(From the publisher) Vietnam 1916, the Perfume River at dawn: A red-lacquered boat glides along the riverbank, guided by the rhythmic paddling of an ancient oarsman. As the sampan nears the shore, a wedding party prepares the landing site for the arrival of the intended bride. Inside the sampan's cabin, the bride waits nervously to meet the groom and his family—for she has never laid eyes on her betrothed. When she sees her husband for the first time, she is shocked to find a young boy no more than seven years old—she has been tricked into providing the family with a daughter-in-law's free labor.

More mother than wife, Ven takes care of her young husband, Dan, until the day he is forced to leave his childhood behind forever when, while hidden by the thick branches of a mango tree, he witnesses his father's brutal beheading by the village's power-hungry mayor. Dan and his family are forced to flee their ancestral home to escape the mayor's terrible rage, and it is only when Dan grows up and realizes he is in love with the one person he can never have—the mayor's own granddaughter, Tai May—that he is forced to create his own destiny.

The Tapestries is inspired by the true story of the author's grandfather, a tapestry weaver in the last imperial court of Vietnam. After Nguyen published his memoir, The Unwanted, his brother returned to Vietnam to retrieve the tapestries still in their family's possession. When the tapestry that most mesmerized Kien as a young boy was found in ruin, he was inspired to reimagine his grandfather's life into a living, breathing tapestry of his own—this vivid novel, a debt of honor to the memory of his grandfather. Filled with luscious details of turn-of-the-century Vietnam, this is a story of spellbinding drama, intrigue, and an unforgettable love affair.

About the Author

	© David Spielman

(From the publisher) Kien Nguyen left Vietnam in 1985 through the United Nations Orderly Department Program. After spending time at a refugee camp in the Philippines, Nguyen arrived in the United States. He lives in New York City.