The Examination - Hardcover

Bosse, Malcolm

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0374322341 ISBN 13: 9780374322342

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR), 1994

Synopsis

Fifteen-year-old Hong and his older brother Chen face famine, flood, pirates, and jealous rivals on their journey through fifteenth century China as Chen pursues his calling as a scholar and Hong becomes involved with a secret society known as the White Lotus.

About this title

From Kirkus Reviews:

Bosse (Deep Dream of the Rain Forest, 1993, etc.) continues his series of vivid works of historical fiction in this story of two brothers traveling across Ming Dynasty China to pursue their destinies. Lao Chen is a young Confucian scholar headed for the ultimate glory of the palace examination and top-level civil service; Lao Hong, loyal and worldly younger brother, is determined to escort Chen to Beijing and the highest honors. Through his cunning, Hong acquires enough money to get the two brothers to Chengdu for the provincial examination, which Chen passes easily. From there they must travel the long and treacherous road to Beijing--over the Yellow River, through drought- plagued provinces--for the next stage of the test. In addition, each brother is carrying a secret missive--Chen's from his teacher for an ostracized inventor, and Hong's from one member of the subversive White Lotus society to another. The brothers are separated when their junk is captured by pirates, who discover Hong's letter and torture him to discover its meaning, but Hong escapes, finds Chen, and the brothers continue on their way. When Chen passes the municipal and then the palace examination, his future is secure, and Hong is finally free to seek his own fortune through a career in the military. Bosse renders a graphic picture of 16th-century China- -its violence, ceremony, scholarship, and strict class order--in this stimulating and timeless story. (Fiction. YA) -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 6-10-In Imperial China, recruitment for public office was effected through a series of competitive examinations. In this story, which takes place during the late Ming Dynasty (late 16th to early 17th-century C.E.), young Lao Chen journeys from his hometown to the capital of his province for the provincial exams, then to Beijing for the nationals. An aloof, brilliant, yet impractical scholar, Chen is intent more on testing his book knowledge and literary finesse than on gaining political power. He is accompanied by his younger brother and self-appointed guardian, Hong, who is practical and worldly wise. The two traverse a nation in decline, replete with peasant rebellions, secret societies, armies on the move, and vivid characters from all levels of society. As one brother crowns his achievements with a government post, the other secures his position in a secret society dedicated to bringing down that government. The contrast between the two siblings and their activities is skillfully realized in a well-developed plot. The handling of the examinations, which could have been deadly, is lyrical and interesting. Hong and Chen are both full blooded, as are most of the minor characters. The portrait of China at this point in history is largely accurate, marred only by a few inconsequential anachronisms. A unique and absorbing novel.
John Philbrook, San Francisco Public Library
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
• Publication date: 1994
• ISBN 10: 0374322341
• ISBN 13: 9780374322342
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 320