Deanna Fei

Deanna Fei

An occasional blog by DEANNA FEI, author of A THREAD OF SKY, on everything from publication anxiety to finding serenity through tai chi, from the indignity of Google ads for “Chinese wives” to the glories of MTV’s “Jersey Shore.” Some entries also appear at the Huffington Post.

deanna’s blog

“No smart woman should leave on vacation without it.”
-Chicago Tribune

now in paperback
Amazon - B&N
Indiebound - Powell’s

buy the e-book
buy the hardcover

watch the book trailer

view photos of China

read reviews and an excerpt

read readers’ stories about family reunions

a few Reliable sources of inspiration

The Writing Life, by Annie Dillard

Travel
Kerala, India

My students
Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn
other writings:
Essay: “A Different Species: A Chinese American Writer in China,” at The Millions

Blog Post: “I Called Amy Tan a Dirty Word--And Then She Friended Me,” at the Huffington Post

Essay: “My Grandmother, the Chinese Censor,” at The Millions

Short story: “Born Again,” at Five Chapters

in the press:

New York Times Book Review podcast

The Oregonian

Hyphen magazine

Rockville, MD’s Channel 11

Portland, OR’s KBOO Community Radio

China Beat

Fulbright YouTube

nyc’s wBAI 99.5 FM

praise from book bloggers:

“An excellent example of women’s fiction at its finest.”
-Jules Book Reviews

“A beautiful story about loss, family, and individual struggles.”
-My Novel Reviews

“It’s brillz!”
-The Apopcalypse

“Go read it.”
-Adoption. Et cetera

“Fei did an excellent job of creating complex, interesting characters.”
-Book Addiction

“Filled with beautiful scenery, detailed history, closely guarded secrets, and an emotional journey.”
-The Book Chick

“I really loved this book.”
-Daisy’s Book Journal

“Epic.”
-Catch Star Girl

“A magnificent job of seeing the world through the eyes of women in three different generations.”
-Laughing Stars

“A fantastic debut novel... huge thumbs up!”
-A Mom After God’s Own Heart

“I fell in love with the way Fei reflectively portrayed the hybrid life of Asian American women.”
-Mia Herrera

“Complex and well-crafted.”
-Amy’s Creative Side

“A beautifully woven story of three generations of women seeking jia (family, house, home) and belonging... An excellent discussion group book.”
-rundpinne

“A wonderful novel; complex and haunting... the words seeming to float across the page.”
-chick with books

“A beautifully rendered portrait of a family struggling to keep itself together... in all its confusing, contradictory, captivating glory.”
-bloggin’ ‘bout books

“I occasionally had to set it down and just say out loud, ‘This book is so good.’”
-english major’s junk food

“A beautifully written novel that you will want to share with your mother or daughter.”
-hospitable pursuits

“[An] achingly lovely story of family dynamics and the search for connection.”
-booknaround

“A wonderful window into modern-day China.”
-reading on a rainy day

“A novel that takes you away... A great book club selection.”
-peeking between the pages

“Incredibly intense... great writing.”
-good girl gone redneck

“A perfect book for a book club.”
-boarding in my forties

“I highly recommend this novel to everyone - I think we can all learn something from Ms. Fei's wonderfully touching tale of familial pain, pride, and love.”
-bibliophilic book blog

“Heartbreaking... I truly loved reading it.”
-book club classics

“Beautifully written... a very rich novel... an excellent read.”
-books in the city

“A great discussion book for reading groups.”
-my random acts of reading

“This book was so great that I don’t even think I can do it justice... a fabulously conceived, well-written, and extremely intricate novel. It knocked my socks off and left me wishing it didn’t end.”
-reading through life