Ratings3
Average rating3.2
From the bestselling author of Searching for Sylvie Lee and Girl in Translation, a novel about a young woman torn between her family duties in Chinatown and her escape into the world of ballroom dancing. Twenty-two-year-old Charlie Wong grew up in New York’s Chinatown, the older daughter of a Beijing ballerina and a noodle maker. Though an ABC (America-born Chinese), Charlie’s entire world has been limited to this small area. Now grown, she lives in the same tiny apartment with her widower father and her eleven-year-old sister, and works—miserably—as a dishwasher. But when she lands a job as a receptionist at a ballroom dance studio, Charlie gains access to a world she hardly knew existed, and everything she once took to be certain turns upside down. Gradually, at the dance studio, awkward Charlie’s natural talents begin to emerge. With them, her perspective, expectations, and sense of self are transformed—something she must take great pains to hide from her father and his suspicion of all things Western. As Charlie blossoms, though, her sister becomes chronically ill. As Pa insists on treating his ailing child exclusively with Eastern practices to no avail, Charlie is forced to try to reconcile her two selves and her two worlds—Eastern and Western, old world and new—to rescue her little sister without sacrificing her newfound confidence and identity.
Reviews with the most likes.
Hard to rate because I LOVED the first 40% of the book. Also loved Lisa. She was absolutely precious. I know this isn't primarily a romance, but Ryan really lacked as a romantic hero and as more and more time got spent on him the more I found myself not enjoying this book.
It hasn't blown my mind like Girl in translation has, but she is such a good storyteller!
Charlie Wong starts as a dishwasher, and it is interesting to realize how such a clumsy, seemingly inarticulate, intellectually inept character gets close to your heart. Also, anyone with a sister will relate to the love between her and Lisa.
There's still much of the cultural background - such as Pa's attitude towards his older brother, America or western medicine - even if less than with her previous book. And the ending is sort of predictable and much of a fairytale. Still, I got tears in my eyes twice or three times, and finished in one sitting. Well done, Jean :)