What do you think?
Rate this book
The Chinese Lady
Not yet published
Expected 8 Sep 26As rich in detail and emotion as Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club and Lisa See's Lady Tan’s Circle of Women, but with an exciting structure that reinvents the genre, Bo Wang’s gorgeous and immersive debut historical novel immortalizes the life of the first Chinese woman to be brought to the United States in the 1800s.
Little Sparrow, Julia, Afong Moy, Madame Moy, The Chinese Lady, were her many names . . . but her true name has been lost to time.
In 1834 Afong Moy was brought to New York by two merchants as a live exhibit. Rising to fame as the first Chinese female in the United States, she became an oddity among curios as Americans marveled at the opportunity to observe her astonishing little feet, broken and bound to resemble lotuses.
As the story moves from 1820s Canton to P.T. Barnum’s American Museum, to Gold Rush San Francisco, three women introduce us to her many names. Her mother calls her Little Sparrow and sells her to a captain who sails her to New York. The captain’s wife names her Julia and “graciously” treats her as her own. And when she is shunted off to P.T Barnum, her fellow human exhibitions call her China. Eventually arriving in San Francisco's Chinatown, she will at long last claim her name and her own story.
Combining archival research and brilliantly imaginative storytelling, Bo Wang masterfully fills in history’s gaps to weave a powerful narrative of survival in the face of hardship, tragedy, and betrayal. Told through the eyes of those around her; mirroring her life as an object on display, until we finally see the world through her own eyes.
Little Sparrow, Julia, Afong Moy, Madame Moy, The Chinese Lady, were her many names . . . but her true name has been lost to time.
In 1834 Afong Moy was brought to New York by two merchants as a live exhibit. Rising to fame as the first Chinese female in the United States, she became an oddity among curios as Americans marveled at the opportunity to observe her astonishing little feet, broken and bound to resemble lotuses.
As the story moves from 1820s Canton to P.T. Barnum’s American Museum, to Gold Rush San Francisco, three women introduce us to her many names. Her mother calls her Little Sparrow and sells her to a captain who sails her to New York. The captain’s wife names her Julia and “graciously” treats her as her own. And when she is shunted off to P.T Barnum, her fellow human exhibitions call her China. Eventually arriving in San Francisco's Chinatown, she will at long last claim her name and her own story.
Combining archival research and brilliantly imaginative storytelling, Bo Wang masterfully fills in history’s gaps to weave a powerful narrative of survival in the face of hardship, tragedy, and betrayal. Told through the eyes of those around her; mirroring her life as an object on display, until we finally see the world through her own eyes.
384 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication September 8, 2026
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 28, 2026
Thank you to the author and publisher for this ARC.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you NetGalley and HarperVia for a chance to review this stunning debut ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
In 1834, Afong Moy was brought to New York by two merchants and placed on display for paying audiences who came to marvel at her bound feet, her silk garments, her foreignness. She was given many names over the years: Little Sparrow, Julia, Madame Moy, The Chinese Lady. Her true name, the one she was born with, has been lost entirely. Wang builds her novel around this haunting absence, moving from 1820s Canton to P.T. Barnum's American Museum to Gold Rush San Francisco, tracing Afong Moy's life through the eyes of those who witnessed it, until the narrative finally grants her something history never did: her own perspective, her own words, her own interiority.
The structure is one of the novel's greatest strengths. Wang mirrors Afong Moy's experience of being seen but never known by filtering her story through outside observers first, before gradually moving inward. It is a formal choice that transforms the act of reading into something quietly radical. By the time Afong Moy is allowed to speak for herself, the reader feels the weight of every year she spent being watched without being understood.
Wang's prose is meticulous and emotionally restrained in all the right places, which makes the moments of grief land with considerable force. She combines archival research with imaginative precision, never sensationalizing what was already a brutal reality. This is historical fiction that trusts its subject. It does not need to dramatize the horror of what Afong Moy endured because the facts, rendered clearly and with care, are devastating enough.
*The Chinese Lady* is a luminous, necessary debut. It immortalizes a woman whom history chose to erase, and it does so with the kind of quiet fury that stays with you long after the final page.
In 1834, Afong Moy was brought to New York by two merchants and placed on display for paying audiences who came to marvel at her bound feet, her silk garments, her foreignness. She was given many names over the years: Little Sparrow, Julia, Madame Moy, The Chinese Lady. Her true name, the one she was born with, has been lost entirely. Wang builds her novel around this haunting absence, moving from 1820s Canton to P.T. Barnum's American Museum to Gold Rush San Francisco, tracing Afong Moy's life through the eyes of those who witnessed it, until the narrative finally grants her something history never did: her own perspective, her own words, her own interiority.
The structure is one of the novel's greatest strengths. Wang mirrors Afong Moy's experience of being seen but never known by filtering her story through outside observers first, before gradually moving inward. It is a formal choice that transforms the act of reading into something quietly radical. By the time Afong Moy is allowed to speak for herself, the reader feels the weight of every year she spent being watched without being understood.
Wang's prose is meticulous and emotionally restrained in all the right places, which makes the moments of grief land with considerable force. She combines archival research with imaginative precision, never sensationalizing what was already a brutal reality. This is historical fiction that trusts its subject. It does not need to dramatize the horror of what Afong Moy endured because the facts, rendered clearly and with care, are devastating enough.
*The Chinese Lady* is a luminous, necessary debut. It immortalizes a woman whom history chose to erase, and it does so with the kind of quiet fury that stays with you long after the final page.
Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
I received this book through a Goodreads giveaways and the publisher HarperVia. It's only my second time winning, but this story was completely in my preferred genre.
First, the cover tells the structure of the story, we glimpse a chinese woman but don't quite see her. That's how we see the main character in most of the book. We meet her first through her mother's eyes and she's Little Sparrow and unwanted daughter so unwanted that she is sold to an american company. The people running the company give her a chaperone in the wife of the sea captain that takes the renamed Julia to her new country; we see Julia through Margaret's eyes. I think I'll let you discover the other point of views by yourselves.
The book is based on the little we know of the first chinese woman to come to America, exhibited as an exotic marvel but her true name isn't even known now. I thought the author did a good job making this little known moment in history into a fully fleshed story. I liked Little Sparrow, Julia, China and Mrs. Moy; I always wanted to know where life would take her. I also appreciated the use of words kept in chinese characters throughout the book, made me use google translate when I couldn't figure it out, but I think it kept the spirit of foreignness to the front of the readers mind.
I liked the weaving of historical events in the narrative. The Opium Wars, the opening of America to Chinese immigration and the change in the laws it provoked, the Tongs and P.T. Barnum's museum.
I think if you like this book you also might appreciate The Lotus Shoes by Jane Yang or Four Treasure of the Sky by Jenny Tinghui Zhang. Both of these books have themes in common with The Chinese Lady.
First, the cover tells the structure of the story, we glimpse a chinese woman but don't quite see her. That's how we see the main character in most of the book. We meet her first through her mother's eyes and she's Little Sparrow and unwanted daughter so unwanted that she is sold to an american company. The people running the company give her a chaperone in the wife of the sea captain that takes the renamed Julia to her new country; we see Julia through Margaret's eyes. I think I'll let you discover the other point of views by yourselves.
The book is based on the little we know of the first chinese woman to come to America, exhibited as an exotic marvel but her true name isn't even known now. I thought the author did a good job making this little known moment in history into a fully fleshed story. I liked Little Sparrow, Julia, China and Mrs. Moy; I always wanted to know where life would take her. I also appreciated the use of words kept in chinese characters throughout the book, made me use google translate when I couldn't figure it out, but I think it kept the spirit of foreignness to the front of the readers mind.
I liked the weaving of historical events in the narrative. The Opium Wars, the opening of America to Chinese immigration and the change in the laws it provoked, the Tongs and P.T. Barnum's museum.
I think if you like this book you also might appreciate The Lotus Shoes by Jane Yang or Four Treasure of the Sky by Jenny Tinghui Zhang. Both of these books have themes in common with The Chinese Lady.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I initially balked at the title. Somehow, it felt dehumanizing to reduce the main character to her barest parts. However, as I read on, I realized this was purposeful. This story is about Little Sparrow as seen through the critical eyes of her mother figures and colleague, who don’t see her as a full-fledged human. Finally, at the end we get her perspective, which puts everything into clarity and all the misconceptions to rest. We also see how her life up so far had forged her, and how it made her hard, but also sensitive.
The central theme around this story is guardianship, whether it be mother-daughter relationships or senior to junior. But there was also themes of how one’s own complexes can distort reality, and even in the end Mrs. Moy is not infallible to that.
Every character had their own complexes they needed to sort out. I felt that each arc had purpose and propulsion. As well, each arc had their own distinctive voice. My favorite was of course Mrs. Moy.
I’m not sure if this is just because it’s an arc, but there are Chinese words written in Chinese characters and the romanization of them, but the style is not standardized. I can read Chinese, so this did not put me off, but I could see how this would put off monolinguals. If they do stick with the Chinese characters, my advice to monolingual readers would be to go into it with an open mind, and also see the shape of the character, and when it repeats in other sections. This will help you understand what is being talked about.
The central theme around this story is guardianship, whether it be mother-daughter relationships or senior to junior. But there was also themes of how one’s own complexes can distort reality, and even in the end Mrs. Moy is not infallible to that.
Every character had their own complexes they needed to sort out. I felt that each arc had purpose and propulsion. As well, each arc had their own distinctive voice. My favorite was of course Mrs. Moy.
I’m not sure if this is just because it’s an arc, but there are Chinese words written in Chinese characters and the romanization of them, but the style is not standardized. I can read Chinese, so this did not put me off, but I could see how this would put off monolinguals. If they do stick with the Chinese characters, my advice to monolingual readers would be to go into it with an open mind, and also see the shape of the character, and when it repeats in other sections. This will help you understand what is being talked about.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
The first Chinese woman in America was known by a number of names, none of which were her own. Each section of "The Chinese Lady" follows her through several of her personas until she is able to tell part of her story herself.
When China opened to the west in the 1830's, Americans were crazy for Chinese goods and stories. Two American entrepreneurial types buy a young girl from her father to take home as a prop for their sales. Julia, or the Chinese Lady, as she is known, has bound feet and was taught English by the wife of one of the businessmen on the long voyage. Her "exotic" appearance, elegant way, and charisma draw people to her like flies to honey.
But the novelty of Julia and her goods wears off and she is cut off by people who have been saying she's family. Next stop: P.T. Barnum's American Museum. She disappears from history in the early 1850s, but Bo Wang's novel imagines what happens next.
This novel gets off to a strong start but the dissonance begins shortly after the Lady arrives in the US. We do not get to see her interior life, only her facade. By the time she gets agency over her own life there's not much to see. Her life is bleak. American attitudes towards people of other races continues to horrify. The early promise of The Chinese Lady is not realized.
Thanks to Edelweiss for a digital review copy of this novel
When China opened to the west in the 1830's, Americans were crazy for Chinese goods and stories. Two American entrepreneurial types buy a young girl from her father to take home as a prop for their sales. Julia, or the Chinese Lady, as she is known, has bound feet and was taught English by the wife of one of the businessmen on the long voyage. Her "exotic" appearance, elegant way, and charisma draw people to her like flies to honey.
But the novelty of Julia and her goods wears off and she is cut off by people who have been saying she's family. Next stop: P.T. Barnum's American Museum. She disappears from history in the early 1850s, but Bo Wang's novel imagines what happens next.
This novel gets off to a strong start but the dissonance begins shortly after the Lady arrives in the US. We do not get to see her interior life, only her facade. By the time she gets agency over her own life there's not much to see. Her life is bleak. American attitudes towards people of other races continues to horrify. The early promise of The Chinese Lady is not realized.
Thanks to Edelweiss for a digital review copy of this novel
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
The story begins with tragedy. A little girl having her feet broken and bound by her mother because lotus feet attract husbands. It is even said that even farmers want wives with lotus feet these days. Foot binding happens a lot in Chinese books and while I am not surprised I would like to read about a girl that didn’t have to suffer this or know a woman who has. It may be less realistic but it is not as though it did not happen. Anyway all of the Chinese dramas seem to avoid this and they are just fine. Just imagine if every novel about a woman set in Victorian England had them consuming arsenic for whiter skin. The book included that ‘corset torture’ scene for no reason at all. Folks, wearing a corset can in no way be compared to bound feet. Most women did NOT tight lace anymore than some women today choose to wear very very high heels. Imagine our era being defined by six-inch heels.
Little Sparrow is a footnote. A lot of the first chapters focus on her mother’s point of view which I thought distracted from the story. I asked myself ‘why are we not seeing this from our lead's perspective?’
There is no shortage of descriptions of sex and arousal. It begins to feel like a plate with too many different dishes on it. Overwhelming and does not move the story along at all. Then there is calling some characters by what I assume is the meaning of their names and not their actual names. I would rather see the actual Chinese name. Perhaps this and the insertion of Chinese characters will be changed in the final form. By part two I expected Little Sparrow, now Julia, to take control of the story but instead we get Margaret. In the end I did not feel this was “The Chinese Lady’s Story’ but rather that of those that came across her.
All this being said, the book does capture what Chinese women had to endure under the exotic gaze. It is rather gross that a person can be so stripped that they are not much more than a fine saddle. I felt sorry for Little Sparrow the entire time, but I wish this had been 'her' story.
Little Sparrow is a footnote. A lot of the first chapters focus on her mother’s point of view which I thought distracted from the story. I asked myself ‘why are we not seeing this from our lead's perspective?’
There is no shortage of descriptions of sex and arousal. It begins to feel like a plate with too many different dishes on it. Overwhelming and does not move the story along at all. Then there is calling some characters by what I assume is the meaning of their names and not their actual names. I would rather see the actual Chinese name. Perhaps this and the insertion of Chinese characters will be changed in the final form. By part two I expected Little Sparrow, now Julia, to take control of the story but instead we get Margaret. In the end I did not feel this was “The Chinese Lady’s Story’ but rather that of those that came across her.
All this being said, the book does capture what Chinese women had to endure under the exotic gaze. It is rather gross that a person can be so stripped that they are not much more than a fine saddle. I felt sorry for Little Sparrow the entire time, but I wish this had been 'her' story.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
A narrative about narratives - identity, perspective, irony, and the impact of context and circumstances on different people. I loved the palpable research devoted to this project, the historically accurate voices/tones/attitudes of various characters, and the author's commitment to un-sanitizing history. Well-written and engrossing! My only drawback was that I wished, though I felt it was still impactful as is/and I get the decision making, was that we got a tiny bit more of the first-person perspective from the transitional moments of Little Sparrow/Julia/China/Mrs. Moy interspersed.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
A very sweet fictionalized account of the first female Chinese immigrant to the U.S. The book is based on a real person who was exploited by a team of merchants to market Chinese imports. When I looked her up online, I found that recorded history of her was very limited, so in reality, we don’t know anything of her life before her time here or after she stopped performing in New York City. The author crafted a story about independence, resilience, and perseverance, to tell how Afong Moy may have made a life for herself here in America.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The story started strong, but then became disjointed with too many unrelated voices and plotlines that detracted from the main character's journey. The narrative lost its way after the initial section, becoming unfocused and rambling.
April 11, 2026
Reviewed for Library Journal; full review appears there.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
While the writing often felt thoughtful and layered, I struggled with the overall direction of the story. At times it felt like it was saying a lot without fully coming together, and the narrative came across as somewhat scattered to me. Because of that, I had a hard time staying engaged and ultimately chose not to finish.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
#NetGalley #TheChineseLady
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
#NetGalley #TheChineseLady
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews