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Liked It “Secrets, secrets are no fun. Another book that is beautifully written.” see full review » see other reviews » |
Didn’t Like It “Didn't read to the end, the writing is a bit too simplistic to engage in for long although I did skip through to the end to find out the turn of events. Perhaps market towards the teen reader?” see full review » see other reviews » |
Newest Reviews
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“Canadian fiction set in a small town in Ontario in the 1960's. It is about a chinese family who come from Hong Kong to open a restaraunt in a small town. They are the only chinese in town and so the story gives us some very vivid insights into the cultureal differences and the isolation which that brings. It is about the loyalty that is expected from family members. It is a tragedy of sorts but certainly aa story of love of mothers. ”
Jennifer P wrote this review 13 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“Secrets, secrets are no fun. Another book that is beautifully written. ”
Kristen B wrote this review Tuesday, October 13 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“sad but a good read”
Wendy W wrote this review Thursday, April 23 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“The young girl narrator in this book had a really interesting perspective on the cultural difference of multiple generations of immigrants. The story of isolation, desperation and assimilation was tough and had a strong impact on this ignorant, untraveled American. This was the most memorable book I read in 2007. ”
Joe B wrote this review Saturday, August 30 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Midnight at the Dragon Café is wonderfully written. Frankly, Bates writing is very much like having a conversation with her, her style is very enjoyable. A 6 year old Chinese girl moves to Canada with her mother to meet her father for the first time. Tragic and wonderful. ”
Johnie S wrote this review Tuesday, July 15 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“As a Chinese immigrant, I can relate to Jen's story. I enjoyed this book. ”
waie wrote this review Saturday, April 12 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“Didn't read to the end, the writing is a bit too simplistic to engage in for long although I did skip through to the end to find out the turn of events. Perhaps market towards the teen reader?”
RedCapPrivateEye wrote this review Wednesday, January 16 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“The people behind the faces of the local Chinese-Canadian greasy spoon
book yeti wrote this review Saturday, July 28 2007. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
With a quiet, unassuming elegance, Canadian-Chinese author Judy Fong-Bates sets the scene for her highly applauded debut novel, Midnight at the Dragon Café. Perhaps this story touched me more acutely than most of its readers, as it called to mind what my father and his parents must have experienced during and after their immigration from Hong Kong to a little town in Canada in the mid-1950s. Every word to me was genuine, haunting, compelling…
Little Su-Jen Chou (at the tender age of six), along with her beautiful yet bitter mother, immigrates to Canada from Communist China, to meet the father she has never known. A father who is the proprietor of the local Canadian-Chinese “greasy spoon”. With Su-Jen’s mother constantly haunted with yearnings for her homeland, unpleasant family secrets uncovered, and the trials and challenges they face in a new and often-times unwelcoming land, Fong-Bates weaves a story full of heartbreak, tribulation and acceptance.
Poignant in its simplicity and yet weighty in its inner complexities, Midnight at the Dragon Café explores many social issues of the time, along with the disappointments, the pride, the sacrifices, and the triumphs of those who immigrated to Canada in search of something ‘better’.
Stirring and well written, Fong-Bates’ stunning first novel deserves a heaping spoonful of praise.
”
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