"The gardener nurtures every seed, though some grow thorns and some grow poison."

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A bronze drum is an instrument of war in ancient Vietnam, its beat would message to soldiers which formation and direction in which to proceed. This story tells us of the Trung sisters of Chu Dien, an ancient kingdom within Vietnam. We learn of the sisters being raised under Viet traditions, where they are properly educated and given pretty free reign over their lives for women of their time. When the Han Chinese begin encroaching on their ways impressing upon them traditional women's roles, Confucianism and taking their men to fight in Han's wars, the sisters begin to plot how to fight back. Trung Trac is strongly willed, spending her days on military strategy and training while her sister Trung Nhi is also well educated but more free with her thoughts and emotions. Together they form the largest female army the world has ever seen and work to overthrow the Han's by any means necessary.

I learned a lot about Vietnamese culture and history via this story. The ferocity and honor of these ancient people was beautiful. Their reaction to being colonized was one of fierce independence and an iron will to keep their ways and culture. I loved seeing women in these roles, literally fighting tigers and going to war while pregnant. I also liked that we got an entire section after the war to really understand the long term impact and that just because you can win a war does not mean peace and prosperity will settle easily. I will say that the writing is a bit challenging at times, I was invested in this new to me story and history so I pressed on but I feel like the actual delivery of the story could have used a little more polishing. It was much more of a story telling than being immersed in a story where you experience each moment.

Thanks to Grand Central Publishing via Netgalley for advanced access to this novel. All opinions above are my own.

Bronze Drum is an interesting novel of a very different time, Lac Viet or Vietnam of 40 CE. In a fictional work that combines elements of history and myth, the author has created a picture of a time when the Viet people were straining under the unwanted control of the Han (modern Chinese).

Trung Trac and Trung Nhi are daughters of a Vietnamese lord, trained to be leaders in the future. They are historical figures, but of course, much of the story here has been built around the bones of legend. There are tales of loves and loss, jealousy and purpose but the major focus is loyalty to family and culture. There will come a time when they will raise an army for their country.

The titular bronze drum has an important role throughout the novel. While the pace of the novel slows at times, I found that seemed to correlate with the domestic aspects of the novel vs those devoted to organizing or planning for war.

Recommended for those who enjoy historical fiction, especially of Southeast Asia.

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Based on the lives of the legendary Trung Sisters, Bronze Drum opens in 36 CE in a land of Viet people striving to keep their traditions alive under the piercing gaze of their Han (Chinese) oppressors. In the midst of tragedy, two sisters arise who gather an army of women to strike back against the Han men who wish to subjugate them. With the strike of the bronze war drum, the sisters, equipped in gold armor, sit atop their elephants and lead the Viet Nam women to war.

As characters are always referenced using full names (except within intimate settings) and with the larger character count in the second half of the novel, names are at times confusing. I often had to reference the glossary to clarify who was who as new people were introduced in the thick of battle. Occasionally, a more modern reference would slip into the prose (e.g., “pennywise”). Otherwise, the land and its different villages are well explored, from the skilled mountain-dwelling archers to the metal-workers of Nhat Nam and the palace of Cung Dien Me Linh.

However, the relationship, emotions, and trials of the sisters, Trung Trac and Trung Nhi, are always at the forefront of Nguyen’s story. The feats they accomplish for independence are inspiring, and I’m shocked to have never heard of these real-life historical figures before. The brutality of war and oppression, the starkness of the tragedies that occur—these are kept to a lighter tone, but the impact of these events is still powerful. This book feels unique on so many levels include setting, tone, and characterization. The story of these women’s lives is one that will stay with you, and I’ll definitely be recommending it to readers who love strong, complex, and battle-ready female characters.

Review originally posted via the Historical Novel Society at: https://historicalnovelsociety.org/reviews/bronze-drum/

Although I was intrigued by the history that this book was based on and the idea of women as warriors and a matriarchal society, the pacing seemed off. I wanted to stay interested in it and the various story lines, but I found myself losing interest and speeding through the middle. The writing IS evocative and the history and storylines were juicy, so I"m not quite sure why it didn't hold my interest. So sorry.

I know very little about Vietnamese culture, but I want to learn, so this was a fascinating story. I really appreciated the historical elements. This was a sweeping story that surpasses my expectations. I loved following the two protagonists, and the plot and prose were fantastic!

Part 1

We are introduced to Trung Trac and Trung Nhi, two sisters living in relative splendor in a Vietnam controlled by the Han.

(Long before France, and Japan, China ruled Vietnam for a thousand years. The French introduced food and a Latin alphabet, but the Chinese introduced a structured way of life.)

This book introduces Vietnam as a highly matriarchal society, where marriage and monogamy are viewed as an entirely Confucian construct. Before the Hans introduce Confucianism, there appears to be an entire Vietnamese mythology/religion I know absolutely nothing about.

Trung Nhi is the younger daughter, wild and flighty. She falls in love with the gardener's son. While sleeping with him wouldn't be wrong in this Vietnamese society of old, it's the fact that she wants to spend her life with him that bothers her mother. When that avenue is closed to her, she begins to spend more time with gamblers and other lowlifes. A tutor is introduced to soften her edges.

Trung Trac is the elder daughter, filial and obedient. She is her father's heiress, and expects to inherit his lordship after he passes. The Han do not will this to be, and impress the need for her to get married. Her husband can rule after her father, but she will not be allowed to. We end this part of the book with her admitting her love for the tutor.

Part 2

The Han do not wish to allow Trung Trac to marry her tutor. They try to betroth her to Commander Ho. In a confusing turn of events, she ends up married to the tutor.

Upset with the dragon lord’s behavior, they murder him, the tutor and other men that support him.

In a move that shocks everyone, Trung Trac takes a more vocal route than Trung Nhi, beginning an insurrection. She kills Rang the Tiger, and begins wearing his skin. A revolution commences.

Part 3

Trung Trac is now known as Trung Vuong, she-king of the Viets. In a confusing turn of events, her sister Trung Nhi is also considered a king.

Somehow, Trung Vuong convinces a wily group of master archers to follow her into war. As the Viet men have been conscripted by the Han, this army remains largely female. While I enjoy a feminist patriotic story, I find it very hard to follow this one.

Finally allowed to grieve, Trung Vuong returns to her dead husband’s parents’ home to perform filial rites. While the tutor’s father doesn’t blame her for his death, he says his grief is too new and the scene ends abruptly.

War turns Trung Vuong cold of heart like a Confucian, and Trung Nhi points this out.

Part 4

Things go downhill quickly from here. One of the elephants dies. The Viet men are offended they weren’t asked to fight in this war. Obviously, the Han don’t take this lying down.

Perhaps this is a common motif, but I thought the sisters jumping off a cliff was very reminiscent of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, the first Chinese language film I ever watched.

I wanted more from this. This was very disappointing.

Bronze Drum could be classified as feminist war historical fiction. I’m not into war. Historical fiction can go either way for me. I appreciated learning about the Han and Viet people, but I found the book to be a snooze. The writing is very historical and I never felt like the characters had distinct voices.

I did love this quote, though: “Plans,” said Trung Trac, “and lists”. . . .That is something every woman understands. We are doers. It is the plain language of a list that has the power to motivate the people of Lac Viet. A task list for revolution.”

Type A here agrees.

Thank you to @netgalley and @grandcentralpublishing for a gratis copy in exchange for an honest review.

First and foremost, a thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me access to this eArc for review.

I'm really torn on this one - on the one hand, I definitely understand where people are coming from when they say that the pacing is a bit difficult and often times we don't get deep introspection into characters or what they are doing.

However, I also get the feeling that this story is told in the <i>style</i> of traditional Viet storytelling. I didn't fact-check this or go looking on the internet to confirm my suspicions, but if that is the case, especially if this is mimicking more an oral storytelling, then I really can't fault it.

Trưng Trắc and Trưng Nhị, the two sisters central to this story, have by the time of the story's writing already been lifted to mythos (which, interestingly enough, we get to see their perspective on becoming <i>more</i> than mere humans in the eyes of their people), so while we get to see really human moments with them (their rivalry as children, their despair at losing a loved one, their thirst for vengeance), there is still a barrier between the reader and characters. We are both along for the journey as it happens, will simultaneously watching from thousands of years in the future, where we know how the story will end.

And even though I knew how the story would end, I still got swept up in the joy of seeing their triumph, and felt the heartache of seeing them fall.

I agree, at times the pacing is a little wonky or hard to keep up with, but I believe it is definitely worth the effort. Not only is it a good book and good story on its own, but how often does a Vietnamese author's work <i>about</i> Vietnam get published, and to wide critical acclaim? Not often enough, in my mind. And especially as an American, we have often viewed Vietnam through the lens of the Vietnam War, when there is a thousands of years tradition, folklore, history, etc that is widely overlooked.

Overall, I would recommend this book heartily. I enjoyed it, I appreciate its significance, and I hope this helps to pave the way for more books like it to become bestsellers, to receive attention and critical acclaim, and to become part of reading lists.

Here is a review from NPR I also rather enjoyed: https://www.npr.org/2022/08/08/1116384927/bronze-drum-book-review

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I can say with full confidence that I have never read anything like Bronze Drum. It has an atmospheric setting steeped in folklore, characters who live on the page, and most importantly, it touches on all the virtues and flaws of humanity. Normally I don't like historically-based fiction or fiction that revolves around history, but this book incorporated it seamlessly and in such a way that I continued to rethink everything I knew about Vietnamese culture and history. This book may be a reimagining of the Trung Sisters myth, but it is also a myth in itself. Reading it, I felt almost as if *I* were invited to become part of this myth, to sit in and watch it unfold. I was transfixed until the very end. I would recommend Bronze Drum especially to anyone who enjoys rich reimaginings of mythology, but I would honestly recommend it to anyone.

This author's writing style was not for me. The story failed to really capture my attention as a reader.

Bronze Drum by Phong Nguyen is a story of the Trung Sisters and their fight to defend the Au Lac region of Vietnam from the Han Chinese.

If this book were a drum beat the pace would be slow and steady. The first half of the story primarily follows the sisters through their upbringing with a focus on how opposite their demeanors are. As the two grow older and face heartbreak and hardships, they eventually grow back together recognizing each other's strengths as leaders.

After the halfway mark the story focuses on the rising tensions between the sisters and the imposing Hans, the war that ensues, and the eventual resolution.

Experience wise, despite the slow pace, I wanted to keep reading this book. I was invested in the sisters and their futures. The writing lacked suspense in the more tense moments. Things were presented very factually and I felt like there could have been a little bit more passion to create a more dynamic read.

I'm not going to spoil the ending but in reading the last paragraph before the epilogue I said, "WHAT?!" out loud. This book did not quite have the ending I was looking for, but I cannot fault the author for my own expectations. I would rate this book a 3.

This was an epic historical novel that unfortunately did not quite hit the mark for me. I have never read a story set in Ancient Vietnam, so I was immediately intrigued by the premise, but the story did not quite live up to it.

I ended up DNFing this one at around 60%. I was really open to the writing style at first and liked its unique fairytale quality. I’m not intimidated by books with a slower pace or ones that have a more detached feel to their characters, and I was not dreading picking up this book at first.

Once I got to the halfway mark, I was really sick of reading this book. It’s very, very plot-focused. Which is not a problem in itself, but it’s a problem for me. I need characters I can connect to in some way, either negatively or positively, to really be compelled to keep reading something. The characters in this book were interesting, but they weren’t at all compelling or fleshed out to the reader.

The book also didn’t really have much going on in it. Like I said, it was very plot-heavy, but without much of a plot.

In the end, this one had a lot of potential, and I was really interested in the premise but lacked follow-through on it.

Thanks to Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing for this advanced copy!

What an incredible story. Bronze Drum is an amazing tale of two sisters and leaders, who take up arms against a foreign invader to try and save their country. This story felt like a secret window into Vietnamese history, with a beautiful story of two women who are very different with similar goals. The descriptions of Vietnamese society and the rights of women, as well as how the sisters called on other women to stand up and fight for their country were fascinating and made me want to know more about that period and the history of that part of Asia, as well as the story this was based on.

This book is for anyone looking for a story of sister bonding, ancient asia (specifically Vietnam), and what happens when women are fearless in the face of the destruction of their lives and love.

Real Rating: 4.5* of five, rounded down because it's quite formal in its prose which requires more of the reader than permaybehaps it should

The Trung sisters are actual historical people who lived in 1st-century CE Vietnam. The country we know as Vietnam is, in fact, largely their legacy...these two women were the tutelary spirits of the local ethnic group's desire to be out from under the extremely heavy burden of the Han Empire, ruled by the Han Chinese people. ("Han" in Chinese just means "people" so you certainly know you're not ethnically labeling them when using the term.)

What Author Nguyen has done with this retelling of the Trung Sisters' legend is, given where and with whom he's published his novel, to offer the wider American public something that has been lacking all my life: A sense of Vietnam as an actual country, not simply a state created by then screwed over by, colonial masters. The Viet people are distinct from their neighbors in many ways, not least of them their foundational myth retold here. The sisters were daughters of a local aristocrat whose claim to fame was instilling in them a sense of themselves as different from the Han people oppressing them with taxes and slave-labor demands. This led to the sisters, when their father was murdered by the colonial masters, being made an example of. (A thing thoroughly unpleasant, I needn't remind you...the powerful don't and have never stinted in their cruelty towards those they wish to make examples of.)

What makes the Trungs different, in the sweep of two thousand years of History, is that they didn't command men. Other women have done that. The Trungs had no truck with pusillanimous men, knuckling under to the Han overlords to stay alive.

They raised an army of liberation. Made up of women. As traditional Viet women, that is to say the rulers of their world, they were simply doing what came naturally. Protecting your homeland on the fierceness of those who stand to lose the most by its subsumation into a foreign empire makes a lot of sense.

Not, as you'll imagine, to the Han. The rebellion wasn't successful in all its aims, freedom and matriarchy lost to the simply overwhelming military might of the Han, but the sense of the VIET as a PEOPLE was deeply ingrained.

There is a much-needed glossary in the book; I've seen some criticism of the author's use of formal, seemingly stilted language. Honestly, it seems that way to me too. Then I consider an important fact: This is a legend. It's the distilled essence of the legendary founders of the Viet people's sense of themselves as a unique, valid, culturally rich polity. Rules of twenty-first century grammar and usage, even in Viet which most decidedly this book isn't written in, would be inappropriate. And, let's face it, if you are the kind of reader who blenches at a modicum of work being asked of you to experience this, or any other, story, there's a sea of bland, blah word-blobs out there. Go fish.

Me? I'll be here with the Trungs, a little in awe and a lot in love.

Pub date: 8/9/22
Genre: historical fiction, own voices
In one sentence: In ancient Vietnam, sisters Trung Trac and Trung Nhi fight back against their Han oppressors by raising an army of women.

I love historical sagas, and this is a story that needs to be more widely read! Both Trung Trac and Trung Nhi were wonderfully drawn characters - I enjoyed seeing them come of age, fall in love, and lead their people in battle. Their differences helped them bring out the best in each other and their army, and Nguyen made the situation feel so high stakes and important. I enjoyed how the author's note explored Nguyen's inspiration and how he heard about these real women.

Although this is a novel about war, it is also about family, sisterhood, and love. It reminded me a lot of Pachinko (sibling differences, colonization), and I highly recommend it to historical fiction readers. I was worried that the early time period would make it hard for me to relate to the story, but instead, I found myself fully immersed in the narrative.

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

While I did appreciate this book, I must say it did not quite live up to my expectations. But I do suppose it is possible that my expectations were too high. I was already invested in this story because I know the legend. And thus, I had many great imaginings in my mind.

I think where is story failed to truly capture me lies in the fact that the way in which the characters were presented/written did not draw me in emotionally. This tale should invoke a sense of sisterhood and kinship, but I did not quite get that feeling, and some of the decisions that the characters made also had me giving major side-eye. Still, I acknowledge the effort and overall liked it for what insight it did offer about this revolutionary time.

Bronze Drum is a historic epic from 40 CE based on the uprising of the Vietnamese against the Han Chinese. What makes the story unique is that the leaders and fighters of the uprising are all female.

Being a lover of historical fiction and strong female characters, I thought this book would be both interesting and enlightening. I typically enjoy learning about history I’m unfamiliar with. I did enjoy learning about the culture and the experiences of the characters; however, the impersonal retelling mostly bored me, as I connected to the characters only briefly. The writing style was purely descriptive and never invited me fully into the story.

If you enjoy ancient history and don’t mind impersonal writing, I’d recommend you read this unique story. Unfortunately, I found reading this book to be a chore.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for a honest review.

I have been on a historical fiction binge recently and this book was the perfect "new" book to read. I think this time period is vastly ignored in the fictional world and I can't recommend it enough.

This is an amazing story about two sisters and their struggle for independence for their people. So many things happened in the story but it’s all in chronological order and easy to follow. I was able to keep track of each of the characters even though there were many and was surprised that I remembered the name of the turtle mentioned at the end. I think this book would make a great movie. I did find that a Vietnamese producer has started making a film called Trung Vuong but I couldn’t find a possible release date.

A couple things I didn’t like: there was a lot of telling and not showing- multiple times the sisters were described in one sentence with opposing traits and that felt a little stilted. While there were a few really well developed supporting characters (Phan Minh and Kha were my favorites) I felt like I was reading most of this story through a veil. It was like some sort of barrier keeping me from sinking deeply into the story. Nevertheless I’m glad to have read it and appreciate it as a jumping off point to learn more about the Vietnamese Bronze Age.

I thought the ending scene was precious and perfect.

The Trưng Sisters are heroes of Vietnamese legend, born in Cung Điện Mê Linh among the Lạc Việt. The Hán Chinese held these lands in their control, demanding increasing tax payments and men to fight in their wars. They also insist on forcing the Vietnamese to conform to their ways. The matrilineal Việt refuse to adopt Confucianism, marry and submit to husbands, or bow to Hán soldiers. When the Hán execute the men and humiliate the elder sister, they all put aside their grief to raise an army of women that can defeat the Hán and free all of the Vietnamese people.

We begin with a storyteller, who is telling the story of elder sister Trưng Trắc and younger sister Trưng Nhị. The elder is the studious and respectful one, the younger runs wild. These aspects of their characters aren't usually talked about in legends, only of the command they carried and the determination to free their people and drive the Hán soldiers from their land. The sisters were raised with the expectation of rule, and their formal education included philosophy, literature, songs and myth of their people, military history and strategy, swordplay, hand-to-hand fighting, and management of their village. The people live with a village focus, not a governorship; this decentralized and matrilineal culture is the complete opposite of their oppressors, who will use any excuse to exert their power. As is said later in the novel, "the Hán will kill us for saying the wrong things, they will kill us for believing the wrong things, they take our men, and murder our children if we stand against them. They will do the same to you unless we all stand together."

Possibly because it's framed as a story told by an outside focus, there is emotional distance from our characters. Traumatic events don't carry the same weight and immediacy they otherwise would. The sisters hold a strong place in Vietnamese culture, both as an example of nationalism and familial love, but also as a symbol of individual strength. The bronze drums of the culture were used in ceremonial ways and also to mark time and communicate between parts of the army. With the Hán soldiers underestimating the might of women, they pushed back to reclaim their history, pride, and country. The battles showcase that determination and drive, where even new motherhood can't stop revolution.

This is a story that needs dozens of retellings, from different perspectives to further show the legacy that these amazing women left behind.