Hundred Altars
Juliet Bredon
“Hundred Altars” is a village in Northern China, whose inhabitants are presented so convincingly that one recognises first-hand knowledge of the country. Chinese beliefs and customs are dealt with in detail here, yet all as part of a novel full of interplay of character. In this impressive novel Juliet Bredon penetrates to the soul of that vast country, revealing its people, its customs, its struggles as they have seldom, if ever, been revealed before. Juliet Bredon has, for many years, lived in China, and it is evident that she knows China and understands her deeply and with sympathy.
Here are some reviews from when the book first came out in 1934:
Quite a good novel about a Chinese village…. Very well written. Should appeal to those who like family stories and an Oriental setting. Many of those who like the Pearl Buck books will enjoy this. Through the fortunes of two families, … Juliet Bredon has traced a good deal of the modern history of China over a period of three generations. – Kirkus Reviews
“Hundred Altars” is a real and moving story, solidly conceived and worked out in a great deal of detail. Miss Bredon is mistress of a wealth of information concerning China and the Chinese, and sets it forth in an exceptionally graphic and interesting manner. – NYTIMES
You can have your Pearl Bucks and your Upton Closes; give me Juliet Bredon. -Brooklyn Daily Eagle
