China Dolls
A Novel
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
Sports reporter Michelle Yu and lawyer Blossom Kan introduce a vibrant, irresistible novel set in New York City. Based on personal experience, China Dolls is the story of three best friends from childhood—each an unforgettable Asian woman—tackling their late twenties over drinks, laughs, and dim sum:
M. J. Wyn, the hip, tomboyish sportswriter trying to achieve her dreams of becoming an on-air broadcaster. Ambitious and driven, M.J. has always struggled to fit into different worlds: her high school boyfriend's blue-blooded country club sphere, her family's traditional Chinese culture, and the very white, very male world of sports.
Alex Kwan, the confident, tough, no-nonsense attorney constantly fighting the stereotype of the submissive, docile Asian woman. After a heartbreaking romance, Alex has gone from a fearless daredevil to a woman terrified of taking risks—in her career, in her life, and with love.
Lin Cho, the risk-taking, daring stockbroker who has spent her whole life trying not to make the mistakes her mother did. But then Lin falls head over heels with the office playboy, a guy she knows she should steer clear of but can't seem to stay away from.
Exploring life at the intersection of two worlds—one of Asian grandmothers and red envelopes, and another of career challenges and dating disasters—China Dolls is an exhilarating debut from two sensational new talents.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Three Chinese-American 20-somethings pursue careers and Mr. Right in ultracompetitive New York City in Yu and Kan's fizzy debut. Alex, Lin and M.J. have been friends since childhood, and, as the novel opens, none is married, and each is feeling pressure from her immigrant family to move to the next stage in life. The women's desires, predictably, differ from their parents'. M.J., the trio's standout, dreams of being an on-air sports broadcaster (like author Yu), but finds her efforts to join the all-white-male club dispiriting. Alex, a lawyer (like author Kan), and Lin, a stockbroker, are financially successful, but are sick of being treated in their male-dominated fields as Asian arm candy. These shared struggles make the women's battles understandable to each other, but the authors, while providing a nifty insider's guide to Chinese shopping and restaurants, do little more than scratch the psychological surface of their characters. There's fun to be had, however, gallivanting from booze-drenched corporate parties to Chinatown fortune-tellers.
