Review: The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle (by Jennifer Ryan)

My Rating:  4 stars

This is the third of Jennifer Ryan's novels that I've read and I enjoyed it just as much as I did her previous works.  One of the things I appreciated about this book is that, despite the similar background and setting (the home front in the British countryside during WWII) to both The Chilbury Ladies' Choir and The Kitchen Front, Ryan still managed to make this a very different story. With most of the men off fighting in the war, the women at the home front do what they can to support the war effort.  But with all the rationing taking place and the severe limitations on necessities from food to clothing, challenges abound for those trying to keep things going at home.  It is against this backdrop that we meet 3 spirited women from different walks of life who are brought together through a joint effort of wanting to help other women celebrate love by mending wedding dresses for brides across the country. 

Cressida Wescott grew up in Aldhurst village, but left when she was in her twenties due to a falling out with her brother.  After fleeing to London, she makes a name for herself as one of the country's top fashion designers — not an easy feat, especially for a single woman given the sentiments of the time and the traditions that confined most women to a life of marriage and motherhood.  All goes well until both Cressida's London home and her design house are bombed to ashes in the London Blitz and instantly, she loses everything that she worked so hard to establish.  With no other recourse, Cressida has no choice but to return to Aldhurst and stay with her niece and nephew while she rebuilds her business, all the while hoping that the two of them are kinder and more hospitable than their late father was.  While her niece Violet is thrilled that the famous aunt she never knew will be staying with them, she has her own "trouble" to worry about in the form of the conscription letter for war work that she receives, which effectively dashes her lifelong dream of marrying an aristocratic husband.  Meanwhile, Grace Carlisle, the local vicar's daughter, is engaged to be married and wants desperately to be able to wear her mother's wedding gown for the ceremony.  For Grace, it's a special way to remember her beloved mother, who died 10 years ago, and also her only hope for a traditional white wedding given the mandatory wartime clothes rationing, which has made wedding gowns a scarce commodity.  Unfortunately, her mother's wedding gown is too damaged to wear without repairing, so Grace brings it to her sewing club in the hopes that, together with the other ladies in the club, they are able to salvage it.  It is there that she meets Cressida, who decides to accompany Violet to one of the meetings, and as they come up with a plan to repair the wedding gown, the women also form an unexpected, close friendship.  Soon, the "project" of repairing Grace's wedding dress expands into the broader idea of a wedding dress exchange program where the ladies from the sewing circle mend donated wedding dresses and lend them out to other brides so they can get the chance to have a white wedding of their own.

I loved the concept of this story and felt that Jennifer Ryan did a great job writing about the time period in a way that made me feel like I was there sharing the characters' experiences. Speaking of the characters — I also loved how, once again, Ryan's main female protagonists were all strong, admirable women who had no problem standing up against the conventions of the time. The narrative alternates between Cressida's, Violet's and Grace's perspectives, and together, we get the entirety of their shared story and experiences.  While there was a little more romance in this one than I expected, especially when compared to the previous two books of hers that I had read, it didn't overshadow the rest of the story, so I was fine with it.

Overall, this was in the same vein of Ryan's previous two "home front" themed novels in that the tone was lighthearted and uplifting, though it also dealt with serious issues in a respectful, non- heavy handed way.  Having said that, I did feel that the story as a whole was a tad longer than it needed to be, especially around the midway mark, where some of the scenes felt repetitive and I felt like I was losing interest, but I kept with it and am glad I did, as the story turned out well in the end.

I enjoyed this one and definitely recommend it, especially for fans of Jennifer Ryan's previous works about women's wartime effort on the home front.  Also if you're looking for a WWII-themed read that's resonant and poignant but not too heavy, this one fits the bill quite nicely.

Received ARC from Ballantine Books via NetGalley.

Review: The Many Daughters of Afong Moy (by Jamie Ford)

My Rating:  4.5 stars

Jamie Ford is one of my favorite authors, so it shouldn't come as a surprise how delighted I was to get my hands on an advance reader's copy of his newest novel, The Many Daughters of Afong Moy.  In his newest work, just as he has done with his previous novels, Ford takes an event or a person in history and builds a compelling story around it, all while paying homage to his Chinese ancestry and heritage.  I love this aspect of his works.  With that said though, this book is actually a bit of a departure from Ford's prior historical fiction works in that it leans more heavily into areas of science and technology as well as spirituality and philosophy. This book is quite a bit more complex than his other novels, which is fine, but I think it's beneficial to know that going into this one, especially since it has the potential to affect the reading experience.  

For me, I had never actually heard of epigenetics prior to reading this book and even now, after reading up on the subject after finishing the book, I still don't really understand what it is, to be very honest.  While the mechanics of this science and all the terminology went completely over my head, I did catch onto the overarching concept of inherited generational trauma, which played a huge role throughout the entire story.  

The science part aside, there were plenty other aspects to the story that I loved:  the historical and cultural elements, the beautiful writing, the meticulous storytelling, and of course, the wonderfully rendered characters.  I was fascinated by the interwoven stories of the seven generations of Moy women (Afong, Lai King, Faye, Zoe, Greta, Dorothy, Annabel) in a narrative that spanned several time lines and settings — from Baltimore in 1836, to San Francisco in 1892, to England in 1927, to China in 1942, to Seattle in 2014, 2045, and 2086.  Truly this is a narrative that covers past, present, and future, with strong female protagonists at its core, each with moving, poignant backstories where they endure a defining, traumatic event— these are characters I couldn't help rooting for, even when their actions and some of the decisions they made gave me pause.

Overall, I appreciated how ambitious this book was and while I didn't always understand exactly what I was reading, it was hard not to be drawn in by Ford's masterful storytelling.  Though this wasn't my favorite of his novels (my favorite remains Love and Other Consolation Prizes), it was still a fantastic read that I wholeheartedly recommend.  Not sure how long we'll need to wait for Ford's next book, but I absolutely look forward to what he may have for us next!

Received ARC from Atria Books via NetGalley.

Review: Bomb Shelter (by Mary Laura Philpott)

My Rating:  3.5 stars

I read this for book club and overall, I enjoyed this well-written and witty memoir-in-essays.  Mary Laura Philpott begins the book with the incident that changes her life (and that of her family) forever:  the medical emergency that wakens her in the middle of the night, where she finds her teenage son unconscious on the bathroom floor. In the aftermath, Philpott wonders whether she she should've seen warning signs of her son's condition, but more broadly, she ponders the limitations of the human ability to protect and keep those we love safe.  A self-admitted lifelong worrier, yet also possessing a sunny disposition that helps her balance her anxious thoughts by focusing on the bright side of things, Philpott looks back at various aspects of her life and explores essential questions related to love, family, relationships, anxiety, death, fear, etc. — basically all the realities of human existence.

While reading this, I definitely appreciated the many insights that Philpott conveyed as well as the way she approached so many tough issues with a sense of humor.  In exploring various situations that occurred in her life, Philpott is candid and doesn't shy away from showing her vulnerability and insecurities in her roles as wife, mother, daughter, friend, or just as an ordinary person trying to live her life as best she can, in a challenging world.  There were a few essays that I related to more than others, and some I ended up skimming because I found it difficult to maintain my focus (most likely because that particular essay's subject matter didn't appeal to me).  I especially loved the essays about the turtles and also the peculiar behavior of the family dog, which I found hilarious.  The meditation chapter made me chuckle and, not surprisingly, it quickly became one of my favorite essays in the book.

Even though not all of the essays spoke to me, I still recommend reading this one, as I really enjoy Philpott's style of writing and the way she is able to infuse humor when relaying difficult topics, but in a way that is respectful and doesn't make light of the seriousness of some situations.  I would definitely be interested in reading more of Philpott's works at some point.

Received ARC from Atria via NetGalley. 

Review: Counterfeit (by Kirsten Chen)

My Rating:  4.5 stars



I started Kirsten Chen's new novel Counterfeit on Friday and it was so engrossing that I nearly finished it in one sitting. Well-written and cleverly-structured, the story revolves around two Chinese-American women, Winnie Fang and Ava Wong, who become involved in a scheme selling counterfeit luxury handbags.  As the story opens, it quickly becomes apparent that Ava is confessing her role in the scheme to a detective, while Winnie is somehow missing in action. Through Ava's confession, we learn both her backstory as well as Winnie's, with each chapter revealing more and more clues that help us eventually understand the course of events that led up to that moment.  Later on however, the story switches to Winnie's perspective and I will admit that, when I read her chapters, I started second-guessing some things that had been revealed earlier (and that's all I'm going to say about it — you will need to read the book for yourself to find out what I'm talking about).  The way the story was structured, plus the fast pace of the plot, definitely made for a fascinating read!

With all that said though, this wasn't just a superficial story about a counterfeit handbag business gone awry.  It actually went much deeper than that, as it also explored recent social, political, and economic issues such as anti-Asian sentiment, immigration and the American Dream, racism, the strained U.S.-China trade relationship, etc.  It also dealt with Chinese cultural elements (as well as stereotypes) in ways that were insightful and respectful, yet not heavy-handed. Despite some of the serious themes, there was a lightheartedness to the story that made this a well-balanced read.

 

In terms of character development, I feel that Chen did a great job with both Winnie and Ava. Even though I disagree with their actions and the decisions they ultimately made, I was able to relate to the struggles they went through as Chinese women who grew up in traditional Chinese families.  Ava especially resonated with me, as I recognized so much of her family dynamic in my own — i.e.: the pressure to choose a "prestigious" career path that ultimately leads to wealth, even if it's not a career that I would want for myself (this quote sent shivers down my spine because it's almost verbatim what I experienced: "…in my family there were only a few acceptable paths—law, medicine, engineering. Law was the one I'd disliked least. From the very beginning, I'd known my lot in life: to be good enough at my job, and to tolerate it until retirement."); the expectation to be an overachiever in school (anything less than straight A's was frowned upon) and maintain the image of the "good Chinese daughter" so as not to disappoint my immigrant parents who sacrificed so much for their children to have such opportunities; the cultural significance of "face" and the huge impact it has on how, as a Chinese woman, I'm supposed to live my life (another quote that applies almost verbatim to my own situation: "…but when you grow up as I did, schooled in the supremacy of "face"—the figurative face, the image, reputation, honor that must be fought for and preserved at all costs—breaking free from constraints to think for oneself becomes a Herculean task.").   One of the things I love about the reading experience is coming across characters whom I am able to relate to in some way (even if our life circumstances are completely different) and that certainly was the case here — this makes the time and effort spent reading this all the more worthwhile. 

Overall, I definitely enjoyed this "fun" and engrossing read, but more than that, I also appreciated the fact that it was a welcome departure from the "heavier" books that I've read lately.  Immediately after finishing this one, I put both of Kirsten Chen's previous books on my TBR, though of course, I also look forward to what she might have in store next.  

Received ARC from William Morrow via NetGalley.

Review: Daughters of the Flower Fragrant Garden (by Zhuqing Li)

My Rating: 4 stars

I'm quite picky when it comes to reading nonfiction books.  I tend to gravitate toward biographies and memoirs as well as essay collections, though I do also read general nonfiction when the occasion calls for it (i.e.: book club pick).  In these instances, subject matter is pretty important, especially since it takes more focus and concentration on my part to get through a nonfiction book.  In this sense, when I read the premise for linguist and East Asian scholar Zhuqing Li's Daughters of the Flower Fragrant Garden, and saw that it fell perfectly into these 2 categories (biography + nonfiction subject matter I'm interested in), I knew this was a book I would want to read. 

While there is some anecdotal information interspersed throughout, majority of Li's book is actually about her two aunts Jun and Hong, who came of age during one of the most tumultuous times in China's history.   Born 2 years apart into the prominent and wealthy Chen family, the sisters grew up in a beautiful villa in Fuzhou built by their father — a home they came to know as the Flower Fragrant Garden.  When the onset of World War II and Japan's invasion of various parts of China forces the Chen family to flee their home, Jun especially finds her hard-won right to further her education through attending college completely upended.  Hong also experiences hardship during this period, but she is ultimately able to finish her studies and fulfill her dream of becoming a doctor.  At the end of the war, with China and the Allies victorious, the family thought they would be able to return to their former lives as well as their beloved villa in the mountains, but it was not to be.  Civil war breaks out between the ruling Nationalist Party and the Communists, with everything coming to a head when Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek flees to Taiwan and the Communist Party comes to power under Mao Zedong.  During this time, the sisters' lives are changed forever when Jun ends up stuck on an island under Nationalist control and, unable to return to the Mainland, eventually moves to Taiwan and marries a Nationalist general, which results in estrangement from her family for decades.  Hong meanwhile endures the many hardships brought about by the Great Leap Forward, Cultural Revolution, and many of the other disastrous "initiatives" implemented in China during that time.  It is not until 1982, after decades apart, with both sisters having survived various hardships, that Jun and Hong are finally able to reunite.  

In this chronicle of her two aunts' extraordinary lives, Zhuqing Li tells the story of her family line set against the backdrop of China's turbulent post-WWII sociopolitical history and the evolution of the country's fraught relationship with Taiwan.  I actually started this book last week and finished it on Saturday (June 4th), which happened to be the 33rd anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre (a coincidence that only dawned on me after I finished reading the book).  Though this particular story isn't about Tiananmen Square (despite that event still being mentioned in the book, albeit briefly), its significance in terms of China's political history is, of course, not lost on me Even though I was only 11 years old when the Tiananmen Square massacre occurred and of course, having already immigrated to the U.S. years before that, I was thousands of miles away, but that didn't make it any less impactful, especially as a Chinese girl coming of age during that time.  In that context, this was, without a doubt, not an easy read by any means — hearing Jun's and Hong's stories, with the unflinching descriptions of harrowing experiences they had to endure,  the political undercurrents that dominated their entire lives, it was hard not to be moved by the resilience and endurance of these two remarkable women.

Regardless of background, this will undoubtedly be a difficult read for those who decide to pick this one up, but it is well worth the effort.  On the surface, this may seem like simply a story of two sisters separated by war, but much deeper than that, it is also an insightful look into Chinese history, culture, politics, and much more.

Received ARC from W. W. Norton via Bookbrowse First Impressions program.