I’ve had three reviews published at Shiny New Books this week and last, so thought I’d plug them here. Just click through to read the full pieces.
Number One Chinese Restaurant by Lillian Li
A generational family drama following the trials and tribulations of Jimmy Han, his family and the staff of the Beijing Duck House in Rockville, Maryland. The novel may be full of drama, but it is also a comedy that captures the life of working in a restaurant really well.
Driven by some superb characters, it is deserving of its place on the Women’s Prize longlist.
Read more HERE.
Adèle by Leïla Slimani
Slimani’s first novel, now translated by Sam Taylor is a challenging read about a woman who is “…using sex to deflect from the screaming void inside my empty heart ” – No! that’s Fleabag (which I adore – see here – watch it while you still can) – but there are some initial similarities, before it goes off in a different direction.
The graphic sex won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, Adèle is not a novel for the prudish; like Lullaby it is profoundly disturbing and short enough to be devoured in a single sitting. I can’t say I actively ‘enjoyed’ reading this book, instead I felt compelled to keep reading – make of that what you will!
Read more HERE.
Daisy Jones and The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Well, this novel of rock’n’roll excess in the late 1970s Los Angeles will go straight into my best of list for this year. The story of what happened when Daisy Jones joined the Dunne Brothers new band The Six for their difficult second album has everything! But, Jenkins Reid tells their story in such an original way – as documentary interviews looking back over their careers – and the sustained voices of all the characters are brilliant.
It was so hard to believe that the characters in this book were fictional; I wanted to go online and order their album, they felt so real. West-coast soft rock never felt so alive as in this novel!
Read more HERE.
Great reviews and two books I want to read!
Which one didn’t you want to read? 🙂
Adele doesn’t appeal. But the Chinese restaurant one in particular I’ve seen a few times. I loved Timothy Mo’s Sour Sweet so imagine I and my husband will like this.
Just finished Daisy Jones and The Six and enjoyed it – but then when you read the current Fleetwood Mac saga you realise its one of those where true life is at least as mad as fiction. Not yet read Adele and not sure about it – I’d read Lullaby and while I liked it I didn’t think it was quite up to the hype. Will give it a go though.
I wasn’t overwhelmed by Lullaby. I thought Adele was better. I just wallowed in the nostalgia kick of Daisy Jones – loved it as you’ve seen!
I’ve read such mixed reviews of Number 1 Chinese Restaurant, which I have on order at the library – you and Naomi liked it, Rachel (Pace Amore Libri) hated it, and the Goodreads rating is troubling! I’m interested to see what I think.
I’m so keen to read Daisy Jones and the Six.
Having just read Rachel’s review, I don’t recognise the same book! However, we don’t have the American Dream in the same way in the UK – it’s slightly foreign to us, maybe that’s why it appealed so much? I’ll be fascinated to see what you make of it… Meanwhile, Daisy Jones was just such a hoot! Cheesy, but such fun and well done – I couldn’t not love it.
Ooh, soooo tempting! And loved the Fleabag comparison! You sell this trio so well. 🙂
Thanks Chris. Of the three I loved Daisy Jones best though. Adele is challenging and not at all comic, unlike Fleabag.
LOVE Daisy Jones – probably in my top ten of the year (at least so far).