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litletters's review against another edition
5.0
This debut is a contender for my "Best Book of 2020" for a few reasons. Firstly, it told a story that was new to me. Although I was familiar with the practices of sending wealthy Chinese women to America to give birth, I had never read another novel about it. But this story didn't stop there! There's also a subplot about marriage equality and immigration, which was very interesting. The plot itself was unpredictable and literally even on the last chapter I wasn't sure what the epilogue would contain. The themes of motherhood, sisterhood, chosen vs. born family, immigration and survival were all wonderfully explored. I am looking forward to more from Hua!
bkish's review against another edition
5.0
I consider this an important book. Vanessa Hua lives in or near San Francisco CA and she writes for the SF Chronicle. I dont know if she is american born Chinese or if she did live in China as a younger person. Most of this story about chinese young women and chinese older men takes place in San Francisco Chinatown.
This begins in Shenzhen China at factory owned by Boss Yeung and it includes a younger woman who works in this factory name of Scarlett Chen (Scarlett is not a chinese name). She is pregnant and he is the father she is less important to him than the baby she will deliver in the US (at Perfume Spa in los angeles) since she was told she will deliver to him a Son. So from Shenzhen to Los Angeles where she escapes this "home" for pregnant wealthy chinese women run by Madame Fang she and another pregnant lady who is a teen end up in SF Chinatown. ( I myself live in SF and am somewhat familiar with our chinatown and I am not chinese) Boss Yeung thru his "friend" Uncle Lo sent her to this place to deliver her baby and he paid $$$$ and even extra for Madame Fang to tell him everything about her there.
this is a book also about the dark side of the chinese women tho mostly the men. It also reveals the wonderful character of the women and some of the men.
I just cannot say enough about the power of this book and its uniqueness.
Judy
This begins in Shenzhen China at factory owned by Boss Yeung and it includes a younger woman who works in this factory name of Scarlett Chen (Scarlett is not a chinese name). She is pregnant and he is the father she is less important to him than the baby she will deliver in the US (at Perfume Spa in los angeles) since she was told she will deliver to him a Son. So from Shenzhen to Los Angeles where she escapes this "home" for pregnant wealthy chinese women run by Madame Fang she and another pregnant lady who is a teen end up in SF Chinatown. ( I myself live in SF and am somewhat familiar with our chinatown and I am not chinese) Boss Yeung thru his "friend" Uncle Lo sent her to this place to deliver her baby and he paid $$$$ and even extra for Madame Fang to tell him everything about her there.
this is a book also about the dark side of the chinese women tho mostly the men. It also reveals the wonderful character of the women and some of the men.
I just cannot say enough about the power of this book and its uniqueness.
Judy
ciaraw8787's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
thain's review
4.0
A story of the bonds that make a family, centered on a Chinese woman sent to America by her married boss to give birth to his longed-for son. I was glad the boss turned out to be not as one-dimensional as he might have been. The ending felt a bit rushed, with a dramatic solution to the citizenship problem quickly becoming moot.
belovedsnail's review
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This feels like a romance which grew into literary fiction. Some kind of mix. I greatly enjoyed it and was moved by the work— the writing and plotting were both uneven in places. Having lived in Hong Kong for so long, I recognised a lot.
nukie19's review against another edition
4.0
This book is a powerful and moving story that was unexpected in all the right ways. The rawness of Scarlett's story about her life as a new mother and an immigrant manages to be somehow both harsh and beautiful at the same time. It touches on a wide range of topics, including things like the Chinese one-child policy, same-sex marriage, and the vulnarability of undocumented immigrants, in a delicate way that is sure to pull on your heartstrings.
I received a copy of this book through Net Galley in exhange for an honest review.
I received a copy of this book through Net Galley in exhange for an honest review.
treandgro's review against another edition
5.0
This brisk novel masterfully mixes tension and tenderness, following the journey of two soon-to-be mothers looking to make their own way in America. One wants to be found, while another seeks to evade detection — and all the while the story touches the heart with its charting of their dynamic relationship. Even the "villains" of the book are treated as complex characters with their own development. Each page seems to reveal another fold in these complicated lives, while the chase narrative keeps the action flying forward. And all the while, the reader enjoys a vivid portrait of San Francisco's Chinatown and its residents. Highly recommended.
sbogdanich's review against another edition
4.0
I think many would enjoy this story about immigration, motherhood, women, and bao. A lot of it takes place in San Fransico's Chinatown.
ameruck's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25