THE BOOK FAIR

Review:

The sensitive, multi-generational story of mothers and daughters, cousins and aunties, travels back and forth in time, from China to the U.S.   Four immigrant Chinese women, Suyuan, An-Mei, Lindo and Ying Ying, survivors of their traumatic pasts, each relate their own stories in vivid detail, in the hope of teaching their American daughters to believe in themselves and achieve a better life in America.

The daughters, Jing Mei, Rose, Waverly, and Lena, in turn relate their struggles to understand their mothers, and the cultural differences and divisions between them.

In the story’s beginning, Jing Mei meets with her aunties, after her mother, Suyuan Woo’s death, and discovers her mother’s long held secret past.

An-Mei Hsu tells the story of her childhood, and how her beautiful mother left her to become a concubine, and the cruelty she endured in her absence.   In revealing her past, An-Mei teaches her daughter that she must believe in herself and understand her own worth.

Lindo Jong relates the day she was forced to leave her family and marry.  Her mother loved her and believed the marriage was to her advantage.  However, a spoiled boy became her husband, and an abusive mother-in-law became her tormentor.

Ying Ying St Claire reveals the story of her marriage, to a man she loved but who was unfaithful and abusive, and divulges secrets of her past to save her daughter.  She encourages Lena to defend herself from her husband, an overbearing, penny- pinching man.

The novel encompasses the childhood rivalries between Jing Mei and Waverly, and the ensuing jealousies in their adult life, as well as the competition between their mothers as they struggle to promote and brag about their daughters.

 

Genuine love, undaunted sorrow and overwhelming regret, along with ancient customs, delicious foods, and extraordinary tales of unforgettable characters make this book extraordinary.