Thank you to NetGalley, St.Martin Press, and Karin Tanabe for the ARC of A Hundred Suns in return for my honest review.

A Hundred Suns is a must-read for historical novel lovers! The era of French colonialism in Vietnam made for very different settings and subject matter that I knew little about. While the story unfolds slowly, the author keeps the suspense running until the very end.


The thorough character development allows the reader to be invested in each person's conclusion in this compelling page-turner!

While the concept sounded gripping, and the first few chapters were great, I very quickly lost interest.
This book just wasn't for me, I found the writing style choppy and the story itself lacking.
Unfortunately I found this to be a forgettable book.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this arc book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

In September of 1933, Jessie and Victor Lesage move from France to live in the French Indochina to hopefully win favor with his successful Michelin family. There have been many riots and political upheaval at the rubber plant which is in desperate need of supervision in south Cochinchina.

Jessie was born the oldest of 7 children in a poor farm in Blacksburg, Virginia. Growing up in destitution with minimal parental support, Jessie felt obliged to “parent” her younger siblings. Her desperate situation urges her desire to see the world. She is empowered to attend a small teaching college where she lived in a Manhattan boarding house. Her primary focus was saving enough money to travel to Paris while providing support to her siblings in VA.

The story becomes more complicated as Jessie and Victor along with their young daughter, Lucie, settle into their new home in a new country. Because they are affluent, they are buffered from the atrocious living conditions of the native residents. Many of these local residents work under oppressive circumstances which drives their ambitions to overthrow the leaders with their communist agenda.

Much to Jessie’s awe and comfort, she is befriended immediately by Marcelle de Fabry and her husband Arnaud. Most of the men are busy traveling for work leaving the women to enjoy the luxuries afforded to them. It is during this time that Marcelle seems to quickly engage Jessie into her world of mischief and debauchery. As the story unfolds it draws the reader into the secrets and deceit which both women don’t want revealed.

“Three can keep a secret if two of them are dead.” - Benjamin Franklin

So, the whirl world affairs of the rich and poor are entwined in ways for which the reader could never be prepared. The novel speaks to the political environment as relevant to the extents people will go for redemption and change.

3.5 stars

In 1933, Jessie Lesage accompanies her husband Victor to Indochine (Vietnam)— a colony under French rule at the time — where he has taken up a post overseeing his famous Michelin family’s rubber plantations. Not long after they arrive, the Lesages meet Marcelle de Fabry and her husband Arnaud, an expatriate French couple who, like themselves, are rich and well-connected. The two women quickly become friends, and with Marcelle showing her the way, Jessie starts to dive more deeply into the glamorous, exotic world of colonial Indochine. When she meets Marcelle’s Indochinese lover, the rich silk tycoon Khoi Nguyen, and becomes more immersed in their world, Jessie begins to realize that there is more to Marcelle than meets the eye. It is also around this time that dark secrets from Jessie’s past start to catch up with her — secrets that threaten to upend the family and lifestyle that she worked so painstakingly to build. Against a backdrop rife with political tension due to colonialism — where the divide between the “haves” and the “have-nots” runs in line with oppression of the native Indochinese by their Western conquerors — a complex story emerges, with characters often required to toe the ambiguous line between self-preservation and “doing the right thing.”

This is a book that I found difficult to rate, as there were things that I liked (mostly the setting and the writing) but also things that didn’t work as well for me. Going into this one initially, when I saw that the story would take place in 1930s Indochine, I was actually looking forward to reading it, as that particular setting isn’t often covered in historical fiction, plus it was a welcome departure from all the WWII-focused historical fiction that I had been reading in recent months. As is usually the case when I read this genre, I was hoping to learn something new about a country and time period that I was only vaguely familiar with. While I can’t say that I didn’t learn anything at all (because I did), I do have to say that this book fell a bit short of expectations for me from a genre perspective. When I read historical fiction, I expect to be transported to the story’s time and place and feel as though I inhabit the same world as the characters – unfortunately, that didn’t happen in this case. Instead, the Indochine setting felt kind of superficial to me, to the point that the main characters could’ve been transplanted to any other foreign Asian territory (not necessarily Indochine) and the story would’ve played out largely the same way. Don’t get me wrong -- the author did incorporate some cultural elements into the story that gave us some insight into the historical setting, but the references were few and far between, as the focus of the story on the glamorous lifestyle of the wealthy elite as well as the “mystery” piece of figuring out Marcelle’s connection with Jessie, both ended up overwhelming the historical aspects of the story. To me, this book felt like it should actually belong more in the thriller / suspense category than historical fiction – I think if it had been marketed as such, my reaction would’ve probably been quite different, as I did like the writing as well as the flow of the story overall, and the plot was intriguing enough to hold my attention from start to finish.

If I had to describe this story in one word, the first word that would come to mind is “lush” — whether it’s the descriptions of the characters’ decadent mansions, or their vibrant lifestyles steeped in lavish opulence, or even the surrounding landscape (both in Indochine where majority of the story takes place and also in Paris, where critical events involving several of the characters occur), it’s hard not to see this story under the light of luxury and privilege. The narration of the story alternated between Jessie and Marcelle, which made sense given the direction of the story (especially if we look at the story from a “thriller” perspective), but from a historical and cultural perspective, I feel that this format didn’t work too well. To strengthen the historical context, I feel like the other alternating perspective should’ve been from that of one of the Indochinese characters in the story, such as Trieu (Jessie’s servant) or Lanh (the Lesage family’s chauffeur) for example – I think this would have provided some much-needed balance to the story, though I guess it can also be argued that this would be an entirely different story then, perhaps not the same one that the author was trying to tell.

With all that said, I feel that overall, this was technically a good read – well-written and well-plotted for the most part (except for the ending, which I wasn’t tremendously fond of) – but it could have been so much better. I would still recommend this book, just with the caveat not to go in with specific expectations in terms of genre.

Received ARC from St. Martin’s Press directly as well as via NetGalley.

A HUNDRED SUNS

This was very good. Intriguing story about Jessie and Victor Lesage, a married couple of the Michelin family fame, and their experiences in Indochina in the 1930s. Moving from France to oversee the production process in the rubber plantations, intrigue and hidden pasts begin to surface in mysterious ways.

As elite members of French society in colonialist Indochina, the Lesages develop a friendship at the Officer’s Club with Arnaud de Fabrey, the president of the chamber of commerce, and his wife Marcelle. The two wives bond quickly and spend a good deal of time enjoying the benefits of their freedom and wealth. As secrets from their pasts are revealed, things don’t go as smoothly as they had at first anticipated.

Although this book is foremost a good mystery, a lot of important issues are also introduced, such as French colonialism in Indochina, labor practices, communist uprisings, and the value of family loyalty. It also focuses on two very strong women who are intent upon improving their personal lives and as well as the lives of others. I thought this book also did a particularly good job of presenting many different viewpoints without completely glamorizing or vilifying any perspective. And it keeps you guessing...

I would like to thank NetGalley, Karin Tanabe, and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.

"Motivated by love, driven by ambition, and seeking self-preservation at all costs, Jessie and Marcelle each toe the line between friend and foe, ethics and excess. Cast against the stylish backdrop of 1930s Indochine, in a time and place defined by contrasts and convictions, A Hundred Suns is historical fiction at its lush, suspenseful best."

This was a completely new era for me to read about and love! It encompassed glamour, a love/hate/jealousy between "frenemies", and having strong women as the main characters really gave this book great umph in my opinion! I would highly recommend this if you're a historical fiction lover and want a different landscape than you're typical Victorian, Euro War time.

Thank you so much St. Martin's Press & NetGalley for my complimentary eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A Hundred Suns is a historical fiction novel set in colonial Indochina (now Vietnam) that ultimately shapes up into a psychological thriller. The story starts in 1933 when American expat Jessie Lesage arrives in Indochina with her husband who is a Michelin heir. Jessie has a lot of secrets though, and it isn’t long before the Michelin plantations become embroiled in a scandal. This is where the story begins to morph into more of a psychological thriller. I’m not a huge fan of psychological thrillers because they tend to lack the murder and messed-up characters that I want in a thriller book, but I think that it was executed well here. Scandals always manage to create some great drama in a story, regardless of whether or not they involve someone dying or involve people doing the unspeakable. Jessie’s first-person POV is alternated with that of a French woman named Marcelle who wants to put the colony back in the hands of its people. In order to do this, she portrays herself as an expert to expat life to Jessie and befriends her with ulterior motive of gaining access to high society. As someone who has had people befriend me with the sole purpose of getting ahead in life somehow, I think that there are few things more evil than faking a friendship, so I guess that was messed-up enough for me.

I love books whose setting contributes to the story somewhat, as is the case in A Hundred Suns. I’ve not read a novel set in colonial Indochina before, and knew nothing of the control that the Michelin company had over it. It turned out (unsurprisingly) to be the perfect setting for scandal and drama to ensue. If you like historical fiction or non-gory thrillers, you’ll like this one.

A Hundred Suns, by Karin Tanabe, is historical fiction at its best, combined with, a thriller component. Part of the story takes place in Paris (and in America), but the majority , takes place in colonial,(French), Indochina (Vietnam).
The Michelin rubber plantations, in colonial Indochina, in the late 1920's and early 1930's, were struggling against the rise of communism among the labourers. No member of the Michelin family ever wanted to live on the plantations full time. Not only were the plantations remote, a few days travel from civilized Hanoi, the plantations were also, dangerous. The workers, who lived in squalor, and received minimal pay, were starting to believe that a better life was possible for them, if their voices could be heard.

Enter Victor and Jesse Lesage. Victor, a relative to the original Michelin company founders, encouraged by his wife Jesse, volunteers to move to Indochina and manage operations at the plantations. How hard could it be? They buy a beautiful home before even getting there. Butlers and servants are at their disposal. It seems they've made a wise decision ... Or have they?

This was a great read. Very interesting reading about #Indochina, (and what a coincidence Jesse's mom was actually French Canadian). This was my first time picking up a Karin Tanabe book, and I really enjoyed it. Thank you #netgalley for the e-ARC, in exchange for my honest review. A Hundred Suns is available in stores now.

It was hard for me at first to get into this one. There’s a lot of stuff going on in the book. Very descriptive
The writing is well done.
Historical piece and an interesting read for sure.
Thank you NetGalley.

In the 1930s, Canadian-American Jessie Lesage has recently arrived in French-colonized Vietnam, to help her French husband, Victor Michelin Lesage, run the Michelin company’s rubber plantations. She’s never felt totally at home among the glamorous French, but she puts on a brave face while she’s in Vietnam. When she meets the uber-gorgeous and worldly Marcelle de Fabry, the wife of the president of the chamber of commerce, Jessie feels an immediate connection—though she also still feels intimidated. What follows is Jessie’s free fall into an over-the-top world of drugs, sex, and politics as she tries to navigate the complicated role of privileged wife in a poor foreign country.

MY THOUGHTS
This book is a mix of historical fiction and psychological thriller. Author Karin Tanabe does a phenomenal job of recreating the atmosphere of colonized Vietnam in the 30s—in fact, I would say that the setting is the strongest part of this book. Truthfully, I never felt particularly invested in Jessie, her family, or even Marcelle, but I did enjoy how Tanabe built up the mystery of Jessie’s weird little world and then slowly revealed and explained her secrets over time. A Hundred Suns is a bit of a slow burn for me, but I think it will be popular among book clubs.

An evocative historical novel set in 1930's Indochine, about the American wife of a Michelin heir who journeys to the French colony in the name of family fortune, and the glamorous, tumultuous world she finds herself in—and the truth she may be running from.

The blurb of the book is very interesting and it's been so long since I read a historical novel. This seemed to have all the ingredients to make it a good one.

I enjoyed the story. It is a story of power, greed, revenge and the politics of a time when Indochina’s indigenous people struggled with colonial rule. I enjoyed reading the book because of the plot and the setting. The author does a good job of capturing it authentically. I wasn't expecting the thriller element in the book and that was a bonus for me.

I was not a fan of the ending and thought it a tad convenient but having said it doesn't take away from being a good solid story.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for sending me a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review,

I found this to be an interesting novel about a time in history that I was quite unfamiliar with. The setting and the characters are well written and there are plenty of twists to keep you reading long past bedtime. I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley and the publisher and this is my honest opinion.

Using the history of Vietnam in the 1930's during French occupation and the Red Phú Riềng communist-instigated strike that took place at Michelin's rubber plantation, the author wove's her story. It revolves around the character Jessie Lesage (who came from a poor background in Virginia of which her husband doesn't know) and Victor (Michelin) Lesage, an outside relative employed by the Michelin rubber company. Coming from prestige Paris, they step into the world of French Indonesia. Where they meet mysterious Marcelle de Fabry, and her lover, Khoi Nguyen a Indonesian silk tycoon. (Unknown to them as undercover Communist supporters.) The struggle begins when the lifestyles of the Lesages starts Jessie comparing her feelings (of her Virginia background), with the Coolies working for her husband's company. Politics, wealth, her husband's career, her friendship with Marcelle, all make her wonder where she really fits in.

NetGalley provided me an early release, but my review is entirely my own.

I was so excited to read a historical fiction novel set in a time and location that I have not read much if anything about! The setting is 1930's Vietnam, and the writing gave such a detailed image of the time and place. I did find portions of this book to be a bit slow, but towards the end, the fighting and conflict really increased and the ending paid off.

I would recommend this for readers that are interested in historical fiction and family secrets.

This beautifully written story focuses on a variety of compelling characters, all of whom are harboring secrets during the escalation of unrest leading up to the France-Indochina war. This story is extremely compelling, tense and twisty with an ingenious element that includes American Jessie Lesage, a former Parisian socialite with a history of mental illnes, who moves with her husband to Indochina and who’s world is in question, begging the reader to decide what is real versus imagined.

A Hundred Suns is a captivating historical fiction novel with a dash of suspense. It's set in 1930's French colonial Indochine. Jessie Lesage travels to Indochine with her husband Victor, a member of the Michelin family, whose task is to improve the management of the rubber plantations after a series of strikes and workers' deaths. Upon arriving in Indochine, Jessie meets other expatriates and develops a close friendship with an alluring French woman Marcelle. The life of French colonialists is full of opulence, parties, and opium dens, and Jessie embraces it wholeheartedly with the help of Marcelle until she realizes that not everything is perfect in paradise.

The trouble is brewing on Michelin plantations because the workers are not happy with brutal working conditions, and the communists are inciting rebellions. Also, Marcelle might have an ulterior motive in cultivating a friendship with Jessie. But Jessie is determined to make a life for herself and her family in Indochine despite all the complications. A Hundred Suns is a well-written and engrossing book that brings to life the colonialist past with all its issues. I highly recommend this book to historical fiction fans.

This was a really intriguing book. I loved being able to read about some of this history, even in a fictional way. It was a little slow to pick up, but once I was hooked, I couldn't put it down!

Take a step back to the sumptuous, decadent world of the rich and powerful of Indochine (Vietnam)during the 1930's. Author Karen Tanabe sets this atmospheric read; ripe with the mood and sites of the jazz age in Paris to the French colonist Plantations of Vietnam.
Told with a fractured timeline, we find ourselves falling down the rabbit hole with "Jessie Lesage", wife to heir of the Michelin rubber Empire. Jessie bears witness to the excesses of wealth, greed, and colonialism juxtaposed against the poor, the overburdened plantation servants, and their desire for freedom with independence from France.

We are introduced to "Marcelle De Fabry", glamorous, complicated and without apologies, she has an agenda that will set about the course of change.

Of course not everything is as it seems, nothing is straightforwardly simple, just like friendships...and we learn there are many secrets needing to stay hidden, excuses for excesses that can't be unseen and the truths that eventually will come to light.

Become drawn in to a time and place that is mostly unknown...A decadent and dark story based on fact that you might never have heard of if it weren't for the meticulous research and story telling abilities of Ms. Tanabe.

4⭐
Thank you NetGalley, St. Martins Press and the author Ms. Karin Tanabe for the opportunity to read this Advanced Readers Copy of "A Hundred Suns". The opinions expressed in this review are mine alone.

A Hundred Suns by Karin Tanabe is a story of suspense, revenge and power. The story opens in November 1933 as American Jessie Lesage is heading to the train station in Hanoi, Indochina with her husband, Victor Lesage, heir to the Michelin fortune, and their daughter, Lucie. Events quickly led to Jessie to doubt her own memories, but she knew “I wasn’t unwell. I wasn’t forgetting anything. My family had disappeared.” Rewind to September 1933 as the Lesages arrive in Hanoi from Paris as Victor is taking over management of the Michelin families rubber plantations in the French colony. Their first night in Hanoi, they take the customary trip to a club where she meets Marcelle de Fabry, the wife of the president of the chamber of commerce, Arnaud de Fabry. The two women quickly strike up a friendship. As Jessie begins to learn the area and adjust to life in the colony, strange things begin to happen, events that Jessie remembers but others claim never did. What is going on? Is Jessie slowly losing her mind? Or is someone playing a cruel trick on her?
A Hundred Suns is the type of book that you think you have figured out and with a turn of a page, you discover you had it all wrong. Ms. Tanabe slowly sets the scene and goes into great deal for the description of the locations as well as the political and social attitudes of the time. And just as you get a feel for the type of story it will be, the real action starts and once you’re on that train, its nonstop until the last page and you let out a breath! What a story! It was very intense with no clear character to cheer for or who to vilify as everyone has their reasons and arguments to justify their actions. There is so much more I wish I could discuss about book, but it would give away too many plot points. I highly recommend A Hundred Suns!

A Hundred Suns
is available in hardcover, eBook and audiobook

In the newly released book, A Hundred Suns, by Karin Tanabe, I got a glimpse of a time and place I knew nothing about, the Indochine (Vietnam) of the 1930's. This had much of what I love about historical fiction: vivid descriptions of time and place, and fascinating characters. While the plot was intentionally lurid at times, and a bit sensational, it was definitely a book I couldn't put down.

What I Liked:
Setting:

We are introduced to two different, but equally fascinating worlds: Paris in the Jazz Age, and Indochine (Vietnam) in the 1930''s. In Paris, we see both high society and the vibrant student scene of the time. While the wealthy were determined to keep staunchly conservative values, university students were in love with the idea of change, particularly with Communism.

In Indochine, we also see two different worlds, that of the French colonists, and of the local people who are being oppressed. The politics of the times were very complex, and I felt the novel did a good job of showing the nuances of this period.

Life in the 1920's and 1930's:

The book also shows how difficult life was for women at that time. Most women had few choices. If they wanted to have a better life, they did so by marrying well. This limited their choices by forcing many women to accept difficult situations in exchange for security for them and their children.

Characters:

All of the characters are quite layered, especially Jessie, the main character. While I had a lot of sympathy for what she was going through, she was no angel. Her main motivation in life was fear. And this nudged her to make some awful choices. Yet I found that she was a fierce mother, and (mostly) loyal wife.

Marcelle, Jessie's new friend in Indochine, is also quite complex. She is in love with a wealthy Indochinese man who she met when he was a student in Paris. But as her lover Khoi points out, if he weren't ultra-sophisticated (and more French than a Parisian) would she still have fallen in love with him?

Both Marcelle and Khoi are sympathetic to Communism, but also enjoy an incredibly privileged life. They loved the idea of equality but were never for a moment willing to give up their lavish lifestyles.

Depiction of Colonialism:

I didn't know anything about French Colonialism until I read this book. I liked that it showed what was so insidious about it, while also showing how the French rationalized it at the time. The deep racism of the time was so disturbing, but necessary to show how these practices destroyed a beautiful society.

What I Was Mixed About:
Lurid moments:

The book has several moments of debauchery in order to illustrate the wildness of the times. While I understood this, these scenes were really unpleasant to read about. I wish that the author would have simply alluded to them, rather than spell them out. I can't unread them!

Plot:

The plot is rooted in reality... and then takes on some rediculous twists. Without giving anything away, I will just say that one character really knows how to pre-plan! Other plot points were a bit melodramatic. I wish the book would have stayed with the very real issue of how the French could live with the moral ambiguity of enslaving local people so they could live the High Life.