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Reviews
Chop Suey Nation: The Legion Cafe and Other Stories from Canada's Chinese Restaurants by Ann Hui
bushraboblai's review against another edition
5.0
The emotions that this book has made me feel we’re entirely unexpected. By telling her father’s story and the immigrant experience at large, Hui has managed to build that connecting string of understanding all immigrant kids wait their whole lives for. Thank you.
blairconrad's review against another edition
4.0
Quite interesting, for me. I enjoyed the family snapshot chapters best, and was emotionally affected, darn it.
The travelling restaurant chapters were good, but felt a little thin and repetitive to me, even with flavourful padding about what kinds of pizza they got when Mr. Hui was tired of Chinese food. (And I was secretly irked that we spent so much time in Alberta, for reasons I couldn't understand.) I did get a few frissons when a location I was familiar with was mentioned, so that's always fun.
Still, an easy and informative read that provided a bit of second-hand nostalgia for me, through my wife, whose family ran a Canadian Chinese Food restaurant.
The travelling restaurant chapters were good, but felt a little thin and repetitive to me, even with flavourful padding about what kinds of pizza they got when Mr. Hui was tired of Chinese food. (And I was secretly irked that we spent so much time in Alberta, for reasons I couldn't understand.) I did get a few frissons when a location I was familiar with was mentioned, so that's always fun.
Still, an easy and informative read that provided a bit of second-hand nostalgia for me, through my wife, whose family ran a Canadian Chinese Food restaurant.
tamaraeileenreads's review against another edition
5.0
Ann Hui has really given Canadians something special with this book. I went in thinking it would be an interesting story about small town Chinese restaurants I go to all the time, but it’s so much more than that. It’s a story filled with love and sacrifice that everyone should read.
rebzreads100's review against another edition
4.0
Read it mostly over two days, a nice and easy read. Hui writes an interesting tale that weaves her own family history with that of Chinese restaurants all across Canada.
dmichb's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.25
I absolutely LOVE this book and have gifted it to several people. It’s such a unique and moving blend of stories; personal while also situating everything in a larger context. Amazing.
lenaricharz's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Cancer, Racism, Racial slurs, and Terminal illness