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badmom's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
pieniperuna's review
5.0
"I should be grateful, but at the same time it seemed that everything rested on me, that all the good things in my life and future seemed to be built on not just someone’s efforts but someone’s sacrifice, someone’s misfortunes."
This is a quiet, calm, and heartbreaking novel. While the first-person narrator is looking back at her childhood, understanding things that were mysterious to her then, this adult point of view never overshadows Su-Jen’s childish outlook. There is so much she cannot understand yet, about the subtle dynamics in her own family, about her friends and their parents. Thus, her narration can only hint at some of the topics in this books but this only made the way the events are told all the more intense and impressive to me. In a way, being dramatic and adding hyperbole and hyperbole is as easy at it is cheap. I do not claim there is no place for this in literature – I am, after all, a big fan of horror and Gothic writing – but the held back way in which Su-Jen, the adult, presents the incisive events of her childhood without extensive explanations or judgement was, for me, the central element that shaped my reading experience.
At its heart, this novel is about loneliness. Su-Jen, her parents, and, later, her half-brother live in close quarters that should leave no room for privacy, not to speak of secrets. Their physical closeness notwithstanding, each of these characters carries their own loneliness, their own grief, their own bitterness. This is not a family that talks about emotions, be they good or bad, and all the things that are not being spoken of trickle like a poison into everyday life. The secrecy, sadness, and resentment form a steady background noise that makes the moments of genuine love and connection all the more striking.
Su-Jen is in a difficult position. In contrast to her parents, who only speak broken English, she is completely fluent, and in contrast to her brother, she is not expected to take over the family restaurant. This gives her life an element of freedom that the rest of her family does not experience. On the other hand, though, as the youngest, who has, at some point, basically forgotten her early childhood in Hong Kong, she is removed from the family history and only slowly and partly uncovers the stories of her parents‘ lives. She feels Canadian, but for many of her classmates she always stays „that Chinese girl.“
Midnight at the Dragon Café is a novel that, no matter its heavy subject matters, never felt like a chore to read. Judy Fong Bates creates an atmosphere that is often melancholic and resigned, yes, but nevertheless evokes a sense of homeliness and I loved returning to this Ontario small town in the 60s again and again.
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This is a quiet, calm, and heartbreaking novel. While the first-person narrator is looking back at her childhood, understanding things that were mysterious to her then, this adult point of view never overshadows Su-Jen’s childish outlook. There is so much she cannot understand yet, about the subtle dynamics in her own family, about her friends and their parents. Thus, her narration can only hint at some of the topics in this books but this only made the way the events are told all the more intense and impressive to me. In a way, being dramatic and adding hyperbole and hyperbole is as easy at it is cheap. I do not claim there is no place for this in literature – I am, after all, a big fan of horror and Gothic writing – but the held back way in which Su-Jen, the adult, presents the incisive events of her childhood without extensive explanations or judgement was, for me, the central element that shaped my reading experience.
At its heart, this novel is about loneliness. Su-Jen, her parents, and, later, her half-brother live in close quarters that should leave no room for privacy, not to speak of secrets. Their physical closeness notwithstanding, each of these characters carries their own loneliness, their own grief, their own bitterness. This is not a family that talks about emotions, be they good or bad, and all the things that are not being spoken of trickle like a poison into everyday life. The secrecy, sadness, and resentment form a steady background noise that makes the moments of genuine love and connection all the more striking.
Su-Jen is in a difficult position. In contrast to her parents, who only speak broken English, she is completely fluent, and in contrast to her brother, she is not expected to take over the family restaurant. This gives her life an element of freedom that the rest of her family does not experience. On the other hand, though, as the youngest, who has, at some point, basically forgotten her early childhood in Hong Kong, she is removed from the family history and only slowly and partly uncovers the stories of her parents‘ lives. She feels Canadian, but for many of her classmates she always stays „that Chinese girl.“
Midnight at the Dragon Café is a novel that, no matter its heavy subject matters, never felt like a chore to read. Judy Fong Bates creates an atmosphere that is often melancholic and resigned, yes, but nevertheless evokes a sense of homeliness and I loved returning to this Ontario small town in the 60s again and again.
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red1176's review against another edition
4.0
While the story wasn't completely amazing or earth-shattering, the writing style and flow of the book was mesmerizing. I'd love to read a sequel to the book and find out how the characters continue on.
ninasimo's review
2.0
Interesting perspective/content. Character driven, but main character isn’t very reflective and the low story arc seems to dissolve at the end.
lola_318's review
4.0
I read this books as part of Toronto Public Library's One Book Community Read 2011.
I grew up in a small town like Irvine, with the one Chinese restaurant that serves "Chinese and Canadian Cuisine", owned and operated by the one Chinese family in town, just like the Dragon Cafe. It was interesting to read about small town life in Canada from the point of view of Su-Jen/Annie. I really enjoyed the story. You know it's a good book when you reach the end and you wonder what happened to the characters. Annie talks fromthe present, so where is she now? Did she go to university? Is she a lawyer or a doctor like her parents wanted? What became of Lee-Kung, Mai-Yee and the restaurant? Questions that will never be answered, but for me that means I truly cared about the characters. I highly recommend this book.
I grew up in a small town like Irvine, with the one Chinese restaurant that serves "Chinese and Canadian Cuisine", owned and operated by the one Chinese family in town, just like the Dragon Cafe. It was interesting to read about small town life in Canada from the point of view of Su-Jen/Annie. I really enjoyed the story. You know it's a good book when you reach the end and you wonder what happened to the characters. Annie talks fromthe present, so where is she now? Did she go to university? Is she a lawyer or a doctor like her parents wanted? What became of Lee-Kung, Mai-Yee and the restaurant? Questions that will never be answered, but for me that means I truly cared about the characters. I highly recommend this book.
maria161985's review
4.0
I really liked this book. I enjoyed reading about the family dynamics and about the various scenarios that each family member faced as they became settled into their new lives. I would have liked to see more of a final ending as I felt a lot of their scenarios were not fully settled, leaving readers to wonder how their lives turned out. Overall though, a great story depicting the difficulties newcomers face when in a new country.
evaosterlee's review
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
josiezx's review against another edition
4.0
A satisfying read that fully captures what it's like to be an immigrant from a completely different culture. Sometimes, the thoughts of the girl are more engaging than some of the actions, but to me, it is a truly relatable and well written novel.
diabianca's review
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
3.0
heyjaneysmith's review
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0