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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
A cute little story that left me a bit underwhelmed.
Told in the form of Jade's diary, what I missed the most in this story was a sense of place and time. The language is really rather pretty but if the blurb and the titles of each diary entry hadn't said so, I would have had no idea that this was set in the 1920s.
What I did like was Jade's view of the world and relationships. She is a practical woman who doesn't fuss around with romance much. Telling you more would be spoiling, so I'll keep it at that.
I enjoyed this well enough, I liked Jade and the way she told her story. In the end, things fell into place a bit too neatly and there wasn't enough build-up for the romance, at least for my taste (then again, I either go for the doorstopper-kind of romance stories or for bickering couples, so I'm hard to please).
A bit more drama or action or just problems for our heroine to overcome would have made this more interesting. But there is no doubt that Zen Cho can write, and I'll be glad to try something else she's written.
Told in the form of Jade's diary, what I missed the most in this story was a sense of place and time. The language is really rather pretty but if the blurb and the titles of each diary entry hadn't said so, I would have had no idea that this was set in the 1920s.
What I did like was Jade's view of the world and relationships. She is a practical woman who doesn't fuss around with romance much. Telling you more would be spoiling, so I'll keep it at that.
I enjoyed this well enough, I liked Jade and the way she told her story. In the end, things fell into place a bit too neatly and there wasn't enough build-up for the romance, at least for my taste (then again, I either go for the doorstopper-kind of romance stories or for bickering couples, so I'm hard to please).
A bit more drama or action or just problems for our heroine to overcome would have made this more interesting. But there is no doubt that Zen Cho can write, and I'll be glad to try something else she's written.
Delightful. Only thing it's missing is dropping Hardie in the Seine or the Thames. But you can't have everything.
Even though this hits the plot points for a romance, it certainly didn't feel like one. It was a nice story and I really liked the Hardies' relationship. It's not something I see very often. I liked the ending but I do wish there had been a bit more build-up. I surely wouldn't mind reading more about Jade.
Spoiler
I want to see them raising the kid while the Hardies want to be involved too. I think it would be fun, but I doubt that would happen since it seemed like Ravi and Jade went back east.
Really, really enjoyed it. Liked how snappy it was without feeling too hurried. The framing was great, each character just lovely and the confession one of my favorites.
December 13, 2017
The Perilous Life of Jade Yeo by Zen Cho is a novella, published in 2012. The 90 page story is set in London during the early 1920’s. Our heroine, Jade Yeo, is ethnic Chinese but her immediate family lives in Malaysia, and her extended family – aunt, uncle, and cousins – live in England. If I’m recalling correctly, Jade comes to England to attend school, and ends up staying to pursue a writing career. Although her parents would love her to return and marry a Chinese gentleman they have picked out, Jade is interested in being a modern, independent, career woman. As such, she’s making a modest living submitting articles to journals and magazines, most notably on ladies’ fashion and style. On occasion, she also submits reviews of recently published books, especially to her good friend, Ravi, who is the editor of the Oriental Literary Review and is from India. As a result of the latest book review she’s had published, Jade earns the questionable attention of the celebrated author who invites her to a party he is throwing. Jade is, of course, interested in going to such an exciting event but her review was scathing and so she expects to be raked over the coals. On the contrary, the author is fascinated by Jade and, before you know it, he’s making advances that she knows she should reject….
This story is written in diary form. Jade is amusing, snarky, and definitely has a unique view of the world that sometimes appears fearless and at other times foolish. I wouldn’t exactly call this story a romance since it focuses so much on Jade’s “misadventures.” But, things do work out well for her in spite of her almost naïve, cavalier outlook on life. In fact, she’s damn lucky that it does. (It’s just too bad we don’t get to see much of the relationship in which she ends up.) Unlike the previous book I read, however, Cho’s characters feel like they are rooted in another culture – possibly because they are, even if they are trying to assimilate to the West. Jade might be “modern” – in some ways – but she also retains awareness of the sensibilities of her family and culture, which leads to some of her quirkiest observations. I have to admit I loved the opening line of the story: “I had tea with the intolerable aunt today. Aunt Iris, the one who is so rich she has a new fur every year, and so mean she has installed a tip box by the door of every WC in her house, so you have to pay a charge every time you need to go.” Ha! I’d give this little story a B+.
The Perilous Life of Jade Yeo by Zen Cho is a novella, published in 2012. The 90 page story is set in London during the early 1920’s. Our heroine, Jade Yeo, is ethnic Chinese but her immediate family lives in Malaysia, and her extended family – aunt, uncle, and cousins – live in England. If I’m recalling correctly, Jade comes to England to attend school, and ends up staying to pursue a writing career. Although her parents would love her to return and marry a Chinese gentleman they have picked out, Jade is interested in being a modern, independent, career woman. As such, she’s making a modest living submitting articles to journals and magazines, most notably on ladies’ fashion and style. On occasion, she also submits reviews of recently published books, especially to her good friend, Ravi, who is the editor of the Oriental Literary Review and is from India. As a result of the latest book review she’s had published, Jade earns the questionable attention of the celebrated author who invites her to a party he is throwing. Jade is, of course, interested in going to such an exciting event but her review was scathing and so she expects to be raked over the coals. On the contrary, the author is fascinated by Jade and, before you know it, he’s making advances that she knows she should reject….
This story is written in diary form. Jade is amusing, snarky, and definitely has a unique view of the world that sometimes appears fearless and at other times foolish. I wouldn’t exactly call this story a romance since it focuses so much on Jade’s “misadventures.” But, things do work out well for her in spite of her almost naïve, cavalier outlook on life. In fact, she’s damn lucky that it does. (It’s just too bad we don’t get to see much of the relationship in which she ends up.) Unlike the previous book I read, however, Cho’s characters feel like they are rooted in another culture – possibly because they are, even if they are trying to assimilate to the West. Jade might be “modern” – in some ways – but she also retains awareness of the sensibilities of her family and culture, which leads to some of her quirkiest observations. I have to admit I loved the opening line of the story: “I had tea with the intolerable aunt today. Aunt Iris, the one who is so rich she has a new fur every year, and so mean she has installed a tip box by the door of every WC in her house, so you have to pay a charge every time you need to go.” Ha! I’d give this little story a B+.
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I've read 400-page books that don't come close to being as funny or as good as Zen Cho is in 81 pages. If other reviews are any indication, the blunt narrative voice and epistolary format will turn off readers, but The Perilous Life of Jade Yeo checked every box for me. It has a surprising number of twists for a novella, and I didn't see any of them coming.
The Perilous Life of Jade Yeo reads like Georgette Heyer for the twenty-first century (I say, having only read two Heyer novels). Jade's observations and the consequences of her disastrously sharp tongue made me laugh out loud, not only because of the punchlines but also because of how specific some jokes were. On the first page, she describes her "intolerable" Aunt Iris as "so mean she has installed a tip box by the door of every WC in her house, so you have to pay a charge every time you go." That is such a specific joke, but the punchline still hits home.
Readers get all the humour and frivolity of earlier comedies of manners like Heyer and Austen, plus sex positivity, clever integration of colonial themes, and unwavering feminism. It's witty, breezy, and neurotic, and Jade says what everyone is thinking: she "wouldn't like to marry Mr. Darcy, would you? Fancy calling your husband Fitzwilliam for all eternity."
Maybe I'm built differently, but I would have entered the throuple to raise my child and expressed my feelings to Ravi. It's the best of both worlds. There's also one description of Hardie's dick that's almost frighteningly anatomical. How am I supposed to end this review after that sentence?
funny
fast-paced