Reviews

An excellently written novel about the immigrant experience!

I especially loved the specific references that I understood as
A) a Taiwanese American
B) a Cal student
C) a Cupertino native, born & raised
D) a queer Asian

There's nothing like singing a Mandarin nursery rhyme that you learned as a kid, commiserating with the hike up to Soda hall, and laughing at the "prep school" culture of Silicon Valley Asian Americans while following the excitingly convoluted plot, elegantly written, and with whole, rounded characters, each with their own flavor.

Bonus points for gaysian content!

jansbookcorner's review against another edition

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4.0

This book was well written. The narrative painted pictures in my mind and I felt more like I was watching it unfold than reading. The negative is the ending. It just didn’t seem as realistic as the rest of the story.

book_concierge's review against another edition

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3.0

Hua’s first novel looks at the immigrant experience from a slightly different angle: wealthy Chinese who pay a high fee to ensure their pregnant partners will stay in a secure location until they give birth to babies who will automatically have the always-coveted native-born U.S. citizenship.

The story focuses on Scarlett Chen, the mistress or Boss Yeung. Boss already has three daughters with his wife, but ultrasound has shown that Scarlet is carrying a boy, so he wants to be sure to give his son every advantage. But most of the other women at Perfume Bay are wives, and they shun Scarlett. The only other “outcast” is teenaged Daisy, another unwed mother whose parents are trying to keep her separated from her American-Chinese boyfriend. When Scarlet’s dreams seem to be falling apart, she panics, taking the facility’s dilapidated van and heading towards the only location she can think of – San Francisco’s Chinatown. En route she discovers that Daisy has stowed away and is intent on accompanying Scarlett. Together they forge an unusual alliance.

I found this an interesting and engaging story. I really liked Scarlett, who is intelligent, resourceful, determined, and a very hard worker. I found Daisy frustratingly immature, but then she’s a teenager, impetuous, quick to react, easily bored, and not always thinking of future consequences to her actions. And yet, the two of them DO work together, Daisy using her fluency in English and brash personality, Scarlett lending her entrepreneurial spirit and willingness to work hard so that they two of them can stay ahead of those who are seeking them.

I was less interested in Boss Yeung’s story and the drama/suspense that it brought to the novel. Although I do recognize the importance of his role to the story arc, and I liked the way Hua ended the story.

I also have to make a comment about the role of food in this story. I was hungry all the time, reading this, and definitely wanted to seek out one of Scarlett’s hanbaobao “sliders”!

Final verdict: a good, but not great, debut. I’d consider reading another of Hua’s works.

smoothlikebutter's review

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adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Content Warnings

shelfexplanatory's review against another edition

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2.0

It wasn't a super long book but it felt like it dragged a bit in the middle.

I feel like I've read several books that feature the premise of "homes for mothers" (The Farm, The School for Good Mothers, and now A River of Stars) and they all seem to miss the mark for me. I think it's likely a "me" thing.

Also, that ending gave me whiplash.

myriadreads's review against another edition

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5.0

A River of Stars is the story of Scarlett, a Chinese woman who becomes pregnant as the result of an affair--with the son that her lover always wanted. She is sent to America to have her baby, so that the boy can wield the powers of dual citizenship and open a pathway for his family. The plan goes off the rails, though, and Scarlett has to rely on her quick wit and newly found community to protect and uplift her family as she fights to find her place in America. Readers in the U.S. can see an immigrant perspective on the value of American citizenship, and get an inside look at Chinese immigration and integration into American culture. Rich with detail, deeply moving, and highly recommended.

eandrews80's review

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dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I didn't like the end of this book -- the resolution felt rushed, and I wish a few situations had resolved differently. Regardless, this is worth a read, if only to contemplate what it would to be an undocumented immigrant on the run in America. Scarlett has a rapidly expiring tourist's visa, a young child to care for, and a former lover to evade. She does many ethically problematic things to get by, but you have to admire her ingenuity and fierce determination. So many of the characters in the book have to resort to shady or desperate measures to survive, whether they're in their native China or trying to make it in the US. While this is a book about motherhood, loyalty, and community, it's mostly a survival story.

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