I loved Treasure Island as a kid, reading it several times, so I was excited to see a retelling. Having it be a retelling set in ancient China makes it even better. Lee did a wonderful job with developing the characters of Xiang and Anh, with developing their relationship, and it was a wonderful addition to the adventure.
While the other characters were not developed quite as much, they were not left as stereotypes or cardboard cut-outs. Indeed, Lee went against the grain with many characters, not the least of which is the fact that the notorious pirate, the one who united all of the smaller pirate groups and took on the emperor, was a woman. Then to learn, in the afterward of the audiobook, that she was an actual historical figure was amazing.
Of course, there is still the filial pressure that is so culturally important, and the relationship between Xiang and her mother, with Xiang's desire to make her mother proud yet having no idea how to attain it, drives so much of what Xiang did.
While the other characters were not developed quite as much, they were not left as stereotypes or cardboard cut-outs. Indeed, Lee went against the grain with many characters, not the least of which is the fact that the notorious pirate, the one who united all of the smaller pirate groups and took on the emperor, was a woman. Then to learn, in the afterward of the audiobook, that she was an actual historical figure was amazing.
Of course, there is still the filial pressure that is so culturally important, and the relationship between Xiang and her mother, with Xiang's desire to make her mother proud yet having no idea how to attain it, drives so much of what Xiang did.