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Rabbit in the Moon
According to Chinese folklore, there is a rabbit in the moon pounding on the elixir of life.
Shanghai, May 3, 1949—A city on the edge in a time of tremendous unrest. For most, Communism brings new hope; but for Dr. Ni-Fu Cheng, Communism is no better nor worse than any other system, and only modern science will truly enable the Chinese people to compete with the outside world. On the verge of a stupendous scientific discovery, Dr. Cheng never fears for his safety, and he cannot leave China—not yet. But he will not take a chance with his only daughter, Su-Wei: she has to live. As Dr. Cheng sends Su-Wei to live in America, his heart aches. Don’t worry about me, he thinks. I am the rabbit in the moon. No one will hurt me. Not as long as I can find the secret�
San Francisco, 1989—Forty years after Mao and his People’s Liberation Army set out to change China forever, Dr. Lili Quan begins a journey that will change her life forever. In her 27 years, Lili had rarely thought of herself as anything other than an American. But to honor her mother’s dying wish that Lili “return home,� Lili reluctantly sets out for China.
On this extraordinary trip filled with remarkable discoveries, Lili finds her grandfather, Dr. Ni-Fu Cheng, a man she believed had died years ago. But Dr. Cheng had made the most remarkable discovery of all—he discovered the secret to long life.
Dr. Cheng shares his knowledge with Lili, unknowingly putting her in danger. As greedy and unscrupulous men vie for control of the most earth-shattering discovery of the century, Lili will become a pawn in a deadly international game.
From California, to Hong Kong, to Macao, to Seoul, to mainland China, the race is on for the ultimate prize—the rabbit in the moon.
Shanghai, May 3, 1949—A city on the edge in a time of tremendous unrest. For most, Communism brings new hope; but for Dr. Ni-Fu Cheng, Communism is no better nor worse than any other system, and only modern science will truly enable the Chinese people to compete with the outside world. On the verge of a stupendous scientific discovery, Dr. Cheng never fears for his safety, and he cannot leave China—not yet. But he will not take a chance with his only daughter, Su-Wei: she has to live. As Dr. Cheng sends Su-Wei to live in America, his heart aches. Don’t worry about me, he thinks. I am the rabbit in the moon. No one will hurt me. Not as long as I can find the secret�
San Francisco, 1989—Forty years after Mao and his People’s Liberation Army set out to change China forever, Dr. Lili Quan begins a journey that will change her life forever. In her 27 years, Lili had rarely thought of herself as anything other than an American. But to honor her mother’s dying wish that Lili “return home,� Lili reluctantly sets out for China.
On this extraordinary trip filled with remarkable discoveries, Lili finds her grandfather, Dr. Ni-Fu Cheng, a man she believed had died years ago. But Dr. Cheng had made the most remarkable discovery of all—he discovered the secret to long life.
Dr. Cheng shares his knowledge with Lili, unknowingly putting her in danger. As greedy and unscrupulous men vie for control of the most earth-shattering discovery of the century, Lili will become a pawn in a deadly international game.
From California, to Hong Kong, to Macao, to Seoul, to mainland China, the race is on for the ultimate prize—the rabbit in the moon.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2001
12 people are currently reading
414 people want to read
About the author
Deborah Shlian
19Ìýbooks15ÌýfollowersDeborah Shlian a physician, medical consultant, and author of non-fiction and fiction (medical mystery/thrillers). She practices medicine and often co-writes with her husband .
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
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May 15, 2008June 2008 publication Date
"as the world focuses on China, human rights and the approach of the Beijing Olymipics...this thriller lays it all out. a stunning work of fiction and a vivid look at China, its culture, politics and ancient wisdom.
"as the world focuses on China, human rights and the approach of the Beijing Olymipics...this thriller lays it all out. a stunning work of fiction and a vivid look at China, its culture, politics and ancient wisdom.
November 18, 2008
The value of roots and culture. A great and exciting read!
November 18, 2008
I love Lili! And China. Couldn't put it down.
November 28, 2008
Intriguing, well researched thriller. Definitely recommend
December 11, 2008
Great read about China during the student uprising in Tiananmen Square without having to read a boring history text.
Brain B. University of Florida student
Brain B. University of Florida student
November 19, 2008
I enjoyed the Rabbit in the Moon novel. The cover caught my attention and the book was wonderful. Suspense, intrigue and the travel sequence in China was terrific. I recommend the book, it is an easy read, although some of the community names were difficult to follow, the book is a "thumbs up" novel. Question, will there be a follow up to this book?
November 21, 2008
Just read this with my book club- we spent 2 hours discussing the student democracy movement in China, the Tiananmen massacre, the Cultural Revolution, themes of longevity, identity, hope, etc. Very interesting. This was not only a good thriller, but the kind of book where you really learn something about another culture.
November 18, 2008
Wonderful book--a real page-turner. Thrilling action as Lili Quan visits her ancestral homeland and stumbles on a life-changing secret that has her running for her life! Great romance, mystery, thriller.
Read
November 21, 2008excellent thriller about a Chinese-American doctor who gets involved in a thriller regarding a lifetime enhancing treatment-- under the backdrop of Chinese political upheaval in the late 1980s.
December 9, 2008
Great book! The plot reads like a top notch movie thriller, mixing political intrigue and an unvarnished view of healthcare.
April 25, 2009
I really enjoyed this book!
This book held my interest. I was reading the book while on the elliptical at the gym and found myself exercising for 45 minutes to an hour at a time to see what would happen next.
The descriptions of China , the medical situations, and the interesting characters with changing global locations kept my attention to the end of the story.
I look forward to the sequel.
KA Wintermeyer, M.D.
This book held my interest. I was reading the book while on the elliptical at the gym and found myself exercising for 45 minutes to an hour at a time to see what would happen next.
The descriptions of China , the medical situations, and the interesting characters with changing global locations kept my attention to the end of the story.
I look forward to the sequel.
KA Wintermeyer, M.D.
December 5, 2008
My book club just read Rabbit in the Moon and had one of best discussions. There was so much depth to a story that on the surface was a fast-paced thriller, but yet had historical, cultural and political overtones that made it much more.
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November 20, 2008THIS BOOK WAS FANTASTIC . I READ IT TWICE. AND IM NOT BEING PARTIAL BECAUSE THEY ARE MY BROTHER AND SISTER-IN-LAW. IT IS REALLY A GOOD READ.
August 8, 2018
This is an incredible read. I finished the book within a week which is quite unusual for me. There is just so much tension, foreshadowing, and action throughout the story. The dialogue is beautifully written, and the research the Shlians did on China and Chinese culture is tremendous. In reading the book, I learned a lot about Chinese history and politics, particularly with respects to the history of Mao and the communist party. There is also a lot of information about western and traditional Chinese medicine. The Shlians are doctors who used to live in Los Angeles, so the descriptions of the scenes in LA are very realistic. Also, the descriptions of the medical encounters have a certain verisimilitude that only physician authors can produce.
The protagonist, Dr. Lili Quan, is an American internal medicine resident whose grandfather in China has discovered a secret elixir which promotes longevity. The naïve Dr. Quan becomes entangled in a fantastic adventure full of twists, surprises, and backstabbing. There is a backdrop of romance and a few sexual scenes. Everything is written with foreshadowing, subtle clues, and inner thoughts as to give the reader a feeling of constant uncertainty. Neither Lili nor the reader know for sure who can be trusted and who is part of a nefarious plot against her and her grandfather. There are also quotes from books and poems that expose the clash between western and Chinese culture.
Some of the unfavorable reviews mention that the story is unrealistic which is definitely fair. Although much of the history and the descriptions of scenery are realistic, the story is somewhat implausible because it is just too incredible and perfect. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed it for what it is: A novel in a historical context with a combination of plausible and implausible events.
The protagonist, Dr. Lili Quan, is an American internal medicine resident whose grandfather in China has discovered a secret elixir which promotes longevity. The naïve Dr. Quan becomes entangled in a fantastic adventure full of twists, surprises, and backstabbing. There is a backdrop of romance and a few sexual scenes. Everything is written with foreshadowing, subtle clues, and inner thoughts as to give the reader a feeling of constant uncertainty. Neither Lili nor the reader know for sure who can be trusted and who is part of a nefarious plot against her and her grandfather. There are also quotes from books and poems that expose the clash between western and Chinese culture.
Some of the unfavorable reviews mention that the story is unrealistic which is definitely fair. Although much of the history and the descriptions of scenery are realistic, the story is somewhat implausible because it is just too incredible and perfect. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed it for what it is: A novel in a historical context with a combination of plausible and implausible events.
February 22, 2010
Remember those old Calgon commercials - "Ancient Chinese secret, huh?" Well I have a new secret: Don't waste your time with a thriller written by a team of drs in Florida. This was really just awful, and the publisher should be ashamed. I took this out from the library and a previous patron was kind enough to proofread/copyedit the book for me. Even they didn't catch all of the errors. My favorite? When Hippocrates was spelled Hypocrites! This is supposed to have been written by doctors after all - was it spell checked by machine? Even a spell check should have gotten that right.
But not only was the language a mess, the story was just dumb. This is barely even thriller writing 101, it's like intro to thrillers. The plot was contrived, the characters flat and ridiculous. It's as if the Shlians went to China and said - wow, we've been here once and now we know so much that we can write a book! Almost like one of the characters in the story.
Really, don't waste your time on this. There are many better books out there.
The only reason I finished this was that it was the only thing I had with me on the plane.
But not only was the language a mess, the story was just dumb. This is barely even thriller writing 101, it's like intro to thrillers. The plot was contrived, the characters flat and ridiculous. It's as if the Shlians went to China and said - wow, we've been here once and now we know so much that we can write a book! Almost like one of the characters in the story.
Really, don't waste your time on this. There are many better books out there.
The only reason I finished this was that it was the only thing I had with me on the plane.
April 7, 2012
Much better read than I ever expected! I was going to give it 5 stars until the ending just dragged on forever so that brought it down to 4. I love the poetic descriptions of China and it's culture. A wonderful ride that has many twists and turns but the ending could have been clipped a bit shorter than it was. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a good thriller/spy/espionage or medical suspense! 4 stars!
April 7, 2009
This was a book that I would have passed by on a bookshelf, had it not been the suggested read for our next book club. I found the story captivating and extremely hard to put down.
September 12, 2018
Wow. I did not enjoy this. The writing was cliched and trite. It was advertised as a thriller, but it was actually a bad romance novel. Basically everyone except the grandfather had no ethics or morals - until they slept with the main character (Lili), then they felt bad about doing what they were doing. She has a magic vagina, I guess. The sex scenes were out of place. She slept with people she barely knew. There were way too many subplots going on. This could have been a decent book if the romance and sex had been removed. Would this have been the same book if the main character had been a grandson instead of a granddaughter? No - because everyone else in the book was male and would have respected the main character without needing to sleep with her first to discover who she is. So many cliches though. This book was hard to slog through.
August 4, 2018
I thoroughly enjoyed this suspenseful novel by Deborah and Joel Salian. Most of the story takes place in China around the time of the Tiananmen Square massacre. The main character is a young physician, Lili Quan, whose mother fled to San Francisco as a child. Lili is persuaded to go to China to honor her mother's wishes and is drawn into intrigue surrounding her grandfather's work on extending the lifespan of humans. Lili must determine who she can trust and how to honor her grandfather's extraordinary work.
July 9, 2019
Great adventure! The characters started to become a little hard to keep track of near the end, but probably only because I was listening to the audio book. It makes sense that more than one person would be after the secret.
I also heard the only Korean phrases I know: anyo haseo (good morning) and kansamneda (thank you). 😂
I also heard the only Korean phrases I know: anyo haseo (good morning) and kansamneda (thank you). 😂
August 14, 2019
Didn't know what to rate this. Was going to be one star, as the characters are so flat. It picked up slightly whilst describing some of China, then plummeted at the end with a silly attempt at a with a "James Bond" type chase.
October 17, 2019
Wish I had read the book instead of listening to the audiobook. The narration was disappointing overall, especially in the pronunciation of Chinese names and words, but the story rushed along at an exciting pace. Made me want to learn Tai Chi.
April 4, 2020
I thoroughly enjoyed The Rabbit in the Moon. The description of China during the 1980's was spot on. I like the way the authors wove together both Western and Eastern medicine and philosophy into a riveting, faced paced novel.
March 1, 2020
This was an enjoyable, entertaining read. The far East locals were fun to "visit." The backdrop of the Tianamen Square protest was thrilling and sad. Now I want to learn more about Tai Chi.
March 17, 2021
Can't rate this book since I started it and did not like the subject matter.
May 5, 2012
Published in 2011 by Spoken Word, Inc.
Read by Barbara Whitesides
Duration: 12 hours, 40 minutes.
If I told you that I had just listened to a thriller set in China during the Tienanmen Square protests in 1989 involving secret plots among the top levels of the hardline Chinese leadership, the underground protest movement, an adventurous young Chinese-American doctor who is just beginning to learn about her Chinese roots, an intricate plot to keep her trapped in China by an evil man, a budding romance, Chinese gangsters, a corrupt Korean businessman, a motorcycle chase, gunfights, daring escapes, an introduction to Taoist philosophy and a possible cure to aging you would think that this would be a real whiz-bang listen.
The book revolves around Dr. Lili Quan, a Chinese-American doctor who is offered the chance to study in China...
Read more at:
Read by Barbara Whitesides
Duration: 12 hours, 40 minutes.
If I told you that I had just listened to a thriller set in China during the Tienanmen Square protests in 1989 involving secret plots among the top levels of the hardline Chinese leadership, the underground protest movement, an adventurous young Chinese-American doctor who is just beginning to learn about her Chinese roots, an intricate plot to keep her trapped in China by an evil man, a budding romance, Chinese gangsters, a corrupt Korean businessman, a motorcycle chase, gunfights, daring escapes, an introduction to Taoist philosophy and a possible cure to aging you would think that this would be a real whiz-bang listen.
The book revolves around Dr. Lili Quan, a Chinese-American doctor who is offered the chance to study in China...
Read more at:
March 4, 2009
5 reasons for a 1-star rating:
1. Sex scenes: passionless and vulgar
2. "Exciting" plot felt incredibly fiction; unbelievable and at times even boring. For a thriller, this booked lacked a heartbeat.
3. Grammar errors: at least a dozen
4. Love story: supposed to be deep and meaningful, but I didn't feel a thing towards either character
5. Told from too much of a Western perspective; I'd rather read these events from someone who really knows life in China
I wanted a book to stimulate discussion about China. This book touched on it, and was interesting at times, but the plot completely distracted me from anything I felt I was learning. Plus, I am seriously bitter I recommended this book for book club.
1. Sex scenes: passionless and vulgar
2. "Exciting" plot felt incredibly fiction; unbelievable and at times even boring. For a thriller, this booked lacked a heartbeat.
3. Grammar errors: at least a dozen
4. Love story: supposed to be deep and meaningful, but I didn't feel a thing towards either character
5. Told from too much of a Western perspective; I'd rather read these events from someone who really knows life in China
I wanted a book to stimulate discussion about China. This book touched on it, and was interesting at times, but the plot completely distracted me from anything I felt I was learning. Plus, I am seriously bitter I recommended this book for book club.
May 16, 2009
I am thoroughly fascinated that this book is so universally loved. For the first third, I was incredibly bored, not invested in any of the characters and irritated at the sheer number of subplots. Being stuck in a doctor's office for 2 hours was helpful in propelling me through this part. For the second third I was mildly invested, but already beginning to dread the end, where I knew the subplots would all have to converge, Hollywood-style for a cooked up slam bang finish. The ending where all the thriller elements of the story go into full effect showed no subtlety, no realism and a rather obvious setup for any sequels the authors might feel compelled to write.
November 28, 2009
I have yet to see how this has such a high review. It really wasn't worth the $25 I spent on it. The story line had such potential to go in a good direction, but the authors really went in such an odd direction. I really think that they followed the wrong characters for too long and I also think that the sex scenes they added were totally pointless and not necessary for the book. I actually think they made it worse. Did the authors add them to try and appeal to a certain audience? Goodness me, so odd...
March 13, 2009
Ok, I am going to drop the average rating of this book by giving it 1 star, but I was horrified by the trite,poor and at times, stupidly sentimental writing. The story felt like the writers had come up with an outline for a movie and then just filled in writing to get from point A to point B. I thought there were too many subplots, and it could have been a tighter book if they would have concentrated on 2 of the storylines, rather than 5. The Chinese cultural history was interesting, but got lost in the bad writing. I hope the authors are better physicians than they are writers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
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