Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune

De: Roselle Lim

Narrado por: Catherine Ho

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.

©2019 Roselle Lim (P)2019 Penguin Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Lim serves up love, loss, heritage, and hints of the supernatural on a silver platter in this magical and mouthwatering debut.... This eminently filmable tale of finding one’s own path while honoring one’s history is delicious and spellbinding." (Publishers Weekly)

“When you read this book, you can feel the love of culture and food within its pages. More importantly, you can see how entangled food, culture, and family can become. It’s a book about how food can bring people together, but also drive them apart. Filled with lush, lyrical writing, Natalie Tan’s Book of Luck and Fortune is the kind of book that’ll fill you with warmth, and make you extremely hungry.” (BookRiot)

“What a treat! Reminiscent of Joanne Harris’s bestselling novel, Chocolat, Natalie Tan’s Book of Luck & Fortune is heaped with heart and topped with the sweetest sprinkle of magic, creating a literary and culinary feast. Infused with ancient traditions and tantalizing recipes, Roselle Lim cooks up a mouth-watering tale that’s sure to delight!” (Lori Nelson Spielman, New York Times best-selling author of The Life List)

the imagery

I especially loved the description of recipes. the detail and the storyline and the explanation Chinese beliefs weaved in the story.

Lovely and Delicious!

This book was phenomenal. Fun, heartwarming, and so much depth. It was a perfect combination of substance, warmth, and triumph! I highly recommend!

nostalgic

the story reminded me of elements of the Chinese culture of my youth. i confess the use of the Chinese language confused me a bit as soon of it was Mandarin and some Cantonese and some i didn't understand but it didn't take away from the story. loved it!

I love the aroma of this story

Beautifully and thoughtfully written. This story of growing up, community, family, food, and love is easy and intriguing to listen to.

An angsty listen

I don't quite know how to categorize this one. Women's fiction with romantic elements and magic realism maybe.

I love the richness of culture in the description of traditions, rituals, filial piety, and especially the glorious mouthwatering food. I’m particularly pleased with the Filipino recipes included in the story.

The fraught relationships between Natalie and her agoraphobic mother and between Miranda and her feisty chef mother Qiao reminded me of The Joy Luck Club.

Docking a star for excessive repetition, overly flowery language, and weakness in the romance build-up.

More Development Needed

The dishes made my mouth water. The mom, daughter, and neighborhood relationships kept my attention. The ghost dad and the love match with Danial didn’t work for me! I’m a lover of magic realism but I don’t think it was done well in this book in regards to Natalie’s dad. It seemed like it was thrown in as an afterthought. The relationship with Danial seemed unrealistic. They only had one real date! I was also not a fan of the performance. With that said I’d like to try a few of the recipes!

Gorgeous story

A magical story of growth and restoration. And the food descriptions made me very hungry!

Not quite a romance not quite literary.

The language is opulent which can orive blinding and sometimes forced on occasion. A lovely story that is weak and frenetic on the romance, and brightly descriptive visually and emotionally. Worth the read, and a great listen while cooking.

Gorgeous!

I wasn’t sure about this book at first because it started off a bit depressing, but dang I’m so glad I stuck with it. It’s incredibly beautiful and like nothing I’ve read before.

I didn’t expect to like this. But I loved it.

This was an assigned book in a class and I’ll admit, I wasn’t thrilled. This was entirely out of my genre preference.

However, I was instantly enthralled into the story. Natalie was difficult to understand, but as she became honest to herself, she became the most loved character.

The story ebbs and flows between heartbreak and happiness. It’ll frustrate you and excite you.

Then, you’ll be crying.

Great story, truly.