A beautifully written book, taking the reader to a far orient. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to review this!

I live in Greenville, SC where the Michelin North America Headquarters is so I was excited to read this book. It’s a bit slow to start BUT very interesting. I found the lead, Jessie, likeable and enjoyed her story. I found the history of Michelin so interesting and learning about Indochine fascinating. The author did a good job filling in holes but I do feel like the event that drove the plot was a bit weak and kind of unrealistic. I wasn’t expecting the thriller type turn 1/2 way through the book so I loved that angle. The ending wraps up super quick and but I feel like it was a decent length and I wouldn’t have preferred it being drawn out.

There were several twists I didn’t anticipate but there were stories that felt unsettled/unresolved.

Overall, I REALLY enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others.

I absolutely loved this book and am happy to discover this author. This book takes place in French colonized Indochine (now Vietnam) which makes it truly fascinating and unique to historical fiction readers. What really stands out even more than the locale, though, is the suspenseful story and great character development. I wanted the story to never end as I got caught up with the characters- especially the main character, Jessie. The back and forth of the plot at the beginning is very well done and when you move through the book and get back to that first chapter, you understand where the book is going. I couldn’t put this book down and recommend it highly.
Please note that I read this book for free in exchange for an unbiased netgallery review.

Let me start by saying that I loved this book and I hated this book. A story set in 1933 Indochina, before Vietnam was Vietnam. A story of the haves and the have nots. A story about the Michelin Rubber heirs.

My thanks to Netgalley and St Martins Press for this advanced readers copy. This book is due to release in April 2020.

"Well well well, another book about colonists living it up back in the good old days off the exploitation of brown people, I can't wait to hate-read this," I thought as my ARC from Netgalley was approved. Yes, it's about colonists living it up back in the good old days of "Indochine" but my hate-read turned into an actual can't-put-it-down-read because the intrigue! The suspense! The good intentions gone wrong with all the manipulation and social/racial/geopolitical machinations! I have not been so pleased to cynically underestimate this book in forever. I don't care if the fictional characters are all morally grey, as long as they make it difficult for me to put the book down. This book had everything I didn't know I wanted.

A powerful and enlightening story of one woman’s journey to deliver herself from poverty. An enchanting read told against the backdrop of Indochina in the 1930’s will resonate with historical fiction fans.

This book was a slow burn. It started with some intrigue and excitement, drawing me in, before slowing way down with lots of description and not much forward movement. It got so slow, in fact, that I found myself considering putting it down and finding a different book. But I read a couple more chapters first, and found myself getting hooked in. As I continued to read, I suddenly found myself unable to put the book down.

Trying to figure out who was right and who was wrong, the reasons behind the mysteries, and the historical setting itself all came together to weave an intriguing story that was both realistic and sublimely fascinating.

I was ultimately very surprised by how much I enjoyed this book, and I loved the ending.

This historical novel is set in the 1930's Indochine and evokes the character of the ex-pat community of the times in general and the inner lives of the protagonists specifically. It also explores the living conditions of the plantation workers versus the social life of the plantation owners. Each have an agenda and the major characters all have secrets. It is beautifully written and has many surprises.

Thank you to the publisher and author for providing me with a digital ARC of this title via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I was not familiar with this author or title before coming across it on Netgalley. I was intrigued by the summary. The book quickly drew me in, wondering how her family disappeared and what was going on around her. Unfortunately, my interested wained as the book progressed. By the second half, I was tired of the rich, spoiled lifestyle and the strong need for revenge over anything. It became tiresome. The book wrapped up nicely, but overall just wasn't my cup of tea.

In this story, which follows Victor Lesage, his wife Jessie, and their daughter Lucie as they embark on their journey from France to one of the French Colonial territories of Indochine, now Vietnam in the 1930's. Victor has been sent to oversee the the Michelin families rubber plantations as his mother is a Michelin, and he hopes to further his career.
Also living there is Marcelle de Fabry, her husband and her lover Khoi Nguyen.
Marcelle, show Jessie the ins and outs of ex-pat life, which is very different from what she was used to in France.
The story mainly goes between Jessie and Marcelle's observations as we follow the reasons that they both ended up there, and the relationship they each have formed, and the things they are running from.
From Communist threats, to Opium dens, to a lavish life style, Both Jessie and Marcelle, need to see what woks for them, in a place full of threats and dangers as they navigate things, they think they know.
Suspenseful, full of mystery and misunderstandings.
Well written story.
I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this book.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of A Hundred Suns in exchange for an honest review.

I choose this book because I simply love the genre of historical fiction. It is a tale which takes place in the early 1930’s in Vietnam. Jessie marries into the rich Michelin family and because of certain circumstances, transports her husband and child to Vietnam and to the rubber plantations. Being part of the elite class, Jessie and her husband meet Marcelle, the beautiful wife of a powerful ex-pat.

Without giving too much away, the reader is whisked abroad to a place filled with affairs, lies, death, opium, and poisonings! Add in some communism, political strife and the need to protect one’s family at all cost and you have the novel A Hundred Suns.

There is certainly a lot happening in this story! It has many interesting interlaced threads that come together, but some of them not very plausible. The culture and society of the elite living in Vietnam is certainly intriguing enough but Jessie’s backstory is just too contrived. The farther I read the more unbelievable it became, to the point of me simply not caring what happens to Jessie and her family. I feel as if the author tried to incorporate as many different scenarios as possible, to the detriment of the story arc. In this case, less is more.

This sensuous, richly textured brings us into the world of 1930's Indochine, where the expat Europeans have it all and the natives are getting restless. American Jessie Lesage joins her husband Victor, a member of the Michelin family on the Michelin family rubber plantation. Victor has been promoted to managing the property and has things to prove; Jessie spent her early life in dire poverty and will need to learn how to manage in what passes for high society among the expats in Indochine. Both have secrets to hide. Jessie meets Marcella: French, rich, and an advocate (and secret communist) for the indigenous people who work the rubber plantations. Marcella befriends Jessie, and guides her acceptance into local society, but she also has secrets to hide, and she senses that Jessie is not what she appears to be. Conflicts are unavoidable; between the Europeans and the natives they take advantage of at best and often treat abysmally; between Jessie and Marcella who are "frenemies'; and between the competitive rubber barons. While Indochine is beautiful on the surface, things and the people around them are not what they appear to be. When Jessie appears to have a psychotic episode, it seems as if she may have to leave Indochine.

A Hundred Suns will grab your attention and hold it fast, with it's fascinating blend of fact and fiction. The deceptions run deep and wide, and Karin Tanabe's description of a life that is beautiful on the surface but rotten to the core will keep you turning pages and giving up sleep until the startling finish.

It sounded super intriguing and has a beautiful cover but overall, the story just felt meh. Too many plot lines and back and forth timelines tended to get weird. Everyone having affairs with everyone and the main characters indifference to her daughter, maybe was in line with the times, but so much else about her felt very modern and didn’t flow right for me. I know a lot of people seemed to have liked it so maybe this type of story, though one I have enjoyed in the past, simply isn’t for me.

Genre: Historical Fiction/Women’s Fiction
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Pub. Date: April 7, 2020

This historical fiction had moments of greatness. The location is set in Indochina, during the late1920s and the early 1930s. If you are a history buff, you will be delighted to know that this reviewer learned much about Indochina, the French Colony in Vietnam. Such as the beginning of communism in Vietnam were the Vietnamese where trying to regain power of their county, the long hard lifestyles of the ‘coolies,’ the abject poverty of the Vietnamese and the abundance of wealth and luxurious living conditions of the French who made their home in Indochina. For me, there is no greater gift in a novel than when I learn history while being wrapped up in the story of the novel.

The tale revolves around an American wife who marries a Frenchman who is a member of the Michelin family. In real-life, the Michelin brothers organized two rubber plantations (for their tires) in Indochina during 1925 in which they operated (according to google) until the end of the Vietnam War. In this novel, the Michelin family is painted as part of the wealthy imperialists who cannot understand the feelings and pain of the unprivileged. Their plantations were much like the plantations in the United States during the years of slavery. Unlike the black slaves, these workers were paid but certainly not enough to live on. Their living conditions were notorious. They were often whipped and/or died from lack of proper care, including starvation, which meant without money their families also died. It took a bit of research to confirm that this was true. “Conditions were particularly poor on the plantations owned by French tyre manufacturer Michelin. In the 20 years between the two world wars, one Michelin-owned plantation recorded 17,000 deaths.”— https://alphahistory.com/vietnamwar/french-colonialism-in-vietnam/. The book is written so the reader will sympathize with the Vietnamese. You will root for the abused locals trying to find freedom in the communist movement. I guess rooting for the communist is a un-American statement—what you can learn in a book can change your thinking.

Turns out, the novel is also written as a physiological thriller regarding the American wife. She has a history of mental illness. The author presents this as an “Or does she?” type of situation. I didn’t mind this component of the novel at all; it is interesting and did not interfere with the history. My issue is that romance finds its way into the plot. Unfortunately, I didn’t notice that this genre is historical fiction as well as women’s fiction, something I do not usually care for. So my disappointment is on me for not carefully looking over the genre before choosing the book. Still, overall I enjoyed this novel and recommend it. The entire plot revolving around this history is written powerful and intriguing. And, the thriller part is clever. Plus, if you enjoy women’s fiction it will be a win-win situation for you.

Received this book from Netgalley in exchange for a honest review. Very interesting tale about a time and area I knew little about. French Indochine in the 1930’s, a hotbed of colonial imperialism and communist rumblings. The story centers on Jessie Lasage and her husband Victor, of the Michelin family. As they are sent to manage the family rubber plantations it is apparent there is a disconnect between the sumptuous lives of the French and that of the native laborers. Thrown into the indolent social life of Indochine, Jessie meets others of the same social status including Marcella who takes her under her wing. We find everyone, starting with Jessie, have pasts they are hiding and trying to repair. Secrets and lies, revenge and remorse come to play as the story evolves. No spoilers here but this is an excellent prequel to the Vietnam we now know.

I found this book good at times and bad at times.
The main character seemed weak and annoying. I didn’t really care too much for the other characters either. The last few chapters were the best. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy

Stunning!! And devastating! And by the end of this lyrical book, life is as beautiful as the sun. I am mixing metaphors here, when I say that this book is like a kabuki performance. Kabuki is a traditional and stylized Japanese form of drama, and this book takes place in colonial Indochina, now Viet Nam. Still, the sweeping and rich blend of romance, suspense, history, as shown through the food, scenery, clothing and manners of the time is presented in the stylized manner of kabuki. Each character is trapped in their role and must perform according to the rules of the times. (And by “kabuki” I don’t mean to imply that this book is inaccessible to a reader. A Hundred Suns is thrilling, exciting, puzzling and glorious, you must read it in one sitting.)

So, who are the character in the insular world of Indochina in the 1930’s? The main character that looms overall, is Michelin et Cie. Then comes Jessie, an American, who has managed to achieve her dream of leaving her life of poverty behind by marrying a rich member of the Michelin family. She lives in Paris with her husband, Victor. Although he is not a major Michelin, he seizes the opportunity to take his wife and child to Hanoi, Indochina, France’s colony to manage Michelin’s two large rubber plantations.

Another set of characters, also with a Michelin interest are the French Marcelle, her Indochine lover Khoi and their two close friends. Marcelle and Khoi met as students in Paris and reunited in Hanoi. Khoi is the scion of a major “native” silk producer. Their paths collide with Victor and Jessie in a diabolical and sinister way.

Another major part of the book are the places- Paris and Hanoi. Both are well described with lush scenes that show the sophistication, culture and facades of Paris, the weather, natural beauty, food, and societal structure of Hanoi. In the midst of beauty and wealth, Capitalism battles Communism, Jessie struggles with her past, Marcelle and Khoi strive to right a wrong.

The story begins on a specific day, November, 20, 1933 in Hanoi, and then flashes back to the events that lead to the catastrophic denouement on this day. Are dreams and hopes, guided by the sun enough?

Highly, highly recommend. Many thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher, St. Martin’s Press for aa digital review copy. This is my honest review.

Gripping story!! This book has it all;we find historical insights, culture, family and friendship,and mystery. The story unfolds slowly but keeps the suspense till the very end. I loved how despite all the conflicts Jessie and her family went through the ending was not rushed or abrupt.

A wonderfully written novel that covers Indochine (Vietnam) in the 1930s and the cultural differences between the “elite” and locals. The story follows an American, Jessie Lesage, and her husband, Victor Michelin Lesage, and daughter as they travel to the Michelin families rubber plantation in Indochine. Karin Tanabe paints a beautiful picture of the land through her words and allows the reader to witness and understand an era that is not as familiar. A great read that had me thinking for days after.

This is the fabulous story of Jessie Lesage. An American woman accompanying her French husband Victor to the shores of vietnam during the 1930s. Money makes the world go round and no matter the date, this is always true.

I found Jessie to be quite an fascinating woman. Soaked in intrigued and the secrets that spiral around her, add a charm and mystery to her that made me want to know more and more. The life she leads begins to wear thin and a power struggle emerges around her...... The life she has built is fraught with holes and the whole thing becomes quite an ordeal.. The glitz and glamour soon start to lose their shine and the whole story comes to the climax of the symphony and I couldn't stop my jaw dropping!

I thoroughly enjoyed the setting, the characters blew me away and the author had a real way of building a world around you that you never want to emerge from. If you are looking for the kind of historical fiction that will keep you on your toes and have you thirsting for more than this book is the one for you. I loved everything about it and now I'm hunting for more of this incredible authors work. This extravaganza of a read while ensnare your senses and make you lose track of your day.