review 1: I bought this book the day it came out. I started in the parking lot of the bookstore and could not put it down. For the next two hours I read. Later that same day, I finished. What I remember, what still stays with me, is the emotion I felt while reading Celeste Ng’s book. My heart raced and my chest ached. Each sentence is brilliantly constructed, and the book comes together to give the reader an incredibly deep and intimate portrait of a family struggling with prejudice and image. I am an immigrant myself, and grew up in the Midwest. I related to this story on so many levels, understanding both the parents and the children. It is moving and sad and beautifully written. This is a book I will reread, in part because it really touched me, and in part to study the Celeste... more Ng’s craft. review 2: This story just tears your heart out. You become so involved with each member of this family, a Chinese American family. Marilyn the mother is white, James the father Chinese, and their 3 children Nath, Lydia and Hannah. They live in an all white neighborhood, go to an all white school, James remember what this is like and he tries so very very hard to make sure that his kids fit in, that they are popular, well he tries so hard with his daughter Lydia. Both parents push Lydia so hard, her mother pushing her in her school work, Marilyn had wanted to become a female doctor, but didn't when she married and became pregnant. Now she wants Lydia to have the success she never achieved. The kids love the parents, the parents love the kids, well actually they all sort of ignore the youngest Hannah, she just kind of falls through the cracks. But this family has big problems, are they because they love to hard??? Are they because nobody ever really communicates? They just try to please each other and in doing that they are miserable themselves. I gave this 5 stars because this was just so well written, it was a hard read because you find yourself caring so much for these people. less
