About the Book
Title: Natalie Tan’s Book of Luck & Fortune
Author: Roselle Lim
Series: none
Genre: Contemporary, Magical Realism
Pages: 304
Edition Read: Paperback
Dates Read: March 20-22, 2023
Blurb: At the news of her mother’s death, Natalie Tan returns home. The two women hadn’t spoken since Natalie left in anger seven years ago, when her mother refused to support her chosen career as a chef. Natalie is shocked to discover the vibrant neighborhood of San Francisco’s Chinatown that she remembers from her childhood is fading, with businesses failing and families moving out. She’s even more surprised to learn she has inherited her grandmother’s restaurant.
The neighborhood seer reads the restaurant’s fortune in the leaves: Natalie must cook three recipes from her grandmother’s cookbook to aid her struggling neighbors before the restaurant will succeed. Unfortunately, Natalie has no desire to help them try to turn things around–she resents the local shopkeepers for leaving her alone to take care of her agoraphobic mother when she was growing up. But with the support of a surprising new friend and a budding romance, Natalie starts to realize that maybe her neighbors really have been there for her all along.
Review
You guys, this book is so cute! I had never heard of it or heard of this author, but somehow, at some point, I had entered a giveaway for a copy . . . and I won! It had been sitting on my shelf for a while, but I finally got to read it last year. Let me tell you, I had a smile on my face nearly the whole time.
This book is just beautiful. It tells of the importance of family, of culture, of community, and of an all consuming love of food. Food is magic! In this case, literally. Each recipe in Natalie’s book contains a description for what it should be used for. For love. For prosperity. For healing. And they all work! Natalie uses her love of food and cooking, combined with her love for her grandmother, to reach out and start mending the tears that had come up in this neighborhood. It’s really beautiful to read how it all weaves together. There are a few moments that tug on your heartstrings, but those are just as much heartwarming as they are heartbreaking.
Best part of the book: each recipe described in Natalie’s book is an actual recipe! With actual ingredients and cooking instructions! I have not attempted to make any of them (don’t trust me in a kitchen, it always goes poorly) but I thought that it was a really cool way to make the story that much more immersive. All of it sounds delicious, too.
Overall, this book was just lovely through and through.
GoodReads rating: 5 stars
Categories: Books I've Read
Life With No Plot 
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