THE SWALLOWS UNCAGED.

An ambitious narrative that spans 1,000 years of Vietnamese history.

The Swallows Uncaged comprises eight memorable stories that take us back to the drama and excitement of the past. Ranging from the eleventh century to the twentieth century, they all feature the Nguyen clan and most adopt the point of view of Nguyen women, though a few of the later ones also employ the viewpoints of Western missionaries, traders, and expatriates. From Lan, dreaming of attaining womanhood in ‘The Black Stain,' to Hanh, driving stakes into the riverbed to repel the Mongol horde in ‘The Mongolian Stake,' Elizabeth McLean brings to vivid life, and in incandescent prose, the joys and sorrows of Vietnamese women as they contend with or adapt to all-encompassing patriarchal restrictions. Domestic dramas – whether in a village or in a royal court – are played out against major poltical events such as a Chinese invasion or (from our own times) “the American war.” Dramatic, resonant and beautifully crafted, these stories are a wonderful evocation of a country and the lives of its people, and form a triumphant debut from an author with a superb gift for storytelling. ELIZABETH MCLEAN spent six years teaching and working in Hanoi between 2005 and 2011. Curiosity and fascination with Vietnamese history and folklore inspired her to write The Swallows Uncaged. She now lives and writes in Vancouver and is currently at work on a novel, also set in Vietnam but in 43 AD, featuring two real-life warrior queens.