The Piano Teacher

I read The Piano Teacher by Janice Y.K. Lee in multiple formats.  I started out on my husband's kindle, then read my own paper copy, and also listened to the audiobook intermittently (the audiobook was available from the library).  That meant that I finished this book pretty fast.
The Piano Teacher is a beautiful book.  It sucks you in to its time and place (Hong Kong during and after WWII) and you feel immersed in the world of the characters.  That said, none of the characters are actually very sympathetic.  The story jumps back and forth in time.  One story line occurs during the Japanese invasion and occupation of Hong Kong and follows the romance of an Englishman, Will, and a Eurasian socialite of Chinese and Portuguese extraction, Trudy Liang.  Trudy is generally vapid and vain, but she has moments of insight and the affection between her and Will is portrayed well.  Will is a difficult character to understand.  He mostly comes across as the stalwart Englishman to whom things just seem to happen.
The second story line occurs 10 years later and follows the romance of Will and another woman, the "piano teacher" Claire.  Claire is married to a rather dull Englishman who has brought her to Hong Kong where she sort of "discovers herself."
Other characters float in and out, including Victor and Melody Chen, cousins of Trudy and employers of Claire.  There is also a strange subplot about the Crown Collection - some sort of archaeological treasure trove owned by the English in Hong Kong which went missing during the war.
The book itself is written well and I enjoyed it, but the Crown Collection plot line, which is meant to tie everything together at the end, never really worked for me.  Perhaps this was written for a British audience who would better understand the intricacies of imperial politics.  As an East Asian History major, the descriptions of the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong and the British reaction did seem accurate, and I liked learning more about this particular event.
Overall, I'd give the book 7 out of 10.  This was Lee's first novel, and I'd definitely like to read whatever she publishes next.

Random number generator says my next book is #12: I Know This Much is True.  This is a 900 page tome.  Since I'm posting this review very belatedly, I've already started this book... I've actually got only 250 pages to go.  So good but... SO. LONG.