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Thousand Pieces of Gold  By  cover art

Thousand Pieces of Gold

By: Ruthanne Lum McCunn
Narrated by: Emily Zeller
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Publisher's summary

Lalu Nathoy's father called his thirteen-year-old daughter his treasure, his "thousand pieces of gold," yet when famine strikes northern China in 1871, he is forced to sell her. Polly, as Lalu is later called, is sold to a brothel, sold again to a slave merchant bound for America, auctioned to a saloonkeeper, and offered as a prize in a poker game. This biographical novel is the extraordinary story of one woman's fight for independence and dignity in the American West.

©2004 Ruthann Lum McCunn (P)2013 Audible Inc.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Disjointed account of an extraordinary life

Clearly Lalu (later Polly) Nathoy was an extraordinary woman. Sold into slavery by bandits in China, she survived and ended up thriving in the hostile, alien Idaho frontier at the turn of the last century. Unfortunately this fictionalized account of her life is fragmented and disjointed as well as being somewhat sentimental and less than artful stylistically. Perhaps the author could not find enough reliable material to tell the story with the continuity and depth it deserved and did not want to invent enough to fill in the huge gaps, sometimes of a decade or more. In that case, straight historical reportage would have been preferable to giving us neither the simple facts nor a satisfying story arc. The narrative as is leaves the reader thinking, "Hunh? What happened in between?" The episodes which make up the book are often fascinating; still I would not recommend it, though I would love to read more about the resourceful and inspiring heroine.

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19 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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A Women's Studies Classic

This historic novel, based on a true story, brings to life the often untold story of a woman’s Chinese immigrant experience.

During a famine, adored daughter, Lalu, is sold into slavery to save the family, re-sold and brought by a madame to America, sold again to gamblers, and then gains her freedom through a benefactor in a poker game.

Let me say this again: this was a true story!

There are many passages describing life in the new world and mining camps that show how brutal and hard life in China, then Idaho was. It would be easy to assume that Lalu, re-named “Polly” was as passive as those thousand pieces of gold she’s compared to, but she’s made of stronger stuff. She’s treated like a commodity, but retains a solid core and determination to find freedom and happiness, which eventually, she does.

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19 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

From China to San Francisco to Idaho TRUE GRIT

Excellent historical fiction based on the life of a young Chinese woman sold into slavery by her own father. This story of Lalu Nathoy, later renamed Polly, who was sold to bandits, then sold to a madam, and sent to America is a true story. Poor decisions made by her father and broken promises never forgotten by Lalu, nevertheless did not break her spirit. And she continued to fight for her own freedom in a new and confusing land. She found love and security with Charlie Bemis at a time in American history that the Chinese people were not valued (late 1800s, early 1900s) or given the right to own property. And her gentle, healing care became known throughout the entire region as she was sought out by neighbors and townspeople when they were ill. I would love to visit central Idaho and the Salmon River where she and Charlie made their home. It's a National Historic Landmark now where Polly Bemis is honored as a pioneer among American women.

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9 people found this helpful

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Stunningly excellent both story and narration

I did not have high expectations when I ordered this book, but i was seriously mistaken. This may be the one of the best stories I have read in years, and it is wonderfully narrated.
It is not often that passages can move me to tears or fury, but McCunn pulls you in. She paints a wonderful canvas of time, place and person.
This is truly a masterful piece of writing. Enjoy it as I did.

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7 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Worth the Listen

What made the experience of listening to Thousand Pieces of Gold the most enjoyable?

The narrator was very good and believable.

What did you like best about this story?

How real it all sounded

Which character – as performed by Emily Zeller – was your favorite?

They were all performed very very well

Who was the most memorable character of Thousand Pieces of Gold and why?

Polly....that no matter what, she never gave up making the most of her life

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed this book very much, although in places it is sad, but through it all you have the unshakable spirit of the main character.This book is a biography but far from dry.It has been written with compassion, and spirit, and the narrator has managed to convey that perfectly.I can highly recommend this book.Well worth the listen

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5 people found this helpful

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Great performance, great book

Where does Thousand Pieces of Gold rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Second best audio book I have listened to so far, both from Audible and other sources.

Any additional comments?

The narrator, Emily Zeller, does a fabulous job of distinguishing characters by voice tone, etc. I was concerned I might be confused among the characters with such a dialogue-heavy book, but Ms. Zeller was expert at distinguishing them.

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3 people found this helpful

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Great book

I loved this book! It follows a young Chinese girl named Lalu. When she is forced to be sold by her father and is sent to America, she find herself in a new world. The book was lovely to listen to, the narrator had a beautiful voice. I could not stop listening to it.

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2 people found this helpful

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Love the Strength of this Woman

I loved listening to this book and learning about the hardship this woman endured and overcame.

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2 people found this helpful

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AMAZING!

This book is a MUST READ! So much adventure and emotion, I could not put this book down!

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Had me at the beginning then kind of lost me.

The telling of this story became kind of strange to me after a while. The beginning really drew me in, until about the time she ended up in America. Then, it seemed to be several really detailed descriptions of random events - sometimes many, many, years apart. I feel like I lost the emotional connection that I had in the beginning, and was wondering where the story was going. I felt like it could have been so much more given better pacing, if that is the correct term. Too much detail in some areas, and not enough in others - most specifically, why did she make the critical decision about family? In the end, I found myself wanting to know more about the person, and less about specific things that happened.

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2 people found this helpful