Reviews

The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee

jackienelson's review against another edition

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funny inspiring mysterious 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? No

3.5

zigzag11's review

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3.0

Slow for the first half, but picked up in the second half. Well written and researched, and the characters were well drawn as well. 3.5 stars

bailey1214's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful inspiring fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

I loved Jo Kuan’s voice. I also thought the writing was often very beautiful. I enjoyed learning about what life might have been like for Chinese-Americans in the south in the late 1800s. The cast of characters was interesting and charming. 

annemarie246's review against another edition

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4.0

Audiobook 3.5

sodiana's review against another edition

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informative inspiring reflective 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? No

3.75

laflormorada's review

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4.0

Forthright Jo Kuan is living in the wrong time. She's a no-nonsense, hardworking, clever and sometimes very opinionated Chinese-American girl living in 1890's Atlanta. To put it mildly, she doesn't really fit in. Despite the fact that she was born in Atlanta, speaks English AND has a southern accent to boot, to most people she will always be "other". When she is forced to leave her dream job as a hat maker's assistant, her best option is to serve as a lady's maid to the wealthy and cruel Caroline Payne (her childhood playmate and tormentor). To make matters worse, her only safe haven could be discovered if she doesn't find a way to help her "roommates" save their floundering newspaper business. Then she has the brilliant idea to pen an advice column and "Miss Sweetie" is born. She just didn't know how much happiness... and trouble... it would bring.

This dramatic tale set in the Old South after Reconstruction has a lot going on, but somehow it works. It's just the right mix of coming-of-age, sweet romance and a treatise on race/racism/gender. The heroine is a saucy, witty, likeable character who knows her lot in life but doesn't accept it wholeheartedly. Her tale was intriguing to me because although at times it didn't seem entirely believable, it still brought to light a perspective that has been mostly forgotten or lost to history. I had no idea that Chinese immigrants took over working on plantations after slavery and that many later moved and settled in southern cities. There are probably so many stories that could be told about this time and so much history I have yet to learn. The period details, the sharp and funny thoughts of "Miss Sweetie" and the heart-wrenching story of Jo's life and family made this story shine. The romance was pretty good too ;) A recommended read.

steph01924's review

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5.0

4.5 stars. Great historical, the romance was a bit ista-love for me (I mean, there's a few reasons why I get SOME of it, but overall it could've been much stronger as the two characters barely had any time together). Still, like most of Stacey Lee's books, romance is NOT the main component, and the rest is simply lovely. I walked away feeling like I learned something about US and Chinese immigrant history, and I always love when a fiction book can impart real knowledge!

erin_0130's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5

dorhastings's review

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hopeful lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

How this book ended up on my TBR: Book club!

I sure have been reading my fair share of historical fiction based in the southern US in the late 1800s/early 1900s. The other book I read centered on New Orleans, LA, whereas this book takes place in Georgia. But some of the themes are still the same: a significant portion of Southern white families are miffed at having lost to the North, and they are unwilling to change their lifestyles. While black people are no longer slaves, they probably earn pretty poor wages and still perform service jobs. Some folks genuinely did not know that Chinese immigrants came to the US and were subjected to bad work conditions (to say nothing of their not being naturalized into the US and having no path to citizenship. If this book's portrayal is accurate, even Chinese Americans didn't have a path to citizenship).

Jo Kuan is a 17-year-old young Chinese American woman who lives with an older Chinese immigrant, Old Gin, in the basement of a newspaper publisher's house. Jo has lived down there her entire life with Old Gin, her "uncles" (other Chinese men who come to the US for work), and the family upstairs, the Bells. (And also, the Bells have no idea anyone is living in the basement.) After losing her employment, Jo has to go back to being a maid for one of her previous employer's daughters. At the same time, she hears that the Bells's newspaper is losing community interest and may need to close, which would then lead to Jo and Old Gin needing to find a new place to live. Upon hearing that other newspapers offer ladies' advice, she adopts the name "Miss Sweetie" and offers to write similar columns for the Bells's newspaper.

As you can imagine, Jo is pretty progressive, in addition to being outspoken. Author Stacey Lee is clearly using Jo to buck the stereotype of Chinese/Asian women being meek. But maybe I'm also mischaracterizing Jo's outspokenness for frankness, and it's not as though she never holds her tongue. But she really has the ability to let loose in her columns, some of which the Bells can accept while they try to navigate relationships with their readers. Eventually Nathan Bell, the son of the publisher, decides to take the newspaper into a more progressive direction.

Millinery gave me a way to be seen; Miss Sweetie gave me a voice to be heard. But maybe what I needed most was simply the freedom to walk out from the shadows of my hat. Somehow, Old Gin and I have managed to fit ourselves into a society that, like a newspaper, rarely comes in colors other than black and white. There will always be those who keep their distance. But there will also be those who don't mind riding their safeties in my lane. I spent my whole life worried that the sound of my own voice might give me away, but I was wrong about that. If I hadn't used my voice, I wouldn't be here today.

I liked both Jo and Old Gin. Old Gin reminded me a little of Iroh from Avatar: The Last Airbender. I also eventually liked Caroline and, to a certain extent, her mother. I enjoyed reading the book from Jo's perspective. I did think she seemed remarkably eloquent, with a wide range of relevant commentary, for someone her age, but I suppose you could say that women especially had to grow up quicker back then. But there is something to be said for Jo finding her voice and not allowing herself to be silenced. There are a lot of examples of folks cutting off opinions they don't want to hear, and there are just as many examples of other folks just shouting louder because they simply will not go away.

Also, I'm all for happy endings, but I was a bit stunned that 1.) she rode Sweet Potato in the race (and won), and 2.) the Bells had almost no reaction to Jo and Old Gin living in their basement. Their reaction was... to help them settle in. I can suspend some judgment/sense of reality, but this is asking a lot.


I did enjoy reading the book and often found myself flipping to the next chapter without missing a beat. I'd really like to read more of Stacey Lee's work.

chimichannika's review

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emotional hopeful medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0