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A review by nzmerchant
Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune by Roselle Lim
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I enjoyed the recipes and the self development aspects of this book. It was an extremely easy read with a lovely ensemble cast. Also made me hungry and crave for Chinese food lol. Love to see some Asian representation in the publishing world!
Although I was a bit disappointed in the lapses of cultural understanding? Based on my own experiences with the Chinese culture in Singapore, chrysanthemums are only given at funerals and it’s in bad faith to give someone a bouquet of chrysanthemums. So I’m not sure why Natalie was receiving them as a congratulatory kinda thing? Also I admittedly sped read this a little towards the end. Her dad’s identity was a huge reveal though!
Although I was a bit disappointed in the lapses of cultural understanding? Based on my own experiences with the Chinese culture in Singapore, chrysanthemums are only given at funerals and it’s in bad faith to give someone a bouquet of chrysanthemums. So I’m not sure why Natalie was receiving them as a congratulatory kinda thing? Also I admittedly sped read this a little towards the end. Her dad’s identity was a huge reveal though!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury