Even though I can't say that I connected with any of the characters, this novel was exceptionally well-written. Jimmy is high-strung, mean and constantly trying to prove himself to his deceased father and live up to his overbearing mother's unrealistic parental and cultural expectations. In the beginning, you almost think his brother Johnny is his foil, but towards the end you realize he's battling his own demons and insecurities. And Uncle Pang is the evil villain through it all. It was truly like reading a Chinese soap opera on paper, a very good one I might add.

I am mixed on my reaction to this book; although I felt the last third of the book was really good, I had trouble sticking with it. The characters are basically unlikable, even though the setting for the story is a Chinese restaurant, and the view into another way of life is interesting, I didn't feel we had insight into the characters until Johnny and Feng Fei entered the scene as more than just background players. Jimmy is the main character, and he is just someone I couldn't feel anything for. I would rate this a 3.5.

In some ways, this book was hard to get into, some of which was mechanical: I was reading an uncorrected copy and in places the formatting—or lack thereof—at scene breaks was distracting and caused me to be taken momentarily out of the story as I re-oriented myself. Also, there was such a large number of characters that, until I got well-enough acquainted with all of them, it was difficult to keep track of who was who. Eventually, though, I did settle in and enjoyed the atmosphere of the old—and the new—Chinese restaurants, particularly the relationships that developed between the bosses and the employees, even the employees' children.

Unfortunately, this was not a book that I could finish. I have a very hard time getting into books where none of the main characters are particularly likable and barely even seem to like each other. The writing itself was engaging and I did enjoy the subtle details that went into how each character was brought to life, but sadly, I didn't really like them beyond that.

I do very much so appreciate being sent an advance copy of this book to peruse!

I enjoyed this book as a whole even though I didn't find myself particularly rooting for any of the characters or storylines. Family is complicated, especially if the family business is successful but has been passed to the next generation, kind of includes the wait staff, and then there's that pesky uncle figure with Triad ties. There's no dramatic extended sequence to the motherland (they do mention Beijing and Macau), they're just trying to get on with their lives in Maryland.

I liked parts of this book and some of the characters. They were some funny moments, intense situations, and vivid characters all set against the backdrop of the family restaurant.

Although restaurants provide centerpieces of the novel, there are other invitations for potential life changing confrontations framed by the food, and the way in which that food is prepared and offered gives scenes immediacy as well as normalization of what could be explosive situations. This is true of almost every culture. Discordant exchanges are either enhanced or softened by the sharing of a meal, and Lillian Li slyly incorporates such practices throughout this deceptively light toned novel. Jimmy and Johnny Han are second generation owners of The Beijing Duck House, which was the realization of their father’s dream upon emigrating to Maryland. The two other main characters are their employees, Jack and Nan, who have known each other deeply for 30 years, but are brought together by circumstance and misunderstanding. Their story is propelled by the fate of the restaurant, and their acceptance of fate also contains elements of black comedy. As the story unfolds, the Hans and their employees are brought to life vividly, their complex lives illuminated, and this made me hungry for some Peking duck.

Thank you NetGalley for a digital advanced copy. Sadly, I did not like this book at all. I had considered DNF at 25 percent in but persisted. There was nothing about the main family to like at all. I don’t mind flawed characters, but I need to also like the characters and I did not. There were two secondary characters Nan and Jack, and Nan’s son that I had some empathy for their story. But all these characters were just sad and some of them mean. And there didn’t seem to be any resolution for most of them. Giving this book a 2 may have even been too much.

A light and funny novel about family dynamics with entertaining characters. The title refers to the family business, a Chinese restaurant that binds the family together, while also pulling them apart.

I only got a few pages into this before giving up: it was so poorly written that I could not tell which character was supposed to be speaking.

Delightful book. Characters that make you want to read the next page. So much going on, but exactly how you'd like to spend an afternoon reading.

Thank you to Henry, Holt and Company, NetGalley and author for the chance to read this book. While I got the book for free, it had no bearing on the rating I gave it.