A well written book that will sweep you away to another world Dragon House tells the story of two American friends, Iris and Noah, who travel to Vietnam to finish the work that Iris’s deceased father started to establish a center for street children in Saigon.
John Shors’s writing transports the reader to another world, from vivid descriptions of the gorgeous landscape beyond the walls of Saigon and Hanoi to the heartbreaking depictions of the squalor and cruelty of street life. I could see (and smell) the streets of Saigon as well as the shores of Nha Trang and Halong Bay. Shors also does a good job of developing the characters - from Noah, an Iraq war veteran who is battling back from a debilitating injury and struggling to find himself, to Mai and Mihn, two street children struggling each day to survive in a storyline a bit reminiscent of Slumdog Millionaire.
Dragon House also wraps in a love story and a plot filled with intrigue and suspense. I would definitely recommend this book to others. A real page turner.
Rated of 5
by Mary Lou F. (Naples, FL)
Dragon House
This was a very well written book - characters were marvelous. It's a book you hate to see end and there is a very poignant message to be learned here.
Rated of 5
by Sue J. (Wauwatosa, WI)
A Must Read Dragon House is themed around Vietnam street children. John Shors captures their life through his words. His descriptions of the sights and sounds of Vietnam were vivid, I can still feel the thrill of being on a scooter in Ho Chi Minh City. Dragon House is a real page turner. I highly recommend it!
Rated of 5
by Lucy B. (Urbana, Ohio)
Children of the street Dragon House is a great read. Several topics were covered by the author: children with no parents, persons handicapped by war injuries, people using drugs who use children to benefit themselves, people looking after the interests of the children by providing a place for them, a child dying from cancer because the parents were not able to afford a doctor, the love between a child and her grandmother, etc. I enjoyed the book even though it made me sad to read about all the problems involved. But the fact that there were people willing to help those children in need made it not so sad.
Rated of 5
by Karen D. (Chestnut Hill, MA)
Most Enjoyable
Having read "Beneath a Marble Sky", I was anxious to read another of John Shors books. I am not quite finished with "Dragon House, but I think it is so good, that I wanted other BookBrowse members to know how much I enjoyed this read. So descriptive of the city it makes you feel like you are there. The children, their hardships, their lives and yet they endure. Noah is a great character study. So angry with how his life was so badly changed. Iris and Thien, two women out to change the outcome of children' lives.
A great book and I give it as many stars as I could.
Rated of 5
by Nina R. (Hot Springs, AR)
Hard to put down
I enjoyed this book from start to finish and hated to see it end. My book club will definitely be glad for my recommendation.
Rated of 5
by Priscilla M. (Houston, TX)
A Satisfying Story
When I first started reading Dragon House, I found the writing to be a bit uneven and stilted. I had trouble staying with the book and put it down several times before I finally got into the story. Iris Rhodes flies to Vietnam to see the children's home her father was building in Saigon before his death. The author never really explains why her father felt compelled to do this, but the reader can surmise it was motivated by guilt after his involvement in the Vietnam War, a guilt that kept him estranged from his family throughout all of Iris's life. Those of us who reached adulthood during this era can completely identify with his need to rebuild the city in some meaningful way. Iris is accompanied by a childhood friend, Noah, who brings with him physical, mental, and emotional scars from the war in Iraq.
Once Iris and Noah reach Saigon, the story starts to pick up momentum. The reader meets the various characters and in spite of my earlier misgivings about the writing, I became attached to them all. The process of healing for both Iris and Noah keeps the story moving toward a very satisfying conclusion. It is a feel good story, complete with a few teary moments.
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by Sandy C. (Houston, TX)
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by Priscilla M. (Houston, TX)
