Jaipong Dancer: A Sweeping Story of Love, Hate and Moral Corruption Set Against a Backdrop of Violent Unrest in Indonesia

by Patrick Sweeting

Set in Sumatra in the 1950s, Jaipong Dancer is a story of lost innocence and complex moral dilemmas. It follows the journey of Yahyu, a young Javanese dancer, who runs away from a forced marriage and becomes unwittingly involved in the violent struggle for Sumatra s independence from Jakarta. On her long passage from fame to degradation Yahyu experiences love, hate, sexual slavery and the horror of the rebels last bloody battle deep in the Barisan Mountains. During her short life Yahyu has been a mother, a wife, a murderer and a whore, while struggling to keep her basic belief in right and wrong. Could anyone, particularly her lost husband and child, ever understand and accept her fall from grace?"

Genres: Fiction

384 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Stephen · Rating 2 out of 5]

based during the 1950's Indonesia with civil strife story of a jaipong dancer who goes through many things and some how survives but shows how unsafe it was to be a woman and being pregnant when danger is just around the corner. Felt however the author could of extended the timescale abit longer.

[Annisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wouldn't say this is the greatest story of all time. But I like how it gives me an insight on life in that setting in that era.

[Kathryn Price · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this and learned a lot about the History of Malaysia and its people in the process. Quite hard hitting in terms of you just know its not going to be a happy ending.

[Adityo Sastromuljono · Rating 2 out of 5]

Novel ini menurut saya membosankan, lambat dan terlalu banyak pengulangan alur cerita. Butuh lebih dari 100 halaman untuk berkutat seputar Yahyu (tokoh utama) menyembunyikan kehamilannya. Siklus cerita ini pun hanya sekitar kehamilan, pelarian, pertemuan dengan lelaki, pembunuhan, pelarian, pertemuan dengan lelaki, pembunuhan, kehamilan dan begitu seterusnya.

Yang menurut saya menarik justru adalah referensi seputar geografi Sumatera dan suku-suku asli Sumatera, seperti suku Komering dan Rejang. Selain itu pembaca juga bisa sedikit mengerti seperti apa amburadulnya kemelut zaman PRRI di Sumatera dulu.

[Nita Hutapea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I don’t like the ending, but sometimes life is like that. Not always a happy ending. When there is a problem in our life, there is a time when we feel so weak and powerless. But every decision we make will make a difference in our life. Yahyu, the main character in this book has a strong personality. That’s something that we can learn from although as a girl I might make a different decision.

[Tiia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story of this book was really interesting. One way it was very sympathetic and on the other hand quite rough. I really did enjoyed it from the start till the end. It was really nice little piece of Indonesia.