“I would certainly love to see this as a movie but the book was not for me.”
~ Under the Covers
I fell in love with this cover from the first time I saw it around the web. Then when I heard what the book was about, I just knew I had to read it. This is set in San Francisco in a Chinese community. Our heroine’s mother passes away and she has to return home. In doing so she finds the true legacy of her family and decides to pursue that and one of her dreams. To re-open her grandmother’s restaurant. In order to do that she has to cook for three people in the community and with her cooking change something about their lives. Food, magical realism and Chinese culture! This should’ve been something I loved from beginning to end.
Honestly, the story here was not the problem for me. I actually enjoyed the plot quite a bit and kept thinking this would be an amazing movie. What I struggled with from the very beginning was the author’s writing. This is complete personal preference but I don’t like really flowery storytelling. While I enjoy some authors that have very poetic and lyrical prose, I think very few do it in a way that makes me fall in love with it. This was where this beautiful book and I went wrong. The writing kept rubbing me the wrong way and making me feel as if the author was trying really hard to be poetic.
I’ve also seen this around classified as a romance. That’s completely inaccurate. Let me clarify and say that the fact the romance was such a small part of this story was not something I minded. I just don’t think you should go into it expecting a love story. This is a personal journey for our heroine. Her own growth, her knowledge about her past and her family, and her connection with her community. If there’s anything to take away from this story is the strong bond of community and the impact that can have on a person’s life.
So overall I’m glad that I gave this book a try. I would certainly love to see this as a movie but the book was not for me. On a small side note, this book will definitely make you hungry AND it includes recipes.
What did you think of our review?
Let us know your thoughts in the comment box below!
[about-author author=”Roselle Lim”]
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Sorry it didn’t work for you.
I’m not in to flowery storytelling either so thank you!
Awesomely reviewed Francesca! Shared on my socials!??
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on it Francesca