Beijing Tai Tai: life, laughter and motherhood in China's capital
(Exisle Publishing, $24.99, April 2012, 9781921966156)
BUY
'...intelligent, wise, evocative and laugh out loud hilarious; beautiful comic timing ...' - author Jen Storer
Intensely personal, at times a little controversial, Beijing Tai Tai is a rollercoaster ride of honesty and openness as a wife (tai tai) and mother juggles suburban family life in urban Beijing. Presented in a series of love/hate column-like snippets - on topics ranging from the consumption of bull testicles to the life-altering experience of walking the Great Wall - it exposes expatriate life in a country on the brink of great change.
From tragic hair moments and bustling silk markets to China's quest to stay true to its ancient origins, Beijing Tai Tai is a book for anyone interested in this diverse and culturally rich country. It's for anyone from anywhere who knows what it's like to fall in love, explore new worlds and live with challenges. It's about life in a city full of soaring highs and disconsolate lows - but never anything less than remarkable.
Head to the Beijing Tai Tai website for photos, blog entries, and to see a video of Tania talking about Beijing Tai Tai.
This book rewrites the myth of the full-time expat mother. - Lee Mack, Managing Editor, City Weekend Beijing
Both
funny and insightful, McCartney's utterly honest account is a must-read
for anyone with an interest in China, in refreshingly frank memoir or
in the subject of motherhood - whichever country you choose to learn it
in. - Jenny Niven, Associate Director, The Wheeler Centre
This book was so much fun! I laughed out loud a number of times . . . I shook my head at the antics of the Ayi . . . I shopped alongside the author . . . my heart broke at the tears she shed over her departed mother. I also marvelled at the adaptability of her children in a foreign land and smiled to see them grow regardless into young Aussies. - Ingrid Jonach, author
I do adore Tai Tai. It's wonderful. The insights are at times deep, at times just fun, and the whole book is a joy. - Jackie French, author
McCartney writes with verve and wit about her experiences as a 'tai tai' . . . a series of essays/magazine columns/journal entries, rather than one ongoing narrative . . . that add up together to create one spicy, sweet, tangy whole. - Alexa Moses, author
Served in small, tantalisingly easy to digest morsels, each piece of Tania's four year residency in Beijing left my mouth watering for more. Each bite was impressively seasoned with raw emotion, succulent insights and a crisp candour, positively crackling with humour. Some portions were able to be wolfed down quickly in eager expectation of the next dish. Others allowed more time to savour the vivid and sometimes not so savoury aspects of being an Expat in one of China's most beguiling cities. - Dimity Powell, author
