This is a good story. A very heartfelt book.

A good read. Fiction. based in 1871 in northern china, about being sold by her father at 13

This was a hard book to read, since it is based on a real person and real events, but I still greatly enjoyed it.

Be warned that there are two instances that get just a little too sexually graphic (at least, for me), but those instances are one line each, and the book never goes into actual detail. Also, this book does deal with rape and the sex trade.

As for the story itself, I love the way Lalu's life is presented, and how she handles everything that comes at her. She was a very strong woman, and a figure I knew nothing about, even though much of this book takes place in the very state I live in (which I hadn't known when I picked it up). There were a few times the story skipped forward before I was ready for it to, but it was more of because I wanted to see more of Lalu's responses to the circumstances of her life than because more time was actually needed.

The first couple of pages didn't really grab me, but then I was hooked after that, wanting to know what happened next while being terrified of what would happen to Lalu. While most know of the American West, this was a side of the time period I knew nothing about, so it was interesting to see it through the eyes of someone who was considered an outsider.

Overall, this is a great introduction to Lalu and to the struggles Asians had in the western territories of the US. It's engaging to read, and it makes me want to learn more about Lalu and other women like her.

I highly recommend this book.

In three hundred pages, it's probably difficult to really provide deep narrative of a woman's 80 year life-span, so I won't judge the disjointed story too harshly. The stories of women through history who toiled and slaved are a dime a dozen. But, I'm glad I read one of them. Very touching.

Great story of hardship and perseverance. Life as a woman of color was very difficult in 1800s. Glad she had a decent life.

I had never heard of Polly Bemis until I read this book. Wow, what a woman and what a life she led.

This historical novel is based on the life of Lalu Nathoy, a Chinese teen who was kidnapped by bandits, the leader of which had been a farm laborer working for her father, and turned to a life of crime in order to survive. She was taken from her home in northern China in 1871. Her father had said he would never sell her, but he did so for two bags of soy seeds. She was then sold to a madam, but was not put to work there, instead she was sent to a Chinese man in Warren, Idaho, where she was renamed Polly. She wanted nothing but to buy her freedom, however, she learned that her owner had refused several offers to sell her to the man that she loved, and who unfortunately dies an untimely death. Jim's close friend Charlie, who owned a saloon right next door to where Polly lived/worked was her protector from all the unruly "demons" who frequented place where she worked. Eventually Charlie manages to obtain Polly her freedom and they leave Warren. The story goes on and is worth reading.

In this paperback edition, there are copies of some photographs of Polly, as well as of her ranch. Today, she is valued as one of Idaho's legendary pioneers. There is a creek, the Polly Creek, named for her and the Polly Bemis Ranch is a designated National Historic site. The Ranch is a 26-acre estate located on the main branch of the Salmon River, 44 miles east of Riggins, Idaho. It lies in an area protected by the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act and is surrounded by 2.2 million acres of the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness Area--the largest protected wilderness area in the continental United States.

Received this book from Good Reads. Great story...kept me reading

Endurance

Excellent way of writing a biography. Read like a story. I enjoyed this book very much. Tells the life of a strong willed little girl from China who survived horrific situations and was able to make a good life for herself.

a fascinating and lovely story. something about the writing style made it hard for me to get into at first but i was sucked in by the end.

Interesting look at the Western US and relationship with Chinese immigrants in the 1800s. Based off a historical person Polly Beamis. Also shows the impact of good people as well as those who have a darker personality. Worth reading.

This book has pictures - I like pictures.

Easy to see why someone would want to write a book about Polly's life. Incredible how resilient she is in the face of such intense hardships!
Very nice read!