Elaine Russell
Adult books
Geneviève Dubois, half-Lao/half-French, turns eighteen and leaves the French orphanage where she has been trapped for fourteen unhappy years. She is determined to uncover the story of her parents and locate her missing twin brother. Stepping into the deeply divided world of 1931 French colonial Laos, she finds neither French colons nor native Lao readily accept her mixed heritage. Even falling in love is fraught with the cultural restrictions of two dissonant societies. Where does she fit in?
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"Stunning coming-of-age set in French colonial Laos. Russell (author of Across the Mekong River) gracefully captures the fraught atmosphere of 1931 French colonial Laos...Russell’s gentle narration allows readers to experience Vivi’s blossoming firsthand, in poetic prose that stirs vivid imagery…"
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Booklife Review – Editor’s Pick
"A richly sensory narrative set in Laos during the period of French rule. Russell’s prose is…crisp and considered. Readers who desire to wander through the streets and fields of French colonial Laos will find much here to stir their imaginations."
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Kirkus Reviews
"When the Tamarind Tree Blooms is a masterpiece of historical fiction that deftly balances factual richness with emotional resonance."
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Asma Aisha Ansari, Online Book Club
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The story of a Hmong refugee family (also available in French: De l'autre côté du Mékong.) In a California courtroom, seventeen-year-old Nou Lee reels with what she is about to do. What she must do to survive. She reflects on the splintered path that led to this moment, beginning twelve years ago in 1978, when her Hmong family escaped from Laos after the Communist takeover. The story follows the Lees from a squalid refugee camp in Thailand to a new life in Minnesota and eventually California. Family members struggle to survive in a strange foreign land, haunted by the scars of war and loss of family. Across the Mekong River paints a vivid picture of the Hmong immigrant experience, exploring family love, sacrifice, and the resiliency of the human spirit to overcome tragic circumstances.
"Ravaged by the Vietnam War, a culturally ingrained family from Laos leaves everything behind to pursue a dangerous journey across the Mekong River leading them from Thailand to the United States in Russell's novel. As each character's internal conflicts unfold, his or her unique voice sheds light on the different aspects of Hmong culture. The plots expansiveness is seamless and Russell aptly integrates the culture conflict. The family's richly drawn tension culminates in a grueling court case that affects all involved. A multifaceted tale of complex characters finding new lives in their new world."
- Kirkus Reviews
"From the opening of the Prologue of her new book, "Across the Mekong River," author Elaine Russell pulls you into a tale at once fascinating and engaging...Russell strives to produce a story that goes beyond one family or one culture's experience and explore more about the human condition. It is a very worthwhile and entertaining read."
- Amy Doeun, Hmong Times Online
Le traduction Français du roman Across the Mekong River (publié 2012 - 4.3 stars sur Amazon), De l'autre côté du Mékong est l'histoire de une famille Hmong. Dans une salle d'audience de Californie, Nou Lee, dix-sept ans, est bouleversée par ce qu'elle s'apprête à faire. Ce qu'elle est obligée de faire pour survivre. Elle se rappelle du parcours sinueux qui l'a menée jusqu'ici, entamé il y a douze ans, en 1978, lorsque sa famille Hmong s'est échappée du Laos après la prise du pouvoir par les communistes. L'histoire suit la famille Lee depuis un camp de réfugiés insalubre en Thaïlande jusqu'à une nouvelle vie dans le Minnesota, puis en Californie. Les membres de la famille luttent pour survivre dans un pays étranger, tourmentés par les meurtrissures de la guerre et la perte de leurs proches. La Traversée du Mékong dresse un tableau saisissant de l'expérience des immigrants Hmong, en évoquant l'amour familial, le sacrifice et la capacité de l'esprit humain à surmonter des circonstances tragiques.
In the Company of Like-Minded Women explores the complexities of bonds between sisters and family at the start of the 20th century when women struggled to determine their future and the “New Woman” demanded an equal voice. Three sisters are reunited in 1901 Denver following a family rift many years before. Each sister faces critical decisions regarding love, work, and the strength of her convictions. The success of Colorado women in gaining the right to vote in 1893--twenty-seven years before the passage of national suffrage--and their continued fight for women's rights, provides the background as the story unfolds.
"This is part love story (romantic and familial) and part examinations of the early days of women entering the professional arena...passionate female characters deliver a valuable message."
- Kirkus Reviews
"Elaine Russell's In the Company of Like-Minded women is a sweet and charming story of sisterhood, suffrage, and sincere emotion in the early 20th century. Light and breezy, Russell's writing is a delight to read with historical detail and wonderful character voices keeping readers engaged throughout."
- Indie Reader
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