The Fine Chao restaurant has been a cornerstone of Haven, Wisconsin for 35 years, serving Americanized Chinese food so delicious the town has turned a blind eye to the whispers about the Chao family who owns the restaurant. The three Chao sons are reunited back home after going off to college, but Leo, the family’s patriarch, is soon found dead and all eyes turn towards the Chao family to figure out who killed him. More importantly, what happened to Leo’s dog?

I wish I could tell you about how much I loved this one, but I have really mixed feelings.

What I loved - the writing, the descriptions of food Dagou cooks (UM, YUM!), and the powerful critique about what it means to be a Chinese immigrant/Chinese American in the US with societal pressures and model minority prejudices at play.

What didn’t jive with me - how unlikeable every character was. I know these characters were a product of societal pressure directly and indirectly, but I struggled to find any redeeming qualities in anyone and it was tough to get through part one of the story. I also found the resolution to the mystery a little lackluster.

this was an interesting retelling of the brothers Karamazov. an exploration of a fathers relationship with his three sons. in the end i found this book had too much hate and too many characters that were simply caricatures, on the other hand it would be fun to read this as a companion novel to the original.

First DNF of the year, this could be harsh so I apologize if you enjoyed this book. I really wanted to like this one but it’s not something I can continue reading due to the insufferable characters and filler that had nothing to do with the premise described in the synopsis. I’m honestly disappointed with the way the author portrayed the characters, it’s almost offensive. The writing is not engaging at all and comes off a bit amateur and like it missed a few rounds of editing. The premise of this book sounded promising - a murder mystery surrounding a family restaurant, detailing the trials and tribulations of an immigrant family, I feel like I got none of that. So I’m putting it down at 35% and I don’t intend on picking it back up. Ever.

Writing: 4/5 Characters: 5/5 Plot: 4/5

Fine Chao Restaurant in Haven, Wisconsin, serves mouthwatering Chinese food to the local Chinese American community. While the jacket blurb promises us the dead body of the patriarch and all around not-very-nice-guy, this doesn’t appear until roughly half way through the book. In the meantime, we are introduced to his three sons (Dagou, the brash head chef; Ming, a financial success overcome with self-hatred; and James, home from college for Christmas) along with Katherine, a stubborn but no longer wanted fiancee, and an entire community struggling to define itself in an environment that is not exactly hostile, but isn’t exactly welcoming either.

I listened to this on audio so had more trouble taking notes and identifying quotes. The writing is very good — with an excellent vocabulary and the ability to tease out individual personalities and issues for each of the distinct characters (even the dog!). The racially based and often insidious experiences of each character was felt and reacted to differently for a more subtle and (IMHO) realistic portrayal. I found the book deeply interesting, but not nearly as comic as the marketing blurb suggested. I’m honestly confused about why it is billed as a comedy (I have a hard time laughing at other people’s problems unless they themselves are making a joke of it). I also found it less tense than I expected (which is a plus, as who needs more tension in their life?). I was impressed that the book didn’t resolve in anything even approaching a formulaic way — another big plus!

In summary — definitely worth reading, more family drama than mystery, stereotype busting, and full of character depth.

The Family Chao by Lan Samantha Chang was a novel that was very difficult for me to get into. I found the characters unlikeable especially the father and sons in this story. The mom was bare-able. I also did not enjoy the narration which felt very choppy and the different voice registers did not sit well with me. While I can see why some people may enjoy this book because of the family dynamic and family drama, I could not get into this family's story. I definitely wanted to like this book more than I did since I usually love a character driven novel. Perhaps you will enjoy this novel and audio more than I did.

There were times when I would get into the story but then the dad or one of the brothers would speak in such a vulgar and belittling way that I would disengage once again. I did finish this story so I gave it a higher rating for that, but would not personally recommend to others.

Thank you to NetGalley and RB Media for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve heard this story described as Succession but with a Chinese American family and their restaurant. In Wisconsin. And that description is not far off. There’s the domineering father, the traumatized kids still seeking his approval and an examination of what the American dream really means and who it can apply to.
I’ve seen a lot of buzz about this book so I was thrilled when NetGalley sent me an ALC, but now I'm thinking an audiobook is not the best way to experience this story.

Billed as a murder mystery, the murder doesn’t actually happen until halfway through the book and the lead-up was a slog to get through - especially when listening to it. I did become more interested at that halfway mark, but I still didn’t feel emotionally invested enough in each of the characters to really get into the story.

Brilliant audiobook!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me access an advance copy of this book in exchange for my feedback.

A highly-anticipated book of family secrets, multiple POVs and mystery/suspense had me going into it with high hopes. It is a retelling of The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky (I don't know it 😬).

I was disappointed. The beginning felt very slow. I was entertained enough to keep listening but found my mind often wandering off and having to re-listen to parts. This is not usually a problem for me. It just didn't hold my attention. Though, the pace picked up towards the end.

The characters were flawed and the mystery was interesting. But for a primarily character-driven book I wanted to feel more connection or emotion from the characters.

💭 It was ok. Wouldn't recommend to my friends unless they loved the book it was based off of.

I've been sitting on this review because honestly, I'm conflicted. There were good points and bad points, but the overwhelming emotion I feel when I think of this book is confusion. I feel like it was trying to be too many things.

One the one hand, The Family Chao was an excellent literary exploration of life as a second-generation Chinese American. It tackled lots of big topics like the lack of or over-abundance of culture during your formative years, dating within or outside of your own ethnic group, the shame someone might feel for being different to their peers and ugly cultural stereotypes. It felt unrestrained and honest and I enjoyed reading about a completely different perspective to my own.

There was a lot of family drama at the heart of The Family Chao, perhaps unsurprising considering the title, but then the second half of the book took the feel of a courtroom who-dunnit complete with journalistic narration by one of the characters.

It felt like a very sudden and complete departure from the first half, and I struggled with the juxtaposition. There was a surprising amount of dark humour throughout which could have been the glue to bind the two sides of the plot, but it just didn't quite work for me.

Overall it took way too long to introduce the family, and the mystery and court-case could have been explored more. I felt like there was a huge amount of set up only to have the obvious twist revealed in record time. At least I enjoyed the writing style, and the ending was satisfying.

I had high hopes for this reimagined retelling of The Brothers Karamazov featuring a Chinese American family of brothers dealing with the murder of their father. I loved that this center around a beloved family restaurant set in Wisconsin but I just couldn't stand any of the characters and actually found them kind of off-putting and one-dimensional/stereotypical. Maybe that was supposed to be the point? If so it went over my head and I didn't appreciate the subtle nods to the original, never having read it myself. For these reasons it was just an okay read and I eventually had to DNF. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an opportunity to listen to advance review copy of the book!

The Family Chao is an excellent literary mystery. Chang delivers a family drama filled with death, mysteries, secrets, courtroom scenes, and a (hopefully) missing dog. The Chao family brings a large cast of characters with their independent and entwined lives.
An elaborate Christmas party leads to the death of the patriarch of the family and the eldest son on trial. The story unfolds elegantly and the ending was satisfying.
The audiobook was excellently done.

This book is based around a Chinese immigrant family that runs a restaurant in a small town in Wisconsin. A domineering father, three adults sons home for the holidays and their mother who has recently moved to a convent. Scenes from this book were interesting and funny at times. However, I found too many of the characters were static and while they may have learned new information, they didn’t really seem to grow or change over the course of the story. I enjoyed this story but I think it would have been better if it was much shorter. If you like slow, reflective stories about family, ambition or the Chinese immigrant experience in small town USA, then I think you would really enjoy this book.

I enjoyed the narrator, and would like listen to more books that he reads. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed listening to The Family Chao, but I didn't love it and it didn't "wow" me like I thought it was going to. I should start by saying that the audiobook narrator is excellent and really enjoyable to listen to. If anything, he made the story better for me!

The story begins with the three Chao brothers returning to their family restaurant in the suburbs of Wisconsin. Well, the oldest song, Dagou, never left as he's now the head chef of the restaurant. The middle son, Ming, got as far away as he could to build his own successful career (though he's got other issues) and youngest son James is off at college. Their father and restaurant owner Leo Chao is a tough man who won't give Dagou what he wants in partial ownership of the restaurant. Their mother, Winnie, recently left their father to become a Buddhist nun. While the brothers are home, Leo is found dead and there seems to be a likely suspect.

I love stories about family restaurants and definitely enjoyed the talk of food in this book. It started off really strongly for me, but ended up just feeling like an odd story to me. It went in directions I didn't really expect and while that's not necessarily a bad thing, it just all felt too out there for me. I didn't realize it was supposed to be a re-telling of The Brothers Karamazov, but since I haven't read that, I suppose it wouldn't have made much of a difference to me.

I'm still happy I read it and I'd read more from this author; it just wasn't totally the book for me!

I enjoyed this book about the Chao family. I felt it was a little slow-moving at times, but still an enjoyable read!

I missed my chance to download and listen to this audiobook. It has a very quick date before it disappeared. I would have liked to listen to it.

On Christmas Eve the Chao family hosts a Christmas party for the Chinese community in Haven, Wisconsin and this year's is the biggest one yet. Dagou, the oldest son is determined to show he is the best chef and impress his father, the community, and his new girlfriend. Instead their mother is in the hospital, their dog is missing and there are rumors of his fate and Leo Chao, the father, dies. All three brothers are left to figure out life and their future's.

The narrator does a job telling the story.

This was alright. I think I was expecting something a little more dynamic in a book revolving around a murder mystery, but it wasn’t bad.

At a Chinese restaurant in Haven, Wisconsin, James is returning home from college to see his family for the holidays. His mother, Winnie, has recently left his domineering father, Leo Chao, and joined a convent. Also in town are James’ older brothers Dagou and Ming, one of whom never left Haven while the other got as far away from his roots as possible. They get together for a lavish meal prepared by the oldest brother, Dagou, and it devolves into a major conflict between Leo and the majority of his family.

The next day the Chao patriarch is found dead, with suspicion immediately falling upon his three sons. One of the brothers is arrested and the other two look for exonerating information all while living under the community’s scrutiny. Though The Family Chao is centered around a mysterious death, at the heart is a tale of complex family dynamics and the inheritance of generational scars, especially amongst immigrant families.

I’m actually little surprised at how late in the story Leo Chao dies, since the synopsis is so upfront about it. It was a little difficult for me to get a handle on the dynamics amongst the three sons, since so much of the build-up in the first act is about each of their relationships with their father. The most effective parts of the book for me ended up being when the Chao kids reflected on their experiences living in Haven as the children of immigrants. It was really interesting to see how the same circumstances manifested differently in each of them.

I feel like there was a disconnect between everything leading up to the dinner and the eventual trial after the fact. A lot was lost in the time jump, and I never really regained my footing within the narrative. However, that second act ended up containing some of the more incisive criticism of white American racism, both institutional and individual. The take down of so-called “animal lovers” who value a hypothetical pet over the actual lives of humans (and animals killed for food and consumer goods, while we’re at it) was especially well done. As was the commentary on the overlap of online conspiracies, hate campaigns and racism.

The narrator of this audiobook was excellent, and I would definitely listen to her again! Overall I enjoyed the book. But I think I liked individual aspects of it better than as a complete story.

Although the premise was interesting to me, I struggled to get through this book. A tyrant father, his three sons and wife own a restaurant in Wisconsin after immigrating. To the US. I think Chang missed the mark with characterization. For the most part, they were all very hard to connect with and like. There was much potential in the story, from racism, to family dynamics to cultural differences. However, it was poorly executed and seemed to drag on and on. I am glad I read it and did enjoy some parts.
**** huge thanks to NetGalley for the ARC

A throughly modern retelling of The Brothers Karamatsov. Well narrated and we’ll done retelling. But, it does beg the question, is this a story that needs retelling? Regardless, I enjoyed spending time with the Chaos (love the double meaning/spelling there).

I really wasn't too sure what to expect when I started listening to this one. It's a family story - but also involving a community, an immigrant experience, cultural acceptance and relations between. This is my first experience with this author's writing and I also really enjoyed the audio performance.

In Haven, Wisconsin, the titular family operates the town's sole Chinese restaurant. Dagou, the eldest returned from New York City six years ago - ostensibly to her run the family business after his mother fell ill. But maybe also partly due to his failure to thrive in the big city. Ming, the middle son, arrives for a visit with success in business but failure in his personal relationships and an eagerness to get back out of town as soon as possible. Youngest son, James, home from college makes a chance encounter with a stranger into something with far greater ramifications for the whole family. Overshadowing his entire family, Leo, the father, constantly berates and belittles those closest to him. His wife, Winnie, has finally fled his household but not even living in the spiritual house can bring her peace.

The holiday visits turns into much more- revealing hidden (and not-so-hidden) ambitions, secrets, rumors and even a murder. Listening to this almost felt like listening to town gossip as it recounts the downfall of the Chao family. I wish that the characters had been a bit more sympathetic - they all certainly show their flaws here! The central mystery of the death is resolved, but the ending of the book isn't terribly satisfying. The female characters are not well-developed - and honestly, I wish that they had been the focus here rather than these unlikable brothers! It's a grim story in a lot of ways - though an engaging one that held my interest from start to finish. The audio performance is particularly stellar here in helping to bring these characters to life. But fair warning - don't listen on an empty stomach! The food descriptions here are particularly mouth-watering!