Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune
Books | Fiction / Asian American
3.3
(90)
Roselle Lim
Lush and visual, chock-full of delicious recipes, Roselle Lim’s magical debut novel is about food, heritage, and finding family in the most unexpected places. At the news of her mother’s death, Natalie Tan returns home. The two women hadn’t spoken since Natalie left in anger seven years ago, when her mother refused to support her chosen career as a chef. Natalie is shocked to discover the vibrant neighborhood of San Francisco’s Chinatown that she remembers from her childhood is fading, with businesses failing and families moving out. She’s even more surprised to learn she has inherited her grandmother’s restaurant. The neighborhood seer reads the restaurant’s fortune in the leaves: Natalie must cook three recipes from her grandmother’s cookbook to aid her struggling neighbors before the restaurant will succeed. Unfortunately, Natalie has no desire to help them try to turn things around—she resents the local shopkeepers for leaving her alone to take care of her agoraphobic mother when she was growing up. But with the support of a surprising new friend and a budding romance, Natalie starts to realize that maybe her neighbors really have been there for her all along.
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More Details:
Author
Roselle Lim
Pages
320
Publisher
Penguin
Published Date
2019-06-11
ISBN
1984803263 9781984803269
Community ReviewsSee all
"Good sounds really mouthwatering but it never really hooked me in I tried to finish reading it but the final straw (spoiler alert) is when the couple started immediately making out after they ate her food. 😕"
Gizmo
"I picked this up thinking it was a romance, and that mistake is entirely my fault. I decided to stick with the book because the premise intrigued me. Unfortunately, only a couple of elements of the story were actually appealing to me: the side characters, the protagonist’s cat, and the cooking. I enjoyed reading about a protagonist interested and experienced in culinary arts. The story’s rather slow pace and Lim’s purple prose hindered my enjoyment."
Olivia
"a lovely read. love, loss, familial expectations, neighborhood pride, and food. Roselle Lim weaves a tapestry of magical golden threads and a single cherry red thread connecting all the players. so hungry now!#asian_american #love_and_romance #family #food #magical_realism "
Robert Wasson
