Brothers

This passionate story of love and revenge spans four decades--from Mao's Cultural Revolution to China's emergence as an economic powerhouse. Tan Long, the legitimate son of General Ding Long, grows up in privilege, being groomed for leadership. His illegitimate half-brother, Shento, unknown to his father, is also being groomed for success--by poverty, brutality, and cunning. Their fortunes are reversed, however, after Mao's death, and, to complicate matters, both love the same beautiful orphan, Sumi Wo. Four readers narrate the two brothers' stories and Sumi's own narrative, all depicting the story's tension and reinforcing its complex structure. As the epic ranges from Beijing to Balan, the four narrators tether it firmly to the Long clan and its astounding history. P.E.F. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine