“A River of Stars” by Vanessa Hua
Publishing Date: August 14, 2018
Genre: Fiction, Contemporary, Adult
Synopsis:
In a powerful debut novel about motherhood, immigration, and identity, a pregnant Chinese woman makes her way to California and stakes a claim to the American dream.
Holed up with other moms-to-be in a secret maternity home in Los Angeles, Scarlett Chen is far from her native China, where she worked in a factory job and fell in love with the owner, Boss Yeung. Now she’s carrying his baby. Already married with three daughters, he’s overjoyed because the doctors confirmed he will finally have the son he has always wanted. To ensure that his son has every advantage, he has shipped Scarlett off to give birth on American soil. U.S. citizenship will open doors for their little prince.
As Scarlett awaits the baby’s arrival, she chokes down bitter medicinal stews and spars with her imperious housemates. The only one who fits in even less is Daisy, a spirited teenager and fellow unwed mother who is being kept apart from her American boyfriend.
Then a new sonogram of Scarlett’s baby reveals the unexpected. Panicked, she escapes by hijacking a van–only to discover that she has a stowaway: Daisy, who intends to track down the father of her child. They flee to San Francisco’s bustling Chinatown, where Scarlett will join countless immigrants desperately trying to seize their piece of the American dream. What Scarlett doesn’t know is that her baby’s father is not far behind her.
A River of Stars is an entertaining, wildly unpredictable adventure, told with empathy and wit. It’s a vivid examination of home and belonging, and a moving portrayal of a woman determined to build her own future. (description from Goodreads)
Review:
In A River of Stars, the main character is a Chinese woman named Scarlett who is unwed and pregnant by her boss (Boss Yeung). She is whisked off to America to Perfume City in america to have her baby, but she soon finds out that the grass is not greener on the other side. Perfume City houses expectant mother and is owned by the money hungry Mama Fang. After escaping the home Scarlett and her newfound friend, Daisy, flees in search of freedom and safe place for them and their unborn baby.
From then on we follow the expectant mothers on their new journey and view the world from their eyes. Scarlett and Daisy are two very different women. Daisy is the american rebel who is outspoken, and Scarlett is quieter and more observant. She still feels that Boss Yeung is after her and soon that becomes a reality. Boss Yeung searches for Scarlett in America and we learn why his search is so desperate after reading more about his back story. Yeung is a rich man who came from nothing and he has such a prestigious role in his company he doesn’t want to loss. He sought out an affair with Scarlett because he didn’t feel loved anymore by his wife and he feels like an outsider in his own family. Scarlett is the missing piece in his life.
Hua paints a vivid portrait of San Fransisco’s Chinatown in this novel. You can sense the rich Chinese culture that weaves between the streets, smell the food, and visualize the cramped quarters of restaurants businesses and apartments. I really felt for Scarlet’s and Daisy’s situation since they were in such dire need of help, but I also admired their strength to do what they needed to do to take care of their babies. This books delves into many themes such as the “American dream”, culture shock, motherhood, immigration, and family. Its complex narrative will enthrall readers and its twists and turns will have you hooked.
I feel that the characters were complex and realistic. There were a good variety of characters within the social setting and I like how they all developed over the course of the story. Reading their backgrounds helped me to understand their motives and actions, but I still couldn’t condone the actions for the “villains” of the story. I was surprised at how the book ended (in a good way) and was satisfied with the ending.
A River of Stars is a wonderful debut novel!
Final Verdict:
FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
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Great review! Seems like an interesting book. Definitely one for my TBR!
Thanks! Hope you enjoy the book if you choose to read it!
Aww so glad you liked this one! It sounds like it has a lot of amazing elements and the kind of story you can really get lost in!
Ooh, sounds good! It’s always so impressive to me when an author’s able to evoke a particular location in a particular time the way it sounds like this book does. That’s SO not my skill set, so it amazes me.