Member Reviews
3.5 stars for me. I enjoyed many aspects of this book. I loved the recipes and found the author's writing quite beautiful at times unfortunately I found myself bored of the plot about half way through. That being said I know many of my library patrons will enjoy this and I will recommend it.
It is a shame that Netgalley doesn't allow a "half point system", but I'd definitely give Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune a solid 3.5 stars.
Roselle Lim gives us a really compelling story but I have to admit, I had some difficulty getting over the chinese cookies writings at first. I found the imagery very cliché , needing to re-read the sentences a few times before understanding what the author was trying to say.
But - and it is a big one - after some getting used to, I find myself half drooling over the recipes, half engaged in the magical storyline. It's a beautiful story about love and complicated family matters. The author really captured and represented the Chinese culture truthfully, may it be the food, the egos or the regards of mental sickness.
All in all, I'd really like to invite you to read Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune , as it will not only make you crave chinese food, but it'll let you explore the enchanted world that Roselle Lim has created.
I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Predictable but satisfying novel on complicated mother-daughter relationships and dreams. I really enjoyed the book.
In the world of "Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune," a flock of ceramic bird figurines bursts into song; harsh words draw real blood; and tears crystallize, forming glittering piles, proving that "there was beauty to be found everywhere—even in sadness." There's more than a little magic in the San Francisco Chinatown setting of Roselle Lim's novel. (As someone who lives in the area, perhaps the only thing that I totally couldn't buy was the delicious smell of dumplings carrying all the way from Chinatown to the Mission; I only wish SOMA and the Tenderloin smelled that good.)
Natalie has been estranged from her agoraphobic mother for seven years, traveling the world and trying to pursue her dream of becoming a chef. Her mother had refused to support that dream, leading to their split. Natalie returns to Chinatown after her mother's death—strangely, she died right after stepping outside for the first time in ages, and none of her friends and neighbors know why she finally chose to leave her apartment. One of the things Natalie inherits is her laolao's (grandmother) book of recipes, which seem to have mystical properties. Natalie wonders if she can bring the fractured, decaying neighborhood together again with her food, perhaps even opening the long-abandoned, decrepit restaurant where her laolao once cooked.
"Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune" is a delightfully original book with a wonderfully vivid Chinatown setting and lots of descriptions of food that will surely make your mouth water. I did find some of the plot twists a little too convenient (for instance, the discovery of her mother's journals which pretty much answer every question Natalie had ever had), but overall, this is a fresh and fanciful novel.
Natalie returns to San Francisco's Chinatown, a much changed neighborhood, after learning of the death of her estranged mother. Determined to carry on her grandmother's legacy, Natalie wants to reopen the Chinese restaurant in the building her Mother owned. Much like the use of magic by Sarah Addison Allen, there is a touch of magic to the recipes she finds written down by her grandmother, but it adds to the story line. Well written and an enjoyable read. A bonus for those who like recipes in their books.
This was a stunning debut! NATALIE TAN’S BOOK OF LUCK AND FORTUNE is tale of food and family and a little magic, filled with lush descriptions (including the food, which made my mouth water!), gorgeous language, and a lot of heart. Natalie is a wonderful protagonist and I adored being in her head. You don’t want to miss this one!
I truly wanted to like this one as someone dying for Asian voices in women's fiction. However, other than the delicious sounding food, I found the plot uneven-It tries to be both a simple plot and also explain things over and over and her excessive blaming of the neighbors tiresome.
I honestly couldnt get into this one, I dont know if it was the writing or just the characters where I couldnt connect with the story.
I loved the concept of this book, and especially adored the many references to Chinese culture and all of the incredibly delectable descriptions of food (with the inclusivon of recipes!) but I was sadly drawn out of the atmospheric world the author was trying to create because I had a few issues with the writing. Mainly, I sadly felt like this book read like a first draft — one that had such wonderful potential but was bogged down by continuous repetition (seriously, count how many time Natalie says "I left before I could get left" or mentioned how she may have misjudged her neighbors as a child, or talked about how her father abandoned her as a child and her mother had agoraphobia... it's A LOT of times), overwrought similies and an overly simplistic plot. I think if you can look past my negatives, this book has a lot to offer, but I wish this book had been edited a bit more to truly let the beauty I *know* Roselle Lim had in her head to really shine through.
Natalie fled home and her agoraphobic mother years ago after a fight but now is heading home to bury her mother. What she finds is a neighborhood that has changed and an unexpected legacy, her grandmother's restaurant. Can Natalie work through the past, quit running, and unite the neighborhood? Are her grandmother's recipes truly magic? A story of secrets and hope and finding the strength to love your dreams.
I really enjoyed this book! The characters were so vibrant and had so much potential and life in them. The stories throughout were marvelous and I enjoyed all the recipes too. Anyone who doesn't really like magical realism may not really like this book.
I love imagining that magical things like these could happen. And that food could cure or help in different ways. And in some ways it truly does.
I liked the progression of the story and relationships blossoming.
A lovely, fun, read.
Charm and warmth infuse each and every page of NATALIE TAN'S BOOK OF LUCK AND FORTUNE in a way that is wholly unlike anything I have read before. It makes you feel full - and I'm not just talking about the recipes or descriptions of food peppered throughout, though this is certainly not the book to read on an empty stomach. No. It'll make you feel emotionally full, your heart brimming with infectious joy. Roselle Lim's wonderful debut weaves magical elements through key themes and topics such as love in all its forms, legacy, grief, mental illness, hope, estrangement, holding onto traditions in a shifting atmosphere, among others. I enjoyed every bit of this book and I have no doubt that others will surely feel the same.
Roselle Liim has penned an informative light read especially for those who love to cook. She gives insight into the Chinese culture with her many recipes and words of wisdom from her colorful characters. Even though I know little about the Chinese cuisine, I am tempted to try some of the recipes in her delightful novel.
Lovely and heartwarming and charming and magical. <3 I cannot wait for more from this author. Loved her lyrical descriptions.
Let me preface this review by saying that I love magical realism genre and I would devour books with decadent food descriptions. So when I received the ARC copy of Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune, I was beyond excited to read it. This novel tells the story of a prodigal daughter's redemption as she finds her way back to her community after the sudden death of her beloved, yet estranged mother. We follow Natalie Tan's journey to Chinatown San Francisco and we find that the community is struggling to survive as gentrification encroaches. Encouraged by her late mother's last letter, Natalie tries to revive the Chinatown community by reopening her grandmother's Chinese restaurant and discovers many secrets of her family along the way.
I quite enjoyed the mouth-watering description of the cooking process and ample food porn scenes throughout the novel. I would have eaten this up if this book was just filled with those. That said, I found the rest of the story much less enjoyable. Our heroine is a Disney Princess/culinary prodigy with a touch of grandiose delusion who can't seem to make up her mind. Birds seem to follow her everywhere. She can reproduce her grandmother's most complex recipe perfectly in just one try. Everyone around her constantly tells her that she's the only one who can save the community and she truly believes it, but as soon as trouble arises, she's ready to turn around and give up. She blames her tendency to flee (among other issues) on her father's absence and gladly reminds you that several times throughout the story. Natalie/the author also has a penchant for dispensing similes that are out of this world. Some of them are novel and creative, but most of them are pretty absurd, like "attempting to squeeze a fistful of water." Unfortunately, they are also everywhere, like "fruit flies in the heat of summer."
There are other pretty jarring issues with the overall story, but hopefully it can be salvaged with rigorous editing.
.
I read this book in one day and thoroughly enjoyed it. Recipes, heritage, romance, family drama and some magic. What's not to love? Set in a fading San Francisco's Chinatown neighborhood, the author explores one's misperceptions about family and friends and about following one's dreams.