San Francisco - January 21, 2009

A Valuable Lesson

“The Piano Teacher,” by Janice Y. K. Lee

Your piano lessons involved an arpeggio of halitosis, “Chopsticks,” and creepy Mrs. Snodgrass.

Not those of Claire Pendleton, the titular character in The Piano Teacher. Janice Y. K. Lee’s captivating love story weaves together three characters in Hong Kong before, during, and after World War II.

Claire, a demure Brit whose husband relocates them to post-war Hong Kong, begins teaching piano to a young girl, then meets (and begins an affair with) Will Truesdale, the mysterious family chauffeur.

While unlocking Will’s elusive, war-torn past, Claire learns of Trudy Liang, his lost Eurasian love. As the love story triangulates, a secret is revealed — making the book impossible to put down.

In other words, it hits all the right notes.

Available online at amazon.com or at your local bookstore.