The Library of Legends is a gorgeous novel, a unique blend of historical fiction—based on Ms. Chang’s family stories about the second-Sino Japanese war—mysticism, and folklore. The storytelling is enchanting. The book, due to its broad scope, is told in an omniscient point of view with multiple POVs.
Other than reading Pearl S. Buck as a youngster, going into the story I knew very little about this particular war but gained greater insight into Chinese history. The novel begins in Nanjing, China 1937. As Japanese bombs fall on the city, students and faculty at various schools are evacuated 1000 miles west to the city of Chengdu. The students of Minghua University, including Hu Lian (the protagonist), are led to safety by their revered teacher Professor Kang. In addition to supervising the students, Kang must ensure the safety of one of China’s national treasures, a set of encyclopedias known as the Library of Legends which contains ancient myths and folklore. The transport of the encyclopedia awakens various immortals and guardian spirits who have a year to return to the world of the immortals.
Couched against the traumatic background is a romantic love triangle between Hu Lian, the hero Liu Shaoming, and the other “woman,” an immortal named Sparrow Chen.
As I enjoy reading myths and legends, I liked Chang’s incorporation of actual Chinese folktales and the one she invented, “The Willow Star and the Prince,” which runs through the narrative and which is indistinguishable from real ones. The genre-bending adds a distinctive flare.
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