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Happy Family: A Novel
by
Wendy Lee
When Hua Wu arrives in New York City, her life seems destined to resemble that of countless immigrants before her. She spends her hectic days in a restaurant in Chinatown, and her lonesome nights in a noisy, crowded tenement, yearning for those she left behind. But one day in a park in the West Village, Hua meets Jane Templeton and her daughter, Lily, a two-year-old adopte...more
Paperback, 240 pages
Published
June 10th 2008
by Grove Press, Black Cat
(first published 2008)
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I usually don't write long reviews, but this book inspired me to be full of myself.
I opened the book, and got through the first section in a casual sitting. It wasn't immediately compelling: the writing didn't do much for me, the characters weren't believable, and the dialogue didn't pop. By the time I got to the end of this thing, I realize that it was little more than a story idea that the author didn't have the tools or chops to develop very well at best, and an awful fetishization and object...more
I opened the book, and got through the first section in a casual sitting. It wasn't immediately compelling: the writing didn't do much for me, the characters weren't believable, and the dialogue didn't pop. By the time I got to the end of this thing, I realize that it was little more than a story idea that the author didn't have the tools or chops to develop very well at best, and an awful fetishization and object...more
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Disclaimer: Wendy Lee works at my publishing company. I hadn't read her book before I hired her, and I wouldn't have not hired her if the book stunk. Thankfully, HAPPY FAMILY is marvelously well-executed work of fiction. The story is a very quiet one until the last thirty pages where it explodes with a bang all the more forceful and shocking because of the understated and carefully observed narrative of the preceding two hundred pages. One of the distinctive pleasures of the book is how expertly...more
About an immigrant girl, Hua Wu, from China whose grandmother worked
hard to pay her way to America in hopes of a better life. She works in
a dead end job at a Chinese restaurant, lives in a crowded and noisy
boarding house in Chinatown, hardly any friends, pretty lonely life.
She meets and befriends a woman, Jane, a white woman who has adopted a
girl from China, and eventually becomes the girl's nanny. Hua is a
little in awe, a little envious of Jane's seemingly perfect life,
living in a West Village...more
hard to pay her way to America in hopes of a better life. She works in
a dead end job at a Chinese restaurant, lives in a crowded and noisy
boarding house in Chinatown, hardly any friends, pretty lonely life.
She meets and befriends a woman, Jane, a white woman who has adopted a
girl from China, and eventually becomes the girl's nanny. Hua is a
little in awe, a little envious of Jane's seemingly perfect life,
living in a West Village...more
Two stars is about all I can give this book. I am not sure if I was supposed to like the main character, Hua, or not, but I didn't, and found it very hard to sympathize with her. If the act she committed is because of her displacement from China and family, I found it hard to swallow. Most of the time, she sounded very American, and not much like a Chinese immigrant "fresh off the boat" at all.
The whole plot did not seem very believable to me, either. Well, objectively, I can see this happening,...more
The whole plot did not seem very believable to me, either. Well, objectively, I can see this happening,...more
While I enjoyed the characters in this book, and the insight into immigration from China, as well as the life of a young girl in China, the story, ultimately, was depressing.
A truth (which should be universally acknowledged) is that there is a cluster of elements binding all young people arriving in the U.S.: apprehension, anticipation, the allure of material and political freedom. There are often considerable barriers of language to be overcome; personal boundaries of adaptation and assimilation; cultural lines that are to be crossed and those to remain un-crossed. If a new persona is assumed, what might the peer group say? Often-unspoken forms of banishment and is...more
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I hesitate to give 5 stars since I'm sure this isn't the best-book-ever classic, but what the heck, I liked it and thought it was well-written. I thought there were interesting structures and contrasts; the novel was like a puzzle that made me think about how all the ideas fit together. BTW, this book is also being discussed at: http://harlowmonkey.typepad.com/book_...
Although I think _Happy Family_ was more about the characters (and in particular, the development of Hua, the main character) tha...more
Although I think _Happy Family_ was more about the characters (and in particular, the development of Hua, the main character) tha...more
Adoption is a beautiful and noble calling. Yet, it is imperfect, with biological parents, their extended families, and even whole nations left to mourn to loss of that child to some degree or another. At least, this is one of the points Wendy Lee elegantly and politely makes in Happy Family.
I truly enjoyed this novel. Lee's writing is gentle and fluid. The first-person narration -- Hua is a young woman recently-immigrated to New York City from a provicial town in China -- captures the point-of-v...more
I truly enjoyed this novel. Lee's writing is gentle and fluid. The first-person narration -- Hua is a young woman recently-immigrated to New York City from a provicial town in China -- captures the point-of-v...more
Interesting premise, but the execution leaves a bit to be desired. I wasn't too fond of the end of the book, but it definitely gets credit for effort. The topic of international adoption doesn't come up often in fiction, and the story of a young Chinese immigrant working as a nanny in the house of a family with an adopted Chinese daughter is quite intriguing. I'd like to read Wendy Lee's next book, I feel she has potential.
Beautifully written. Sparse and lyrical, sad tale of newly emigrated young Chinese woman. The story falters, particularly at the end, and I never really felt much of a connection between the main character (Hua) and her charge (Lily), but the writing style is so wonderful and Hua's story so achingly sad, I devoured this short book in about a day and a half.
This compelling novel told the story of a young illegal Chinese immigrant woman who is looking for a way to belong and find family here in the USA. Thinking she has found it with a Caucasian couple who has adopted a Chinese baby girl, she winds up on a roller-coaster ride when things don't turn out as she thinks they should.
I liked this book, about a young Chinese immigrant who finds herself as a nanny for a privileged white family with an adopted Chinese daughter. It was an interesting concept and I would have liked to see her go further with it. It almost felt like a long short story. This would make a good book club pick.
This book was surprisingly great...I hadn't heard anything about it and basically plucked it from the New Book shelf at the library. Hua is a character who literally walks out of the story and talks to you. Her narrative is real and gives away so much of who she is, without overdoing the details. The writer, Wendy Lee, is truly gifted.
Read it. You will love it.
Read it. You will love it.
It was a quick and easy read and overall I enjoyed it but I felt nothing for the character by the end of the novel. Something about Hua didn't capture me, maybe because of the prose, I'm not sure. The novel was also a little disjointed but overall, not bad.
The main character of this book has no personality whatsoever, which gives me no reason to really like or sympathize with her and not even any reason to dislike her. I didn't much care what happened but it was a short, easy read so I finished.
The first chapter, a letter to the little girl the main character nannied, drew me into this book. Although parts of it disappointed me, mostly choices of the main character's sprinkled through the book (I didn't think they matched the person the author had created her to be), and it didn't end as I had hoped, it was a good read.
Jul 27, 2011
Marian
added it
Happy Family is a quick read with interesting subject matter. The main character Hue is not fully described enough for me but this is a book that I wanted to keep reading. Very interesting facts about what life is like in China.
Hua Wu arrives in New York City, she comes to seek a better life. She wants to raise money to take care of her grandmother, and leave her past behind. After being stuck in a dead-end job at a Chinese restaurant, she meets Jane Templeton and her adopted Chinese daughter. Soon, she becomes her nanny and finds herself wanting to join the seemingly close-knit family.
I didn't particularly love this book, although it is well written. Hua Wu seems very underdeveloped. I was particularly annoyed with he...more
I didn't particularly love this book, although it is well written. Hua Wu seems very underdeveloped. I was particularly annoyed with he...more
Jun 17, 2009
Mom
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Lisa, Kris, Terri
Recommended to Mom by:
Found it in the library
What a great little find. This is the author's first novel. Hope she
doesn't end her career here. Great insight into an immigrant's life.
Not very pretty......but it ends on a hopeful note.
doesn't end her career here. Great insight into an immigrant's life.
Not very pretty......but it ends on a hopeful note.
Sweet little story of a Chinese young woman who moves to NYC and escapes Chinatown to care for a Chinese adopted girl. Nice fun and easy to read after long tired days. Love and loss and motherhood.
This book seems to have a sad and senseless ending. I liked the theme of the story, but I didn't like the feeling of being "left hanging" at the end!
A Chinese woman comes to America and becomes a nanny for a little adopted Chinese girl. Good, quick read.
I liked this book up until the end. I was surprised and could barely finish it. I skipped a lot. I did not care for what eventually happened at all. Probably because I have kids.
A young woman emigrates from China to New York City and, feeling alone and isolated, finds herself hired as the nanny to a Chinese baby adopted from an orphanage by a West Village couple. The more Hua learns about her employers, the more attached she becomes to the idea of caring for little Lily, until things reach a breaking point.
Some people would argue that not enough "happens" in this story, in the sense that Lee doesn't draw out a lot of suspense, but that's the point -- this story isn't dr...more
Some people would argue that not enough "happens" in this story, in the sense that Lee doesn't draw out a lot of suspense, but that's the point -- this story isn't dr...more
Perspectives on international adoption/immigration
Kind of a dumb story. It didn't really go anywhere.
Not bad, Not great... An easy book to read.
I liked this! Good twist at the end!
Only read to page 33.
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Wendy Lee is a graduate of Stanford University and New York Universitys Creative Writing Program. She worked for two years in China as a volunteer English teacher and now lives in New York City. HAPPY FAMILY is her first novel.
More about Wendy Lee...
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