“A little conventional” – Number One Chinese Restaurant by Lillian Li #WomensPrize2019

"Li’s got the capacity to startle us. Feng, again, sees little direct action, but she’s like a jolt of electricity to the narrative: the scathing, scheming Godmother who’s pulling her kids’ strings without their ever guessing it. The way the plot skews away from the arson and towards the assorted family breakdowns is a relief, and Jimmy and Johnny’s relationship is more nuanced than the first half led me to predict. The intricate detail on the running of restaurants and the preparation of Chinese food was both a little research-heavy and vicariously appetising. Li’s refusal to capitulate to American models of characterisation is another relief: the emergent heroes (Nan and Feng Fei) don’t cater to Western models of ‘strong female leads’; they’re strong, rather, in their own context, and the book resonates as a result..." - Number One Chinese Restaurant by Lilian Li reviewed by Valerie O'Riordan

from Bookmunch http://bit.ly/2P76pbV
via IFTTT