The Fortunes | 
pickI‘d seen a lot of people recommend this book, and I‘m glad I read it. I think as an examination of the history of the Chinese American experience it works well, particularly in thinking about how Chinese American history is American history—and the book is all the more remarkable for having been written by a non-American. I struggled a bit with the character in the fourth section, but overall I thought it was very well done.
pickLoved this. Four accounts of the Chinese/American experience of 'otherness' seperated over a period of 150 years. I liked the way that the author narrated the different voices and how the themes linked over the course of the novel. One thing I would say though is that the meta fiction element of the novel might not be to everyone's taste, I thought it was worked in nicely, however, as it seemed to tie the whole thing together.
pickHappy New Year! One of my resolutions is to post more on Litzy (and insta) so I'm starting with a book I probably finished about a month ago!
I really enjoyed this, I liked more sections than others but it was a good read overall and I felt all the stories were well connected. I probably won't be rushing out and buying a copy but well worth picking up a copy in the library.
Oh, but the section on Anna May Wong and Hollywood racism/sexism is so sadly relevant now with all the Weinstein garbage. Makes me want to read a biography of her.
Image: Wong in the 1928 silent film “Song”
This year has been about so many great reads by Asian-American authors! Min Jin Lee, Lisa Ko, Celeste Ng, Alexander Chee, and now this!
I tried to find #redgoldandgreen covers! They aren‘t very holidayish but I think they are very pretty!! #jingleshelves
pickShort-ish book that felt long -- and I mean that in a good way! An intimate epic. It took a while to get to the later stories which looped back into the earlier ones (only in symbolic and literary ways as the stories themselves are almost completely unrelated), and that was a lot of fun. This is the kind of book that quietly and insidiously works its magic on you. I liken it to Outline by Rachel Cusk. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Came home from my early morning run to open this fabulous box of goodies! From not only a reader, but a fellow runner too! @Alicia your stalking game is on point! I'm super excited about all these books, such a wide range of subjects - I love it! The bookmarks are wonderful, 💙 the Ravenclaw one! And I'm running a 10K this weekend, so the snacks will come in handy! 📚💛🏃♀️🌵
Thanks @BookishMarginalia for setting it all up!
"Now who's mixing up life and movies?" Newsreel mocks.
"It's different," she snaps, "My life is movies."
Just went on a nook book buying tear! Love these sales, plus I picked up Hidden Figures for the @LitsyFeministBookClub read for this week. I'm feeling under the weather (which is currently light snow, ha!), so hopefully I can finish it before the discussion. Cut off by picture: Guapa, Brighton, All is Not Forgotten.
This is one I read as a #NetGalley ARC and loved! (I also learned quite a bit about Chinese American history) It's a steal, especially if you add the audiobook. #diversereads https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01912P5NO/ref=mp_s_a_1_37?ie=UTF8&qid=1483773960...
Lunch and a book. Soba salad (cucumbers, celery, carrots and ham), tieguanyin and The Fortunes
Reviewers praised her as "naturally Chinese" and an "exquisite crier, without the need for glycerine." She was possessed of a "porcelain pulchritude".
Squeezing in some reading time in between dropping off the kindergartener at PM K and picking up the 3yo from AM preschool!
Since the author list was announced on Monday for the Tucson Festival of Books I've acquired all these titles to read before March. Such a great group of authors this year! (Also jk I owned at least 4 of these already...) #tfob #bookfestival #readallthebooks #tucson
These library books turned out to be quite matchy-matchy. I'm starting with Swing Time as there are holds on it but the others were on the new arrivals shelves so I'm guessing they can wait a bit.
Have you read any of these? Did you like it?
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Because let's be honest - the experience of being an immigrant in America is one of people being treated as "less than" whites. When you read this, you realize how ambitious this book is, and yet it's not a 500 page tome. The way that Davies wrote and cleverly wove this story together on just 264 pages - it made me appreciate him as an author.
pickI finished THE FORTUNES in early November & posted about it on Election Day, but I forgot to post here. The writing is gorgeous, especially in the first section, the structure is inventive (four very loosely connected sections spanning more than a century of Asian American experience), and the subject could not be more necessary. Thanks @Pronounced_ing for the recommendation. #wndb
bailedI tried, and most people seem to like this. At first I thought it was the audio narrator, whose Chinese accented dialogue was a joy to listen to but whose flat third-person narration was gratingly dull. But no: the fatal flaw is Ho Davies's polysyllabic Latinate diction. That kind of prose ruins a lot of modern British fiction for me but was glaringly out of place in this novel of the Chinese-American immigrant experience.
Current situation - you'll just have to imagine the audio of the hubs playing pac man next to us 😀sorry #Bitsy - you're stuck with us
pickRightness. Wrongness. Other. American. Chinese. American Chinese. Assimilation. Acceptance.
Four great immigrant stories in one book. I really enjoyed this even despite the fact that I got tricked into reading what is essentially a short story collection.
Fulll review over on Goodreads.
pickA gorgeous book that chronicles the history of the treatment of Chinese Americans throughout history. The novel is structured in four novellas/novelettes that form a cohesive view of Chinese American life. Loved this book and will definitely be picking up Davies's THE WELSH GIRL.
Waiting for book club to start seems like the perfect time to start a new book.
Listening to this on audio in the car. The second part is about real-life Chinese American actress Anna May Wong. I looked up her Wikipedia entry and she died the day I was born, February 3, 1961.
pickThe book is essentially 4 novellas about the Chinese American immigrant experience. It ranges from building the railroad, the first Chinese American movie star, a hate crime and injustice (in the 1980s) and a current overseas Chinese adoption. The railroad story was the weakest but the others were very good.
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A novel about discrimination from an Asian-American perspective. It is actually 4 different but connected stories that range in time from the mid-1860's until present day. Beautifully written and one that will stick with me for a long time. #diversity #diversebooks
Hi, me on airplanes and also cars. And trains. Very anti sleeping in public.
You say debate, I say it's finally cool enough in Mississippi to read in my Treehouse! ? (By "cool enough" I mean it's 86 degrees the last week of September.)
pickThis novel-in-4-novellas explores the experience of being Chinese in America and of becoming Chinese-American. From the days of railroad building in 19th Century California to modern-day adoption of unwanted baby girls in China, Davies looks at culture, identity, stereotypes, and the immigrant experience from multiple angles and perspectives. Well worth reading and discussing, especially with book clubs! #diversereads #NetGalley
Almost done with The Fortunes... until David decides my Kindle is too comfy to pass up! #catsofLitsy (And she's purring loudly too 😻)
The uncomfortable truth about stereotypes: the generalizations are sometimes true
Did I join Litsy just to talk about how amazing The Fortunes is? I did.
This excerpt exemplifies why I'm liking The Fortunes so much: cutting social commentary with a sardonic edge. #NetGalley
pickLiving history through another‘s eyes is a long tradition in American literature, but it is often from a very white perspective. Peter Ho Davies, through his superb mastery of language, shows us what it means to be an American while also being Chinese. Davies focuses on four unique characters from different eras. I recalibrated my understanding of history and how much is owed to overlooked, but vast communities. —Ivy
Isn't that a great line? How DO you spend the credit to your race?!? #NetGalley
Finally, lunch and reading time: Monte Cristo sandwich and garlic fries with a side of #Kindle 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
