Tales of the Scavenger's Daughters

Series · 5 books · 2013-2015

By Kay Bratt

Books in series

The Palest Ink

2015

A sheltered son from an intellectual family in Shanghai, Benfu spends 1966 anticipating a promising violinist career and an arranged marriage. On the other side of town lives Pony Boy, a member of a lower-class family—but Benfu’s best friend all the same. Their futures look different but guaranteed…until they’re faced with a perilous opportunity to leave a mark on history. At the announcement of China’s Cultural Revolution, Chairman Mao’s Red Guard members begin their assault, leaving innocent victims in their wake as they surge across the country. With political turmoil at their door, both Benfu and Pony Boy must face heart-wrenching decisions regarding family, friendship, courage, and loyalty to their country during one of the most chaotic periods in history. The prequel to the beloved Tales of the Scavenger’s Daughters series, The Palest Ink depicts Benfu’s coming-of-age during the tumultuous years of the Cultural Revolution.

The Scavenger's Daughters

2013

★★★★★ Inspired by a true story, and set against the backdrop of a country in transition, The Scavenger's Daughters is a sweeping present day saga of triumph in the face of hardship, and the unbreakable bonds of family against all odds. Having survived torture and imprisonment during China's Cultural Revolution, Benfu escaped to find love with his compassionate and beautiful Calla Lily. Together they build a fulfilling life around the most menial of jobs—Benfu's work collecting trash. As he sorts through the discards of others, he regularly discovers abandoned children. With unwavering determination, he and Calli spend decades creating a family of hand-picked daughters that help heal the sorrow and brighten their modest home. But all is not perfect and when crisis threatens to separate their family, Benfu—or possibly his band of headstrong daughters—must find a way to overcome the biggest hardship yet. ★ ★★★★ 5 stars! A Moving story of Sacrifice and Love This was such a wonderfully moving story of sacrifice and love.

Tangled Vines

2013

With the bad memories of the Cultural Revolution and a life of hard work behind them, Benfu and his treasured Calla Lily are content watching their daughters blossom—six young women who they adopted as their own. But when a clue to the whereabouts of the biological daughter they lost decades ago suddenly surfaces, they begin a frantic search to find their beloved Dahlia… Li Jin has lived thirty years at the mercy of cruel foster parents and a bleak orphanage, often surviving on the streets. But now that she has a son, she must try to make a better life for them—even if it means withstanding the abuse of a seedy foreigner in exchange for a home. But when Erik’s treatment turns truly sadistic, she must find a way to escape once and for all… A beautiful yet haunting story about the “lost girls” of China, Tangled Vines takes us on a journey of heartbreak and then hope as we witness a woman’s quest to change her fate and a family’s last chance to untangle the lies of the past.

Bitter Winds

2014

The third book of the Tales of the Scavenger’s Daughters series, Bitter Winds continues the saga of Chinese couple Benfu and Calli, and the abandoned young women in their care. Since the night her sister was almost burned alive in a fire and they were taken from their mother, Ivy has been the self-appointed guardian and guide to her blind twin, Lily. When Lily is snatched away and put behind locked doors, Ivy will do whatever it takes to get her sister home, even it means putting her own life in danger. After Benfu and Calli’s long-lost daughter, Li Jin, is finally reunited with her birth parents, she opens a shelter for displaced people, turning her fortune from destitution and abuse to family and fulfillment. But her friend Sami remains consumed by bitterness—and Li Jin soon realizes she needs to make a difficult choice between revisiting the past or nurturing her own future.

Red Skies

2014

In the fourth book of the Tales of the Scavenger’s Daughters series, the fates of three people who’ve never met converge in profound and unexpected ways. Mari, the daughter of the town scavenger, grew up knowing hardship, but she never could have anticipated the struggles that now face her as an adult. Feeling alone and isolated, she dreams of a better life. On the other side of town, a frightened little girl named An Ni is forced to live on the streets, but she silently longs for the one thing she’s never known—a family. Max, a struggling American photojournalist, arrives in China with only one goal in to face his demons and put an end to his own unbearable suffering. From the bestselling author of A Thread Unbroken comes an emotional, hope-filled story that offers a fresh glimpse into the life of a remarkable family. Revised This edition of Red Skies includes editorial revisions.

Author

Kay Bratt

Author · 33 books

Kay Bratt; Writer, Rescuer, Wanderer As a writer, Kay used writing to help her navigate a tumultuous childhood, followed by a decade of abuse as an adult. After working her way through the hard years, Kay emerged a survivor and a pursuer of peace—and finally found the courage to share her stories. She is the author of more than a dozen full length books, with ten of those published by Lake Union Publishing. Kay writes women's fiction and historical fiction, and her books have fueled many exciting book club discussions. Her works have been translated into German, Korean, Chinese, Czechoslovakian, and Estonian. As a rescuer, Kay currently focuses her efforts on animal rescue and is the Director of Advocacy for Yorkie Rescue of the Carolinas. As a child advocate, she spent a number of years volunteering in a Chinese orphanage, as well as provided assistance for several nonprofit organizations that support children in China, including An Orphan's Wish (AOW), Pearl River Outreach, and Love Without Boundaries. In the USA, she actively served as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for abused and neglected children in Georgia, and spear-headed numerous outreach programs for underprivileged children in the South Carolina area. As a wanderer, Kay has lived in nearly three dozen different homes, on two continents and in states from coast to coast in the USA. She's traveled to Mexico, Thailand, Malaysia, China, Philippines, Central America, Bahamas, and Australia. Currently she and her soulmate of more than 25 years enjoy life in their forever home on the banks of Lake Hartwell in Georgia, USA. Kay has been described as southern, spicy, and a little sassy. Social media forces her to overshare and you don't want to miss some of the antics that goes on with her and the Bratt Pack. Find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and then buckle up and enjoy the ride. You can find a full list of her published works at www.kaybratt.com—To be notified when new books are released, please sign up for my monthly email newsletter at www.kaybratt.com or at this link: https://www.subscribepage.com/kaybrat...