#bronze drum

[summons-recluse]

Cultural Palace of Nationalities

[arctic-hands]

Okay the author isn't big enough to have his own Wikipedia page so this might be a longshot, but does anyone have a playlist to get into the vibe of reading Phong Nguyen's Bronze Drum? It takes place in first century C.E. Vietnam, and I did find some recordings of Vietnamese court music (the two main characters are royalty) on yt, but that kind of music apparently originated about a thousand years later.

It seems I can only focus on reading when I have decent background noise, and wordless music is best for it, but I have no idea what kind of music to listen to to put me in ancient Vietnam.

[illustration-alcove]

Xuan Loc Xuan's illustrated book cover for Phong Nguyen's Bronze Drum.

[tigger8900]

Bronze Drum, by Phong Nguyen

⭐⭐⭐ 1/2

A retelling of the oral legend of the Trung sisters of ancient Vietnam, this book tells the story of Trung Trac and Trung Nhi, and how they stood up to the oppressive Chinese rule. After the execution of their father, the two sisters unite an army of women to depose the cruel Han governer who rules the Viet lands.

Historical fiction isn't my usual wheelhouse, but I was drawn to this book because it retells a particular episode from Vietnamese oral history, which shares similarities with myths and legends, which are very much my thing. On that front, this book didn't disappoint. As I was reading, the narrative voice felt very much like someone was telling the story to me, with a very descriptive, tell-don't-show style of action that stays well outside the character's heads. For me, this worked. If you prefer to be immersed in your fiction, or inhabit the minds of the characters, it probably won't work for you at all.

I found myself appreciating the side characters(Min, General Ma, etc) more than the sisters themselves, which initially bothered me. But as I think about it more, it's started to make sense. By keeping the sisters at an emotional distance they become elevated over the other characters, which fits their status as kings and heroes. Again, I think this is either something that will either work for you or won't, with no middle ground.

Something I felt iffy about was the question of historic fact vs fiction. How much of what was in this book is traditionally a part of the story of the Trung sisters, and how much did the author make up for his version? The glossary in the back clears some things up(the character Min, for example, seems to be entirely new to this telling), but other aspects are left unclear unless you happen to be familiar with the story from an outside context, which I am not. Unfortunately, I ran into so many of those "…really?" moments, which I didn't know whether were the fault of the author or of the original story, that I can't boost this book up to four stars.

[agardenandlibrary]

Bronze Drum by Phong Nguyen

This is historical fiction, which is not my usual genre and probably fed into my frustrations with it. I was very interested in the setting and the story because it’s an unusual one, for me. This book is set in early Vietnam (like, 30CE early). It is the story of the Trung sisters, Trung Nhi and Trung Trac, noblewomen who live under the oppression of Han rule.  The sisters start as very one-dimensional. Trung Trac is the obedient daughter. Trung Nhi is the rebellious daughter. And that’s nearly the whole of their characters. But they become more interesting as the story goes on and they begin to cross the lines between being dutiful and being rebellious.   The Trung sisters eventually lead an uprising, briefly winning Vietnam’s freedom from Han rule. But the country is divided in opinion and desire. Driven by their grief, and perhaps foolishly trusting in the righteousness of their cause, the sisters soon find themselves in a battle they cannot win.  I almost gave up on this book, but by the end I was drawn in and invested. This is very much a story about the relationships between women, about overthrowing the government, about symbols. I wish the rebellion and uprising had been more of the book.  It occurred to me about halfway through that I might’ve liked it better as an audiobook. It very much has the style of someone telling a story, and more than that, of telling an old story, if that makes any sense. The book even begins with someone inviting the reader to listen to a story.

[agardenandlibrary]

I really want to like Bronze Drum but I don't think it's gonna grow on me.

75 pages in...

[agardenandlibrary]

August Book of the Month:

Bronze Drum by Phong Nguyen

Gather around, children of Chu Dien, and be brave. For even to listen to the story of the Trung Sisters is, in these troubled times, a dangerous act.

[archaeologicalnews]

Two-millennium Bronze Drum Discovered In Thanh Hoa

THANH HOA (Vietnam)  -- A bronze drum was unearthed in Vinh Loc district, the central province of Thanh Hoa, which, scientists believe, dates back 2,000 - 2,500 years.

Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reports that the drum was found on Sunday while a resident in Cau Mu hamlet of Vinh Long commune was digging ground for building his house.

It is 59cm in diameter and 43cm high with surface decorated with a raised 12-pointed star pattern along with other sophisticated patterns. However, it is not intact due to oxidation.

Researchers believe that the artefact might be a Heger Type I drum (in the Dong Son culture) which appeared about 2,000 - 2,500 years ago. Read more.