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Good Fortune
Good Fortune: A Novel | C.K. Chau
3 posts | 3 read | 2 to read
A whip-smart and charming debut novel that brilliantly reimagines Pride and Prejudice, set in contemporary Chinatown, exploring contemporary issues of class divides, family ties, cultural identity, and the pleasures and frustrations that come with falling in love. When Elizabeth Chens ever-hustling realtor mother finally sells the beloved if derelict community center down the block, the new owners dont look like typical New York City buyers. Brendan Lee and Darcy Wong are good Chinese boys with Hong Kong money. Clean-cut and charismatic, they say they are committed to cleaning up the neighborhood. To Elizabeth, that only means one thing: Darcy is looking to give the center an uptown makeover. Elizabeth is determined to fight for community over profit, even if it means confronting the arrogant, uptight man every chance she gets. But where clever, cynical Elizabeth sees lemons, her mother sees lemonade. Eager to get Elizabeth and her other four daughters ahead in the world (and out of their crammed family apartment), Mrs. Chen takes every opportunity to keep her investors close. Closer than Elizabeth likes. The more time they spend together, the more conflicted Elizabeth feelsuntil a shocking betrayal forces her to reconsider everything she thought she knew about love, trust, and the kind of person Darcy Wong really is.
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Clare-Dragonfly
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Pickpick

What a wonderful book to start the year with! This novel is both a very faithful retelling of Pride and Prejudice and a believable update to the modern day (I think it‘s set in the early 2000s). Plus, most of the characters are Chinese-American and that‘s a fun twist! Elizabeth and Darcy are compelling characters and I really feel like Chau understands Austen. I LOVE that much of the characters‘ focus is on jobs rather than marriage.

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Bluebird
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Mehso-so

Pride and Prejudice retelling set in modern day Chinatown. I‘m a fan of many ‘austen inspired reads, but this one fell flat for me. #moremehthanyeah. On the upside, it did complete #Titlestartingwiththeletter”G” for #52bookclub23, so not a total loss.

24 likes4 comments
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Preciouz29
Pickpick

Overall, 4 stars. However, I had to make it to the back half of the book to really enjoy this. The first half was kind of cringe, but once we got to the back half, things picked up and LB wasn‘t nearly as judgemental. Spoiler or warning though, this isn‘t about love. This is all about jobs and I liked it all the more for it. That said, you still get your happily ever after. But jobs are the real importance here.