Book Reviews — The Diary of Katy Yehonala.
Thoughts on “BOOK CLUB: The Diary of Katy Yehonala”
Amanda says:
From the moment I picked up “The Diary of Katy Yehonala” by Robert Barclay I struggled to put it down. I was entranced by the character of Katy as she described those people that came before her or influenced her as well as the next generation to come after her, her daughter Clara. To describe the book simply as a saga of 3 generations of extraordinary women is an understatement as it intertwines with the history of China and Katy’s brief time in England, Cambodia Nigeria and Australia, but focuses throughout on the family ties that bind us together and the events throughout our lives that change us or our course.
Thank you Beauty and Lace Book Club and Robert Barclay for the opportunity to read and review “The Diary of Katy Yehonala”.
Meedee says:
Robert Barclay has done an amazing job with The Diary of Katy Yehonala. Each time I had to put the book down I longed to be back reading and once I was back reading I felt that Katy had really allowed me into her heart. I understood her and wanted only the best for her and her loved ones.
Through Katy’s engrossing Diary we learn about her Grandmother and her Mother. We see their strengths and how their struggles make Katy the woman that she becomes and in turn how Katy’s daughter becomes the person she is. The generations before us have an impact and make us who we are.
Through this story we travel to many different nations and get to learn a little about various cultures and the peoples struggles through political turmoil.
I find this book to be so very embracing. I was sad when I reached the last page. It was educational in regards to political situations, different cultures, and different ways of thinking.
The Diary of Katy Yehonala is simply a book you must read. My life is better for having read this book.
Deborah says:
Robert Barclay has written a wonderful novel, this book is truly amazing.
The story of three powerful women and their struggles through life.
A beautiful story taking the reader to different times and locations throughout the world, China England Cambodia Australia different places and cultures.
The Diary Of Katy Yehonala is one of the best books I have ever read.
Fay says:
I enjoyed “The Diary of Katy Yehonala”. It is the story of Katy, growing up in a rural village in China. The descriptive writing creates a mental picture of her childhood life, events in China at that time. It also covers Katy’s mother and daughter and their life experiences. I liked the way the story tied in with historical events. Educational and entertaining. Thanks Beauty and Lace for the opportunity to read and review.
Lyn says:
The Diary of Katy Yehonala gives a fascinating insight into the life of a Chinese girl during and after the Cultural Revolution in China, as well as her later life in Western countries.
More memoir than diary, we travel with Katy as she and her family are sent to the north of China as punishment for being wealthy and educated during Mao’s Communist regime. The harrowing, shocking treatment they endured explores a dark time in Chinese history.
Later, Katy goes to university in England, where she learns English customs and is introduced to a different culture around sex and relationships. She holidays in the wine region of France, and, much later in her life, becomes involved with a charity in Cambodia which attempts to stop sex trafficking of children. Finally, she settles in Australia.
Katy’s mother and daughter take centre stage at times, both strong and talented women in their own right. Katy’s connection to her parents and ancestors is a constant thread throughout, defining many of her choices. It is also a love story and a tale of commitment and sacrifice.
For me, the most interesting part of Katy’s life was her Chinese background and the family’s experiences in different parts of China. In my opinion, the Cambodian and Australian journeys could have been a novel in their own right rather than almost a postscript at the end.
I enjoyed this book with its beautiful descriptions and excellent research into different cultures and history. Thank you to Robert Barclay and the publishers for the opportunity to read such an engaging and interesting book.
Tracy says:
I really loved this book, spanning three generations of strong women, two Manchu and one Eurasian. The story starts in China in the 1970’s and involves the Yehonala family including Baba, Mama and their daughter, May-ling (Katy). They are a well-off family that are sent to a working prison known as a Chinese gulag near North China’s Changbai mountains. The author describes the harsh living and working conditions really well, but also the beauty of the surrounding mountains and nature. The family have to work hard having lost everything, but it also seems like an adventure at the same time.
The story is told through Katy and gives the history of China for her era as well as her grandparents. Katy’s mother is a strong, refined beautiful Manchu woman and her looks have been passed down to Katy. Katy’s family also have a woman, Granny Chen, living with them that is their maid/housekeeper. Granny Chen used to be Nurse Chen for Baba when he worked in the hospital as Dr Ye and she stays with the family and is their “rock”. She, like the other women is strong and a real character that holds the family together. Chinese culture features strongly throughout the book as does the clash of cultures when Katy goes to England to study. She has to adapt to a completely different lifestyle on the other side of the world.
Katy ends up having a daughter Xiaoli (Clara) who is mixed race and a talented, intelligent child. The story spans over China, England, Vietnam and eventually Australia and is one big adventure which captivated me from the start.
I loved the author’s writing style, so descriptive and beautiful. I had to keep reminding myself that the book was written by a man, not a woman as it felt that way. I hope the author takes that as a compliment. The acknowledgements at the front of the book are worth reading and it’s interesting to find out that both Katy and Clara are modelled on real people. I will be looking forward to the sequel coming out this year called The Girl in the Orphanage.
5 stars
Catherine says:
The Diary of Katy Yehonala gave me a deep insight into the ways of the Chinese culture and such strong female characters. Katy’s mother and the woman who lives with them ‘Granny Chen’ are strong role models for Katy which is a prominent theme throughout the book. We follow the family who are sent to a a working prison known as a Chinese gulag near North China’s Changbai mountains — no matter what they face each day they and their spirit is never broken. When they are released and can return home everything is different. They are soon faced with the death of Baba and Katy’s mum decides it is time for Katy to go and study in England. Katy faces the difference between the Chinese and English cultures yet manages to adapt to her new life quite well.
In time Katy ends up having a daughter Xiaoli (Clara) who is mixed race. Xiaoli is a talented and intelligent child. The story spans over China, England, Vietnam and then Australia.
The journey of Katy is an adventure that captivated and had me enthralled from the very start.
Teresa says:
What a truly enchanting, entertaining, and insightful book., it has been a while since I have had a book capture my full attention, I just loved it and found it hard to put down. I loved the introduction; it tweaked my memories of world events I had long forgotten and set the scene for the book.
I loved Katy, she was portrayed as a good Chinese daughter, but it also portrayed her to be a strong woman able to move between cultures as she matured. The story was very believable and written in such a way that the reader was easily able to follow and almost see the world as it was.
The story follows the life struggles under the harsh Communist Rule where Katy and her parents are sent to prison camp for simply being wealthy and then released some years later to be restored to their station in life. The story is interesting that it covers much ground in a lifetime for one person, but the story does keep you interested.
It tackles the hard reality of a young single Chinese women traveling to England to study and must deal with all the differences in culture. The story focused mostly on Katy, but in the first part of the book did focus on the strength of family, and I feel this strength of family was a focal point of the story and will again be the basis for the follow-up books. The strength of character is also important as that is needed to manage the change in cultures and of how a young Chinese girl matures in a western society.
Thank you, Beauty and Lace and the publishers for sending me a copy of this wonderful book to review. I can’t recommend more highly that if you are looking for an interesting book that is able to pinpoint a point in time that we all remember in this lifetime and world events then this is the one.
Ann-Marie says:
Thank you Beauty and Lace and Robert Barclay for the incredible story and for the personalised inscription to each reader.
The Diary of Katy Yehonala is a story of May-ling but it is also a story of the incredible strengths of three women and mostly it’s about family. It gives you an insight into Chinese culture and the realities of life in those harsh times.
The Diary of Katy Yehonala will draw you in as you travel along the life of Katy beginning with the story when Katy was a small child listening as she learns about her grandfather. Living and coping with life during the reign of Chairman Mao and the effects on her and her family.
The feelings of warmth and love that bind the family together are strong and you feel this all the way through the story.
This book is so well written that at times I was so engrossed in it all that I would forget it was a story and not an actual account of Katy’s life written by Katy. Robert, you have stunned me with your words; it’s easy to forget that this was written by a man. Your tenderness for writing a story from a female’s perspective shines through. I can’t wait to read more from you.
This is one of those stories that will stay with you long after you’ve finished the book. I’ve already re read parts of it again as I felt I was pulled so much into the story by emotion that I missed parts of the story.
Beauty & Lace Online Magazine https://beautyandlace.net/
Author site www.robertbarclay.com.au
