When the Frangipanis are in Bloom
The colourful wild flower, Frangipanis bloom in late spring and summer are a very popular symbol of purity and spirituality throughout Vietnam. The trees are mainly found on hillsides along the coast, releasing an attractive sweet aroma when in bloom. Cultivated for their beauty and distinctive fragrance, Frangipani blooms often adorn religious temples and ceremonies.
In her first work of fiction, Juliette Mai Triozon delivers an enchanting tale of history and romance with When the Frangipanis are in Bloom. Her story follows three dynamic and strong-willed women through three generations, beginning in the French colonial period and spanning two continents. Torn between two cultures, they forge a path through conflict and competing traditions to maintain their common bonds.
Triozon gracefully explores the pain of separation from loved ones and family origins, and addresses the responses to challenges experienced in the face of events that are beyond our control. As their lives diverge, the principal characters come to terms with their common bonds and their commitments to preceding generations.
Bridging time and distance, When the Frangipanis are in Bloom draws upon actual historical events and locations to actively portray the effects of history on the lives of people caught up in it. Triozon draws upon her own life experience and that of her ancestors to reflect upon the impacts of different cultures and circumstances in one's own personal development.
The strength of character portrayed in three generations of women, reflects the times in which they lived together with the choices made to survive and prosper in an ever-changing environment. Personal bonds are strengthened even as family traditions contrast with cultural influences, and as societies as a whole adapt to new norms of existence.
When the Frangipanis are in Bloom offers a rich narrative for the modern reader and a realistic perspective for those seeking to learn more about a tumultuous period of history. It brings a uniquely human perspective to those touched by these historical events.
Born in Vietnam, before emigrating to France at the age of 15, Juliette Mai Triozon has experienced life in two cultures joined by history and conflict. Her experience is shared by many who have exchanged one way of life for another. Juliette's story reflects resilience and strength of character in taking on challenges that span both time and distance.
Vietnam reflects an ancient civilization spanning five millennia, home to a great number of cultures and dynasties over its rich history. It has existed in harmony and in conflict with neighboring civilizations, as well as the outside world, due mainly to its location along navigable rivers and ocean trading routes. During the past century, its course has been influenced by five major world powers, all while sustaining its own unique cultural identity.
In the shadow of this rich cultural history, Juliette (Mai-Tâm) Triozon traces her life and that of her mother, Nguyen Thi Ly, through a turbulent 20th century Vietnam. Waltzing with the Dragons: The true story of a mother and daughter in war-torn Vietnam demonstrates the profound impact of world events on the lives of people who live through them. It is a captivating story traversing all of the key epochs in modern Vietnamese history, beginning with the French colonial period, though the Japanese military occupation, the French withdrawal from Indochina, the war of independence, the emergence of communism and partition of the country, and the war which ensued with the arrival of American troops.
The abandonment of family tradition is a wrenching decision for any young adolescent woman wishing to escape an arranged marriage, especially for one descended from the last of the dynastic mandarins. Taken in by French family friends, Nguyen Thi Ly became Catholic, married a French officer, and became widowed shortly thereafter at the age of eighteen. Ly, who took the name Anna, was a woman ahead of her time, whose independence and force of character enabled her to survive through very demanding times. Her second marriage to a French doctor gave birth to a Eurasian daughter, Mai-Tâm, as ominous events continued to sweep across the country.
Mother and daughter straddled two worlds, accepted by some and rejected by others in the course of their journey. Their stories are depicted without pathos, and without passing value judgments on the choices made in the situations that they faced. Waltzing with the Dragons is a story of our time and of two remarkable women who approached the world on their own terms.
