A book that takes on a fascinating journey that tells tales of friendships, family, and of course, food. We travel back and forth in time, and listen to this story as told from three perspectives: that of Tung Ngyuen, a Vietnamese refugee and for me, the main protagonist of this memoir; of Kathy Manning, an American who sponsored and hosted Tung; and that of Lyn, Tung’s daughter.

A wonderful story of family, friendships, and food, as well as the universal language of food. A great book for those who enjoy stories of resilience, cookbooks, memoirs, and any combination of these things.

Check out my post at https://www.ladyinreadwrites.com/mango-and-peppercorns-a-wonderful-combination/ for the complete review.

Thanks to Netgalley for the e-rc of the book. This is my honest opinion of this book

I actually ended up doing this one as an audiobook instead of the original ebook format I was given. What seems on the surface to be a memoir about food is so much more complex. Themes include immigration, cultural differences, friendship, chosen family, & cooking. A refugee story meets the "American Dream" where a Vietnamese refugee woman & a Midwestern woman's stories meet and unlikely friends become unlikely business partners in Miami, FL. Food truly has a way of bringing people together.

This was an excellent book of food writing and I loved how each chapter incorporated a recipe from the restaurant. It’s great to be able to zoom in and hear the experience of specific people within a broader cultural landscape.

Mango and Peppercorns by Tung Nguyen, Katherine Manning, and is a story of the immigrant roots of our nation, the welcoming shore, the contribution of immigrants - first generation and beyond - to this nation. This is also a story of food. Ultimately, this is a book about the American dream, and the challenges and hurdles that face who try to achieve it. Given the political climate in this nation at this point, this is a timely story.

Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2021/09/mangoes-and-peppercorns.html

Reviewed for NetGalley.

Mango and Peppercorns is a quick but interesting read written in a conversational style from the viewpoints of three women, namely Tung, Kathy, and Lyn (Tung's daughter). This all made sense once I got to the end of the book, where the acknowledgments credit a ghost writer for taking the women's words and giving them a cohesive voice (perhaps necessary, but for some reason somewhat disappointing to not have that full disclosure up front). That being said, Tung's story of her journey from Vietnam and arrival in the United States of America as a refugee was heartbreaking, while her resilience as a single mother and restauranteur was filled with hope. Her honesty as to her feelings at the time, as well as those of Kathy, the American, were refreshing. The recipes have been made accessible to home cooks in North America and are interwoven nicely with their corresponding chapter's contents.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, and the author for giving me the opportunity to review this book. This was a fun quick read about chefs and the American dream. Any book with a cute cover and it’s about food...I am sold!

I just loved reading this book. It is a memoir of three women, the family they create, and the food and restaurant that connects them. At the end of each chapter a recipe from the restaurant is included. It is very well written and easy to read. Enjoy the journey and the food

Spectacular cookbook memoir. I've never read a book quite like this and I'm very grateful for the opportunity to read an advanced digital copy. There are so many recipes I can't wait to make! I'm going to have to purchase the copy now for myself. Thank you, NetGalley and Chronicle Books, for the review copy!

A heart warming cookbook and memoir in one. Mango and Peppercorns was an enjoyable read, combining the story of friendship and food, alongside many recipes.

I picked up this book because the cover was gorgeous and premise sounded super interesting: two women who run a restaurant together, sharing recipes and bits of their lives. I thought this was a unique memoir, sharing the story of two unique women, one Vietnamese woman (Tung) and one white woman (Kathy), who have built a life together. I like stories of strong friendships, and I feel like these kinds of deep friendships are often missing in adult stories. Since it is a story written jointly between Tung, Kathy, and Tung's daughter, Lyn, I would believe that their relationship is one that is built off years of friendship that has overcome cultural differences, disagreements, successes, and joyful moments.

However, I feel like parts of the memoir missed the mark. There are many times when Kathy seems to jump in as a white saviour in parts of the story to 'help' when Tung first arrives in the US and as she learns to adapt to the US. Granted, both Kathy and Tung are from a different generation, so while it's a bit uncomfortable to read about now, I believe that this was all done in good intention at the time, I think perhaps the editing process could have done a better job in ensuring that more of Tung's voice shines through, showing her agency as an individual. I want to know what Tung was thinking when Kathy was trying to help her. What did Tung feel? When did Tung realize her independence in America?

I feel like this was probably more of an error on the editing part, because I truly believe that for a friendship that has been through this much, building a restaurant together, raising a child together, that both women are strong and independent in their own right. If it was a bit more obvious in the book, then I think I would have appreciated the story more.

On an aside, I really love the recipes in this book!

Thank you NetGalley for letting me read and review this book.

I did not expect to love this book, but I did. I could not put it down. What a beautiful job of telling so many sides of the story. Every point of view I was so into Tung's life I just couldn't put it down. What an incredible journey she has had. If you find other cultures interesting and love to read about peoples lives this book is for you. I flew through it. I am so glad I read it! A must read..

Mango and Peppercorns is the moving and gripping story behind one of the most succesfull Vietnamese restaurants in Miami, Hy Vong.
Chef cook of Hy Vong, Tung Nguyen, fled Vietnam after the fall of Saigon when she was expecting her daughter Phuong. Saigon is not where she grew up, she grew up and lived until the 70s in a little village near Da Nang.

After being picked up from the little boat she fled in with many others, she is picked up by a ship and lands in the United States, where she lands in the home of Kathy Manning, a graduate student who helps and gives shelter in her home to Vietnamese refugees.

This moment changes the life of Tung, Kathy and Phuong for good, as they form a team that, because of the amazing good cooking of Tung, forms the foundation of them starting the very first Vietnamese restaurant in Miami in the 80's.

I always loved books about Vietnam, so when I read what this book was about, I just couldn't wait and just started reading it right away. And I am glad I did that. Because this is a breathtaking good book..!!! In alternating chapters, Tung and Kathy, and later on also Phuong tell their story from their own point of view, which totally works for this book. They all have their own moving history and future, and altough Kathy and Tung are complete opposites, just for the good understanding: they did not have a romantic relationship with each other, but they have a beautiful family and team bond that works because all three are incredibly strong women. You can only have deep respect for the three of them just by reading how hard they work to make things work. Beside their life story, in between they share the most mouthwatering Vietnamese recipe from the restaurant, I am pretty sure I am going to try one out!! I highly recommend this jewel of a book, don't miss it!!

Mango and Peppercorns is a refugee memoir and a food memoir. On top of that it is a story of strength and perseverance. Tung is a Vietnamese refugee who just barely escaped Vietnam after the war. Kathy is a free-spirited American woman who sponsors Tung. After just a short time together either friendship grew into a partnership both in raising Tung's daughter but also in one of Miami's best restaurants.
The story is told by three people, Tung, Kathy, and Lyn (Tung's daughter) through small stories. Over the course of the book we learn about Tung's life in Vietnam, her challenges in a new country, visiting home again, and all of this through her cooking. Each chapter specifies some dishes that are then given as recipes at the end of the chapter.
I have to say that I could not stop reading this and the entire time I kept wishing that I lived in Miami while Hy Vong was around and could experience the food that Tung made. Mango and Peppercorns is a story that we need as it highlights the troubles that immigrants experience while also showing how they make our world better.

I received an advanced copy of Mango and Peppercorns from NetGalley and Chronicle Books, but I liked the description so much I preordered a Kindle copy. It was a pleasure to read Mango and Peppercorns. Part cookbook, part memoir, and a unique little slice of women's history, this little book is full of heart and of layers for the reader to uncover. In 1975 pregnant refugee Tung escapes the fall of Saigon and finds her way to America and her sponsor Kathy who also includes stories from her own life. Both women narrate this memoir with occasional inserts from Tung's daughter as she grows. From there it follows the journey of a family and all the ways family finds us; it is the journey of two unlikely partners in a decades long friendship; it is the journey of a business and a gifted chef. Tung actually includes some of her most treasured recipes. This is the American dream in all its struggle and triumph - and much more. This is a big shot in the arm of Hy Vong - "hope".

I love food memoirs! Mango and Peppercorns is the story of a Vietnamese refugee, the family she forged with an American woman, and the restaurant they opened together.

Tung escaped from Vietnam as a refugee in the mid 1970's. As a pregnant young refugee, who spoke no English, she wound up living in the Miami home of Kathy, a college student who opened her home to a number of Vietnam refugees. Kathy and Tung established a connection and Kathy helped encourage Tung's cooking talent. Later they decided to open a small Vietnamese restaurant, one of Miami's first. The place quickly became popular for its delicious dishes. Kathy and Tung raised Tung's daughter together.

The memoir is written by Tung, Kathy, and Tung's daughter Lynn. The narrative alternates between each of their perspectives. Each chapter also ends in a recipe or two that go along with what was written about in that chapter. I found it fascinating and heartbreaking reading about Tung's experiences. It must've been so tough moving to a new country where she didn't know the language, losing touch with her family back in Vietnam, having to face America as an unwed mother. There is a lot in the book about how even in the US, Tung was judged by others from Vietnam since she grew up as a poor rural farmer. The friendship of Tung and Kathy lasted through the years despite their differing opinions on how to run a business. It is clear that these two women care for eachother.

What to listen to while reading...
Lonely People by America
You've Got a Friend by Carole King
Hope by Arlo Parks
I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor
Marrow by Thao & the Get Down Stay Down
Light On by Maggie Rogers

Mango and Peppercorns is a heartwarming and delicious book...
You have heard me right... it’s a delicious book. Though it’s a memoir it also comes with so many delicious recipes.

#mangoandpeppercorns is a memoir told from three perspectives- Tung Nguyen, a Vietnamese refugee who migrates to Miami and is sheltered by Kathy Manning, an American, who supports Tung to get adjusted to the society; Lyn, Tung’s daughter.

This book offers you to explore and experience the lives of Tung and Kathy and despite of their language barriers and culture how they both have shared the hardships, harmony, and determination to make their dreams come true.

Alongside, their story this book is a compilation of delicious Vietnamese recipes. I highly recommend this book to everyone. Make sure to grab a copy right away as it is out today.

Thank you @netgalley and @chroniclebooks for sharing the eArc.

I was unable to download a readable copy of this book. I tried multiple methods to get it, but nothing worked. I would have enjoyed reading it, I think!

What a heartwarming story about family and hardship and perseverance in pursuit of dreams. Interwoven into the story is love in the form of food. Recipes are laced throughout the story and add to the richness.

You will enjoy the story of the women’s rise to success as much as the recipes. An uplifting story that shows exactly how much it takes to achieve your dreams.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me an ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.

Mango and Peppercorns by Tung Ngyuen, Katherine Manning, and Lyn Nguyen was such a good surprise! It’s a memoir written by three women who share their experiences in this “unlikely family” (as the subtitle describes). Tung came to the US as a pregnant refugee from Vietnam and meets Kathy, her American host. They end up living together for a long time, co-parenting Tung’s daughter, Lyn, and running a popular Vietnamese restaurant in Miami. Their relationships with each other are complicated, but beautiful, and this is a really well written memoir that describes this. Highly recommend this if you like memoirs and lots of delicious food references!

I so wish I'd been able to dig into this more thoroughly, as I've been really looking forward to this title. It was almost impossible to access the galley because of the Kindle restriction and the fact that the protected PDF wouldn't work on a Mac. Only remaining option was NetGalley shelf, which was good for a brief look, but not a full read.