The Tiger Mom's Tale

By: Lyn Liao Butler

Narrated by: Natalie Naudus

Length: 9 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

"The Tiger Mom's Tale is a heartfelt, delightful read. Lyn Liao Butler's story of Taiwanese and American identity had me turning pages and laughing (and drooling over the delicious descriptions of food)." (Charles Yu, author of Interior Chinatown, winner of the 2020 National Book Award)

Named one of best summer reads by Parade and PopSugar!

When an American woman inherits the wealth of her Taiwanese family, she travels to confront them about their betrayals of the past in this stunning debut by Lyn Liao Butler.

Lexa Thomas has never quite fit in. Having grown up in a family of blondes while more closely resembling Constance Wu, she's neither White enough nor Asian enough. Visiting her father in Taiwan as a child, Lexa thought she'd finally found a place where she belonged. But that was years ago, and even there, some never truly considered her to be a part of the family.

When her estranged father dies unexpectedly, leaving the fate of his Taiwanese family in Lexa's hands, she is faced with the choice to return to Taiwan and claim her place in her heritage...or leave her Taiwanese family to lose their home for good. Armed with the advice of two half-sisters (one American and the other Taiwanese, who can't stand each other), a mother who has reevaluated her sexuality, a man whose kisses make her walk into walls, and her self-deprecating humor, Lexa finds the courage to leave the comfort of New York City to finally confront the person who drove her away all those decades ago.

With fond memories of eating through food markets in Taiwan and forming a bond with a sister she never knew she had, Lexa unravels the truth of that last fateful summer and realizes she must stand up for herself and open her heart to forgiveness, or allow the repercussions of her family's choices to forever dictate the path of her life

©2021 Lyn Liao Butler (P)2021 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"The Tiger Mom's Tale is a heartfelt, delightful read. Lyn Liao Butler's story of Taiwanese and American identity had me turning pages and laughing (and drooling over the delicious descriptions of food)." (Charles Yu, author of Interior Chinatown, winner of the 2020 National Book Award)

"Unembellished and forthright, The Tiger Mom’s Tale is a touching story that illuminates intricacies of race, ethnicity, traditions and stereotypes.... Filled with potential book club discussion topics and perfect for fans of YA novels by Jenny Han, The Tiger Mom’s Tale will unleash timely dialogue about identity, family secrets and cultural divides." (BookPage)

"Sharp and humorous, The Tiger Mom's Tale is a scenic, debut novel with a cast of complicated characters sure to bring laughter and discussion to your next book club. I can't wait to read what Lyn Liao Butler writes next!" (Tif Marcelo, USA Today best-selling author of The Key to Happily Ever After)

Loved The Tiger Mom’s Tale by Lyn Liao Butler!

Just finished this book and loved Lyn Liao Butler’s debut novel, The Tiger Mom‘s Tale. Such a wonderful story with so many great characters. Can’t wait to read her next book.

It was ok

Easy listening, but nothing too exciting. Was hoping for something more to happen. Just ok.

Narrator was amazing!!!

I loved the book and the narrator was so good. She really brought the book to life. Amazing!

Good Story with Misleading Title

Enjoyed listening to this book and how the author kept the suspense of "what happened" going with other pieces of the main character's story. Most memorable quote was something to the effect of: "You must face the past to confront your future". The only strange thing to me is the title of the book is less about the main character than the nemesis who shapes her life more than she should. As a foodie, I enjoyed the strong food theme throughout.

predictable

I wish it had more depth. and didn't wrap up so pretty and perfect at the end

There is more to the story than the title suggests

I binged-listened to this over one weekend and from the first chapter, I was hooked. And while the 'Tiger Mom' (and I like the pun on the Tiger's Tale/Tail.) plays an important role in the narrative arch- she's not the protagonist but her actions do propel the story forward. The main character, Lexa (short for Alexa...be careful, my Amazon Echo tried to get involved when I briefly played the audio book out loud instead of using my Bluetooth headphones), is a typical 30-something New Yorker doing too much with too little time and all of her past and emotions locked up inside of her. She thinks she has it all under control, until she doesn't. Although Lexa's American upbringing and her attempts to connect or reconnect with her Taiwanese background are an important element to the story (the descriptions of food are particularly inspired), her personal struggles transcend cultural contrasts and explore universal themes including the consequences of secrets and lies. I think we all have a little bit of Lexa in us. I really enjoyed it and I'm only sad that I finished it so quickly.

Accurate & Engaging For ALL

As someone who is AAPI I appreciate how this book told an authentic story without making Asian Americans and Taiwanese some kind of education tool. This book seamlessly weaves together cultures without being overbearing or obvious. The online app date Alexa has for example— I think many AAPI women have experience this. Also the theme of “not being enough”. Well done!