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The Headmaster Wager Vincent Lam 9780385661454 Books

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The Headmaster Wager Vincent Lam 9780385661454 Books

Most engaging book. Lam has grasped the essential truths of one man`s struggle and creatred a vibrant Indochinese world inhabited by a realistically drawn cast of individuals who must employ fundamental skills to survive - physically, socially, politically, and psychologically.
Protagonist Percival`s character is familiar ( a man whose strengths must compete with his vices), but these are highlighted and intensified by the circumstances in which he must function, maintaining conventional Chinese principles yet concurrently decoding and respecting the unfamiliar biases of his Vietnamese hosts. In a world of face saving and sly deference, where nothing is what it appears to be, mistakes are made and those who survive must pay incurred debts.
Lam notes that personal history is what inspired his novel and surely it is what makes it so compellingly credible, and by extension so readable.


Tags : The Headmaster's Wager [Vincent Lam] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. From Giller Prize winner, internationally acclaimed, and bestselling author Vincent Lam comes a superbly crafted,Vincent Lam,The Headmaster's Wager,Doubleday Canada,0385661452,Fiction Literary

The Headmaster Wager Vincent Lam 9780385661454 Books Reviews

Wow, very fast moving and interesting. I was kept guessing throughout and almost guessed the ending. I thought that the son would come back brainwashed and kill his own father since he was a landowner and prosperous. It showed the power of a tolitarian regime and in this sense was truly chilling. A very good read
One of the most tension-filled novels that I have ever read. Ingeniously plotted and masterfully paced, the story demanded an investment of emotion from me and that investment paid off handsomely in enjoyment.
I really liked that this book was told from the local people's point of view (not that of the invaders). the information on the day to day struggle to live while being immersed in a war was very interesting. The suspense of the novel carried it along at a very fast pace as well.
Vincent Lam keeps this story moving at a fast pace. He writes vividly, creating images that linger in the mind. He deals with a period in history about which most of us know little. His skill in building the character of the headmaster against the backdrop of the steadily deteriorating society is what makes the story so compelling. However, for me, the ending was unsatisfactory. In fact, the last quarter of the book seemed rushed and overly packed with events.....almost as if the publisher was pushing on a deadline.
A picture of war-time Vietnam told from a southerner's perspective. The characters are memorable and the complex story resolves itself in a most unexpected way. The desire of the first generation Chinese to return home after seeking their fortune abroad reflects the immigrant experience there and elsewhere. In the beginning, I found the prose somewhat awkward but as the story developed and I became more engaged, the prose flowed better. All in all, an easy book to recommend and I look forward to Lam's next book.
Very slow starting the first half-almost abandoned the book,but the 2nd half generated and kept my inteest to the recognizable end.Interesting to learn of the cultural place occupied by the Chinese in Vietnam up to the American withdrawl.LHM
Vincent Lam is a wonderful story teller! I enjoyed the clever way he integrated much of the history of Viet Nam and its terrible history of war and exploitation. There are some wonderfully funny comments on the differences of the way one culture views another which helps to lighten what is really a very dark story. The headmaster, Percival, is totally unlikeable as a human being and in spite of being a good business person is politically naive and emotionally blind. As a former teacher, I disliked the fact that he had no real understanding about education and did not even know the names of his students! I look forward to a sequel because the open ending leaves the reader with many questions.
Most engaging book. Lam has grasped the essential truths of one man`s struggle and creatred a vibrant Indochinese world inhabited by a realistically drawn cast of individuals who must employ fundamental skills to survive - physically, socially, politically, and psychologically.
Protagonist Percival`s character is familiar ( a man whose strengths must compete with his vices), but these are highlighted and intensified by the circumstances in which he must function, maintaining conventional Chinese principles yet concurrently decoding and respecting the unfamiliar biases of his Vietnamese hosts. In a world of face saving and sly deference, where nothing is what it appears to be, mistakes are made and those who survive must pay incurred debts.
Lam notes that personal history is what inspired his novel and surely it is what makes it so compellingly credible, and by extension so readable.