Zenith of Tea takes place in the Guangdong province of China and in
western Canada. China is going through a rough time with the end of the
Qing dynasty, forcing Mijen and Joseph to flee to Canada.
The
story takes place in the 19th century, shortly after America has passed
the Chinese Exclusion Act. Canada is considering a similar law. There is
a lot of bigotry against Asians in both countries.
I enjoyed
learning about that period of time and I think the author did a good job
of weaving the pleasure of family and friend moments with the
desperation of living as second class citizens.
The novel is a
Christian romance. Mijen and Joseph have trouble getting together
because of cultural and religious beliefs. This strengthens the
Christian aspect, but weakens the romance. Their relationship seemed
more intellectual than emotional.
Overall this is a good read and I enjoyed each time I went back to it.
