I've really enjoyed Gail Tsukiyama's books. Did you know the sequel to Women of the Silk is "The Language of Threads?" She also wrote another absolutely wonderful book called "The Samurai's Garden."

What about these books appealed to you? China, Asia in general? Coming of age? The vastly different experiences? The story centering about women? You might like Pearl Buck's books, especially "The Good Earth." Rohinton Mistry's books like "A Fine Balance" and "Family Matters" take place in India and deal with family dynamics and describe a startingly different culture (at least for me.) Right now, I'm reading Andrea Levy's "Small Island" which so far is about Jamaican immigrants in England after WWII.

I am looking forward to hearing some other recommendations, too and I swear I am going to start keeping a list to take to the library with me.

I have read Gail Tsukiyama's other books, and loved them all. I also love "THe Good Earth". I think I love visiting other countries by the way of books. You do learn so much about other cultures. I also enjoyed "The Secret Fan".
Barb

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See was wonderful, and I plan to reread it soon. I also liked Balzar and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijieby.

I like The Ginger Tree by Oswald Wynd. A young Scottish girl goes out to China to marry a nerd and falls in love with a Japanese man.

have you read any Amy Tan?

If you are interested in India, Vikram Seth's big novel, A Suitable Boy is very good. It's one of my all-time favorites.

"A Daugher of the Samuri" by Etsu Inagaki Sugimoto. First published in 1926. This woman was one of the last generation to be raised in the old ways, of feudal Japan -- then was sent to the United States as a young woman.

I love books like this, that draw us in to the old ways, before the pace of change picked up at the turn of the last century.