but it made sense in the end that the first half showed the sisters’ education and dynamic with each other.

Overall, I loved reading about two sisters that learned and grew together and eventually led a bunch of badass women in defending their land and people.

Thank you for the advanced copy of this book! I will be posting my review on social media, to include Instagram, Amazon, Goodreads, and Instagram!

I am a huge fan of historical fiction and just knew I had to get my hands on this book. A retelling of the legend of two sisters from Vietnam who stood up to the Han. I did not have previous knowledge of the legend or much background overall of Vietnam, but the synopsis made it very intriguing, Overall this is a 3.5 star reading for me.

I would have liked the book for if the characters had felt more 3 dimensional. Overall they felt very over the surface and did not feel like actual people. This book had so much potential, specially as it was a female legend retelling, during a time period and location that is rarely paid attention to in historical fiction. But slowing down and building up the characters would have done the overall story very good. I did enjoy this read, and would recommend if you are seeking to learn a bit about Vietnam folklore but not if you are looking for something with a lot of depth or a heavy read,

3.25 stars!

Bronze Drum follows two daughters of a Vietnamese lord, Trung Trac and Trung Nhi, in 40 CE. These two sisters, who are based on two true figures in history, raise an army to overthrow the Han Chinese and rule instead. At its heart, this story is about the Vietnamese people and culture trying to persevere as they face oppression and frustration.

I appreciated how much I got to learn about Vietnamese culture, especially as this was an ownvoices story, and I was a little nervous because historical fiction is not my preferred genre. I was however a little disappointed because I didn't feel that connection between the two sisters. Despite the rich atmosphere, I didn't feel like I really knew any of the characters, and the book was a lot of telling and not showing. I think I would read more from this author, but maybe this was my fault since i don't love historical fiction.

Thank you to Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing for this ARC!

As much as I wanted to love this book, it just wasn't for me. The writing style felt more like an essay than a story, which left me having a hard time feeling a sense of place and character. Rather than experiencing things alongside the characters, it felt like I was being told everything, if that makes sense. However, I know how much taste is subjective so I hope other folks love this!

This is a historical fiction based on a true story and I think it lacked energy in telling with emotion.

Bronze Drum story is set in ancient Vietnam, with two warrior sisters. Trung Trac is the older sister and is disciplined and wise. Trung Nhi is younger and free spirited. Their father, the Lord of Nhat Nam, maintains peace with the Han Chinese rulers, their enemy. But the tensions are getting greater.

The sisters believe in maintaining their traditions, which includes women having freedom of partnership, and them ruling the family, not men. They don’t want to bow to their oppressor, who enforces marriage and a patriarchal system. Thus, they pick fight over subordination.

This fascinating story of two ancient warrior sisters with two clashing cultures is something I appreciate for its uniqueness. Something that hasn’t been told before, at least in English language.

It’s captivating to learn about those two legendary sisters and that’s what interested me into this story. I liked their strong characters, but I wished for more emotions from them in order to connect with them better. I didn’t feel that I was fully connected with them.

So, this review is hard for me to write. I love the concept for this story very much. Historical fiction is something I read every so often, and I was really excited to read about a piece of history I didn't know too much about.
The hard part about this novel for me was somewhere in the writing and formatting. The characters weren't presented in a way for me to feel attached to them. Though I believe this piece of ancient history to be very important, I didn't grow attached in this version of the story.

✨ Review ✨ Bronze Drum by Phong Nguyen; Narrated by Quyen Ngo

I had been putting off this book for a bit because I'd read a couple of other long books that had similar sorts of vibes and I needed a bit of space, but I can't believe I put this one off for so long.

This book traces the story of two warrior sisters, Trung Trac and Trung Nhi, who lived in 40CE Vietnam. While much of the book details their training, studying, and youth, eventually the women go on to lead an army of women to "overthrow the Han Chinese and rule as kings over a united people."

In a time and place I don't really know much about, I learned a lot about the ways that the Han Chinese Confucian principles conflicted with traditional Vietnamese ways of life. I was really fascinated with the matriarchal structures present in Vietnam, and this made for a really beautiful book for badass girl power 2 centuries ago.

The writing style seems to be one of the biggest negative comments this book receives, but it's following a mythic style, similar to books like Circe, and for me it seemed to fit what the author was going for. The audio narrator also made this writing style feel natural and fitting with the book.

The book was perhaps a bit long, but maybe that was my fault for trying to binge it in a day (super bingeable). I really enjoyed this and the book made me want to learn more about ancient Vietnam!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: historical fiction
Location: 40CE Vietnam
Pub Date: out now!

Read this if you like:
⭕️ strong female warriors
⭕️ historical fiction set in Asia
⭕️ mythic writing style

Thanks to Grand Central Publishing, Hachette Audio, and #netgalley for advanced listening and e- copies of this book!

Incredible! Intricate, poetic, bold, and intoxicating. Culturally rich and full of familiar struggles. The incompatible philosophies of the two cultures was a major draw in the story and history.
A remarkable story rich in Vietnamese history and tradition. I was completely swept up in the journey of the two sisters and the fate of the Vietnamese people. Being unfamiliar with Vietnamese names I had a slight struggle at the beginning of this story. The names and implied roles behind titles were slightly difficult to follow without prior understanding.The book itself was perfect right up until the first war with the Han. At that point the story began to drag and the characters started to lack depth. The women who were made General were primarily people I wasn’t given time to know. As a result I wasn’t as invested in their fates.
I also just felt like the last half of the book lacked heart. Whatever soul was pulsed through the first half seemed gone and I struggled to stay invested. I finished the book mainly to see which version of the sister’s deaths the story would portray. Since history is noticeably contradictory about that depending on the account.
I can happily recommend the first half of the story but in my opinion it should finish before the rebellion starts or right after it ends.

Bronze Drum reveals the story of the Trưng Sisters, heroic young women living two millennia ago who have been revered as Vietnamese heroines ever since.

Daughters of a local lord in the northern village of Mê Linh in the year 36 CE, Trưng Trac and her younger sibling Trưng Nhị grow up in a palace, with guardsmen and other servants. While their loving, watchful parents have high expectations for them, they worry that neither has the right character to be a leader. Trưng Trac is serious and scholarly, overly so, while Trưng Nhị has an adventurous spirit that, combined with her stubborn will, makes her dangerously incautious.

By now, the Hán Chinese have ruled over the Việt people for three generations, forcing their Confucian beliefs upon the matriarchal Việt culture and dragging young Việt men away to fight in their wars. Forming a united resistance against the Hán seems impossible, until dramatic acts of violence against the Trưng sisters and their family inspire the pair to gather an army – formed of disparate groups of women – and channel their personal revenge into a force powerful enough to overcome the Hán.

This pulled-from-the-depths-of-history tale could have been transformed into a rip-roaring, immersive adventure. Bronze Drum, however, is not that. As the prologue emphasizes, the Trưng Sisters’ military accomplishments have been transmitted through the ages via oral tradition, and the novel respects that – maybe too much. The story reads like the recounting of an ancient legend, with much told instead of shown:

Lady Man Thiên and Lord Trưng left the courtyard, leaving a complicated knot of emotion behind in the room. The sisters felt their parents’ conflict, and took on their helplessness. Their sense of defeat was more profound for being borrowed. How could they alleviate a sorrow that originated outside of them, in their hearts of their mother and father?

As a result, the characters are kept at arms’ length. There’s still much to admire in this portrait, like the clear example of how powerful leaders are made, not born. Each woman is demonstrably flawed and makes poor decisions. Trained as sparring partners, the sisters don’t always see eye to eye, and they serve as checks on the other’s worst impulses. The dialogue is well-formed and helps counteract the narrative’s distancing effect. Nguyen gives Lady Man Thiện, the Trưng Sisters’ mother – who becomes one of their loyal generals – some of the most stirring lines:

“We must live as we wish to live; otherwise we are not Việts,” said Lady Man Thiện. “If the Han truly want to make Confucians out of us, at least they will have to fight for it.”

As a story about courageous real-life women who triumphed over oppression, if only for a too-brief period, Bronze Drum has value for today’s readers, but the occasionally stiff writing style makes it a novel that’s best approached with tempered expectations.