Порцеляновий місяць

Frant͡sii͡a, 1918 rik. V ostanni dni Pershoï svitovoï viĭny moloda kytai͡anka Polin Den tikai͡e z domu svoho di͡adʹka v Paryz͡hi, shchob unyknuty shli͡ubu, i͡akyĭ ïĭ vlashtovui͡utʹ u Shankhaï. Shchob zapobihty t͡sʹomu, ïĭ potribna dopomoha ïï dvoi͡uridnoho brata Teo, i͡akyĭ prat͡si͡ui͡e perekladachem u Kytaĭsʹkomu trudovomu korpusi u frant͡suzʹkomu kvartali. U mistechku Nuai͡elʹ-si͡ur-Mer Kamilʹ Russelʹ planui͡e vtekty vid z͡horstokoho shli͡ubu ta prypynyty li͡ubovnyĭ roman, i͡akyĭ bilʹshe ne moz͡he tryvaty. Koly Kamilʹ proponui͡e Polin kimnatu dli͡a proz͡hyvanni͡a, t͡si dvi z͡hinky stai͡utʹ podruhamy. Ale nezabarom Polin rozkryvai͡e nebezpechnu tai͡emnyt͡si͡u, i͡aku Kamilʹ prykhovuvala vid neï. Koly nebezpeka zahostri͡ui͡etʹsi͡a, dvi z͡hinky zmusheni pryĭni͡aty z͡hakhlyve rishenni͡a, i͡ake zv"i͡az͡he ïkh razom na vse z͡hytti͡a. Na tli malovidomoï istoriï 140 000 kytaĭsʹkykh robitnykiv, pryvezenykh do I͡Evropy pid chas Pershoï svitovoï viĭny - t͡se istorii͡a pro zaboronene kokhanni͡a, identychnistʹ i prynalez͡hnistʹ, a takoz͡h… Pro knyhu "Port͡seli͡anovyĭ misi͡at͡sʹ" - novyĭ roman Dz͡heĭni Chan, uli͡ublenoï avtorky bahatʹokh prykhylʹnykiv istorychnoï prozy. T͡Sʹoho razu Chan perenosytʹ chytacha u Frant͡sii͡u 1918 roku, de tonke svitlo nadiï probyvai͡etʹsi͡a krizʹ temri͡avu viĭny, a tonka, i͡ak port͡seli͡ana, nytka doli z"i͡ednui͡e neznaĭomykh li͡udeĭ. Polin Den ne khoche povertatysʹ do Shankhai͡u. Kamilʹ Russelʹ ne khoche zalyshatysʹ u vlasnomu domi. Dvi z͡hinky, shcho tikai͡utʹ - odna vid maĭbutnʹoho, insha vid mynuloho - nespodivano znakhodi͡atʹ spilʹnyĭ prykhystok u mistechku, de morsʹkyĭ tuman khovai͡e bilʹshe, niz͡h prosto obrysy budynkiv. Polin shukai͡e brata Teo, perekladacha Kytaĭsʹkoho trudovoho korpusu, aby unyknuty nav"i͡azanoho shli͡ubu. Kamilʹ khovai͡e tai͡emnyt͡si͡u, zdatnu zruĭnuvaty ne lyshe ïï z͡hytti͡a. Ïkhni͡e znaĭomstvo - nache port͡seli͡anovyĭ vyrib: delikatne, krykhke, nebezpechne. Storinky t͡sii͡eï knyhy pakhnutʹ morem, porokhom i chai͡em. Tut - skryp pidloh u starykh budynkakh, vidlunni͡a krokiv u vuzʹkykh vulychkakh, shelest lystiv, i͡akykh nikhto ne mav pobachyty. T͡Se prostir, de kokhanni͡a nese zahrozu, a vybir - bilʹ. Ale t͡se takoz͡h rozpovidʹ pro tykh, koho istorii͡a sterla z pam"i͡ati - 140 tysi͡ach kytaĭsʹkykh robitnykiv, i͡akykh pryvezly do I͡Evropy i͡ak tini viĭny.

France, 1918. In the final days of World War I, a young Chinese woman, Pauline Deng, runs away from her uncle's home in Paris to avoid a marriage arranged for her in Shanghai. To prevent this, she needs the help of her cousin Theo, who works as a translator for the Chinese labor Corps in the French Quarter. In the town of Neuelle-sur-Mer, Camille Roussel plans to escape from an abusive marriage and end a love affair that can no longer last. When Camille offers Pauline a room to live in, the two women become friends. But soon Pauline reveals a dangerous secret that Camille was hiding from her. When the danger escalates, the two women are forced to make a terrible decision that will bind them together for life. Against the backdrop of a little — known story of 140,000 Chinese workers brought to Europe during World War I, this is a story about forbidden love, identity and belonging, as well as... about the book "porcelain moon" — a new novel by Janie Chan, the favorite author of many adherents of historical prose. This time, Chan takes the reader to 1918 France, where the subtle light of hope breaks through the darkness of war, and the porcelain-thin thread of fate connects strangers. Pauline Deng doesn't want to go back to Shanghai. Camille Roussel doesn't want to stay in her own home. Two fleeing women — one from the future, the other from the past-suddenly find shelter together in a city where the sea fog hides more than just the outlines of houses. Pauline is looking for her brother Theo, an interpreter for the Chinese labor Corps, to avoid an imposed marriage. Camille hides a secret that can destroy not only her life. Their acquaintance is like a porcelain product: delicate, fragile, dangerous. The pages of this book smell of sea, gunpowder and tea. Here – the creak of floors in old houses, the echo of footsteps in narrow streets, the rustle of letters that no one should have seen. This is a space where love is a threat and choice is a pain. But it is also a story about those whom history has erased from memory — 140 thousand Chinese workers who were brought to Europe as shadows of war.