Rebellion Audiobook Summary
Reminiscent of Elizabeth Strout and Jane Smiley, Rebellion is a powerful debut novel by Molly Patterson, weaving together the stories of four women unafraid to challenge the boundaries of their lives, spanning generations and taking readers across the globe.
In 1890, a young missionary, Addie, has traveled to the town of Lu-cho Fu with her husband, dreaming of making her mark on the world. But Addie’s desires change after meeting a brash and thoroughly modern woman, Poppy, who offers to transform Addie’s destiny. All the while, letters from Addie reach her sister Louisa back home, recently married and struggling with the quiet isolation of being a farmer’s wife. When violence erupts overseas between the Chinese and their unwelcome Christian intruders, Addie’s life takes a mysterious and haunting turn strongly felt by her sister, Louisa, back home.
By 1958, Louisa’s daughter Hazel is fighting to maintain control of her land and family in the aftermath of her husband’s untimely death. Reeling from the tragedy, she finds herself drawing closer to the neighboring Hughes family and in the process learns that grief takes on many forms.
One hundred years after Addie’s disappearance, Juanlan returns to her hometown with no job and no options. She finds her father ailing and her pregnant sister-in-law restless and angry. While her family and town are rapidly changing, Juanlan feels frozen in place. In search of an outlet for the live wire she feels buried inside, she starts up a love affair with a married man.
Interconnected by action and consequence, each woman’s tale brilliantly displays the fleeting intensity of youth, the obligation of family, and the dramatic consequence of charting your own destiny. A vibrant story of compassion and discovery set against a century of complicated relations between China and America, Rebellion celebrates those who fight against expectation in pursuit of their own thrilling fate, and introduces a rising literary star.
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Rebellion Audiobook Narrator
Angela Dawe is the narrator of Rebellion audiobook that was written by Molly Patterson
Molly Patterson was born in St. Louis and lived in China for several years. The winner of a 2014 Pushcart Prize, she was also the 2012-2013 writer-in-residence at St. Albans School in Washington, DC. Her work has appeared in several magazines, including the Atlantic and the Iowa Review. Rebellion is her first novel.
About the Author(s) of Rebellion
Molly Patterson is the author of Rebellion
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Rebellion Full Details
Narrator | Angela Dawe |
Length | 19 hours 23 minutes |
Author | Molly Patterson |
Publisher | HarperAudio |
Release date | August 08, 2017 |
ISBN | 9780062683601 |
Additional info
The publisher of the Rebellion is HarperAudio. The imprint is HarperAudio. It is supplied by HarperAudio. The ISBN-13 is 9780062683601.
Global Availability
This book is only available in the United States.
Goodreads Reviews
Melissa
September 20, 2018
This was the kind of book I absolutely needed right now: gorgeous, literary prose; deep dives of emotional depth for all of the characters; thematically rich storytelling. Let’s start with the writing. Patterson is an incredibly gifted writer who is able to transform the most mundane tasks and thoughts of everyday living into writing that is unputdownable. There is a lot of detail in this 560-page book, which some might find unnecessary: In the middle of a scene, we learn, for instance, that a character fixes herself an egg; we learn of the conversations of nurses who are less-than-peripheral characters in an elevator during a particular scene; we see characters washing dishes; we get play-by-play descriptions of every interaction. Too much? Typically I might say yes… but, to me, that is one of the greatest strengths of this book. It’s in these seemingly ‘unimportant’ details that such authenticity is created. We are able to populate the story with ourselves, because we are there -- observers in the rooms, fields, streets. We are observers in the minds of four incredible women. And the characters. From the first sentence, I was captivated by the voice of Hazel, a no-nonsense kind of woman nearing the end of life. The rest of this voluminous book, we go back in time and learn more about her. But, we also have the added delight of getting into the heads and complicated hearts of three other women: Hazel’s mother, Louisa; Louisa’s sister, Addie; and a young Chinese woman named Juanlan.If you are looking for a multi-period novel that is threaded neatly together among all of its characters, this book is not that. The characters are connected to one another by the thinnest strand of silk - either distantly familial or geographically; it is their life struggles and experiences that tie these characters and their stories one to the other: that in different eras, women fight the same battles over obligation to family, the same battles and reservations about charting their own destinies. And that those who rebel from mainstream expectations will likely experience difficulty, but may be justly rewarded in the end.While I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, I confess that I might not have fully understood the character, Juanlan. Her transformation and act of rebellion left me slightly puzzled, and I had hoped that there would be just a bit more connection between her and one of the other characters. Still, I savored learning about her and was fully engaged in her story and the relationships surrounding her.Many thanks to Goodreads First Reads program and the publisher. I wish I had read sooner, as I look forward to future books by the talented Molly Patterson.
Lewis
May 03, 2021
beautifully written ... one gorgeous phrase after another
switterbug (Betsey)
August 10, 2017
A distance of time and place, spanning 100 years between the late 1890s to the late 1990s, from the rural American heartland to rural China, REBELLION explores themes of personal rebellion and women with similar passions beyond their circumscribed roles. Molly Patterson brings to life women who rebel against societal and family expectations to follow love and personal desires beyond their circumscribed roles. Although the Boxer Rebellion in China is a central event in the story that ties several characters together East and West, it is a different kind of rebellion that Patterson taps. She mines the rebellions of the heart and of woman during the eras that preceded modern feminism.Louisa leaves her comfortable Illinois trappings in order to follow her new husband to a rural farm to toil in hardship and raise her children on the farmstead. She accepts subservience to her husband and rarely questions this life. However, her sister, Addie, who follows her husband to rural China to practice missionary work, breaks through her oppression in surprising ways when she meets a fiery, independent missionary. Juanlan, a recent college graduate in 1999 China, sacrifices her independence to help manage her parents’ struggling hotel in a rural China town. Hazel, a young farm widow in Illinois in the 1950s, is Louisa’s daughter. Raising her children alone on the prairie, she battles against the bank to keep her farm. As Hazel grows closer to her neighbors, George and Lydie, she enters into a reckless season that defies her upbringing.Juanlan feels “a live wire inside her, a little burning blue coil,” which applies to Addie and Hazel, also. Even Edith, Hazel’s sister, who doesn’t get enough stage time, itches to break out of the box she was raised in. Unfortunately, she was offstage most of the book, although I thought her story had more meat and sizzle than Juanlan’s, whose story fizzled and felt more jejune and frustrating to me as a reader after the first half of her narrative.This is a densely populated and lengthy novel that takes its time pulling the related threads together, and the theme of rebellion, which crosses time and geography, is the standout trope. Patterson is a fine writer who establishes the setting and period with such clarity that I was immediately invested in her story. Her female characters were intricately portrayed, including a surprise turn of the century feminist named Poppy, whose charisma was threatening to the status quo. The men, lacking much definition, were mainly furniture in these cruel surroundings, locales whose manifestations by the author are intimately felt as I turned the pages.There is copious stark beauty in these pages, with dialogue and character to match. My biggest issue was it could have used some condensing; it would not have reduced impact or character, as Patterson’s style is so thoughtful that there was no peril of reductionism—(leave that to authors like Kristin Hannah and that ilk). Patterson is a classy writer who shapes and contours her women so that they could easily walk off the pages. But I did get weary at the minutia and, had it been more compressed, would have added some of the missing tension. I speculate, though, that her next novel will be brilliant.
Linda
December 26, 2018
4.5 stars rounded up. Outstanding character study of four women and their families over different periods of history in the US and China. It's long - more than 500 pages - but worth it.
Rebe
August 28, 2017
This is a beautiful book--stunningly layered and sensuous, simultaneously sweeping and intimate in its scope, Molly Patterson's Rebellion examines the ways women across culture and time find ways, large and small, to rebel against the roles and expectations that might otherwise box them in. Addie, a Christian missionary in nineteenth century China, who leaves her family to follow the woman she loves across China; Hazel, a mid-century farm widow in Illinois who falls in love with her best friend’s husband; and Juanlan, a college graduate in contemporary rural China who struggles to define her life on her own terms. Patterson brings the threads of these women’s lives together in a way that positively shimmers. I found myself touching the final pages, hoping some of their beauty might stay with me a while longer.
David
September 16, 2017
As I neared the end of this excellent novel, it occurred to me that Rebellion reads like an Alice Munro short story that slows down and keeps on going, telling and integrating stories that end up as one big beautiful book. Where Munro short fiction has density and intensity, this Molly Patterson novel has patience and cautious revelation. Still, like Munro, all the details matter, the women are large and very interesting, and there are precious moments of clarity. I loved the subtlety and indirection of the ending, Patterson's choice to let minor characters bring the narrative home. For me, it fit one of the novel's themes: the interconnectedness of our lives over distances of time and place and in ways we don't even know.
Thao
November 19, 2017
This gorgeous, GORGEOUS book is a must-read for anyone who enjoys absorbing books that span many different generations and locations. It was written with deliberate, intelligent, graceful prose, and the characters are so artfully described. I felt connected to each and every character. The plots intertwined beautifully and kept me turning the page to see how each story would come together. No spoilers, but I felt a deep sense of peace and satisfaction at the end of the book. I would read it again and again - and it's absolutely the perfect book for a holiday gift!
Danny
July 12, 2017
This is a fantastic read, one I could barely put down. The characters are gorgeously constructed, as are the subtle but poignant connections between them. The landscapes, both in time and terrain, feel carefully and respectfully sketched. Though all four of the women in this novel are complex, Juanlan and Louisa stand out to me, in particular, as characters destined to stay with the reader long after they've left this epic story. I definitely recommend REBELLION for lovers of literary fiction, historical writing, and novels carried by strong female characters.
David
August 10, 2017
As a history and politics buff who grew up in one of the U.S. locations in this novel and who spent two weeks in less urban China as a bewildered American, the novel rings true. Some reviewers thought this may be a "women's" book. While I see their point, must say that never crossed my mind while reading. Tossing away your upbringing and choosing what to keep and what to replace seems rather universally human. And in no way easy. Dealing with this in a believable way, which IMHO Rebellion does, is rare.
Blaine
April 12, 2018
Patterson tells four stories on two continents, spanning generations, with the ease of an accomplished novelist. Her characters are vividly drawn, the narratives (one is even in first person) move wonderfully, and she manages to tie all the pieces together deftly. This is a debut novel that will have readers eager for the next.
Joyce
September 06, 2017
A captivating story of four women who's lives intersect over two continents spanning 100 years. Well written with beautiful imagery and keen insight into human desires and needs. With great poignancy Molly Patterson brings to life the never-ending conflict between tradition and personal choice.
Linda
October 06, 2017
Beautifully written. You can't help but be captivated by the main characters.
Laura
December 17, 2017
Review to come!
Pam
July 23, 2018
Rich details, great characters, and wonderful storytelling make this a terrific historical fiction choice!
Andrea
October 10, 2017
This is a long novel, 500+ pages, but it doesn't feel that way because there are four separate plot lines going on. Two of the plot lines deal with sisters who live in the 1890s: Addie, who marries a missionary and travels to China, and Louisa, who marries a farmer and establishes a family farm in Illinois. One of the plot lines is told in first person; that of Hazel, Louisa's daughter who remains on the family farm and is telling her story in the 1950s. Finally, Juanlan, recently graduated from university, lives in a small city in China that is about to experience significant change with the completion of a new freeway in 1999. The plot lines are bookended by periods of unrest and rebellion with the Boxer Rebellion changing the lives of the two sisters in the 1890s, and the bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade spurring Juanlan on to political protest. Hazel's rebellion is more of a personal nature, but touches on larger emotional issues. I really enjoyed the depth and the immersive experience of this novel.
Jessica
November 15, 2017
The world is full of difficult women. Thankfully.
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