The perfect book for what I was seeking, a good heart felt story of challenge triumph and dedication. If you enjoyed her Kwoks first book this one is worth a read too, it is a good bit lighter. ( )

Meh. The PREMISE of the story and the stories of the major characters, handled more adeptly could have made this a truly great story. Once the main character goes through her metamorphosis, the story becomes more shallow, focusing on the details of Charlie's training, dance steps, clothing for the competition and so little on her sister's trauma. I think that whole story line diluted the book because it was such a sever topic, yet treated so lightly.

However, Kwok writes well, and if you're in the mood for a light read..... ( )

Charlie lives in Chinatown in New York City with her father and sister, Lisa. Her mother (formerly a dancer) died when Charlie was younger. Charlie is 22-years old and Lisa is much younger (middle school/junior high?).

Charlie hates her job dishwashing, and has never been good as a receptionist, but she is able to get a new job as a receptionist at a ballroom dance studio. She is still not good at it, but when the studio is very short of teachers, she steps in to find herself a really good teacher (though she is barely a step ahead of the students when it comes to the dancing!).

Meanwhile, Lisa’s health is taking a turn for the worse. They aren’t sure what’s wrong, but their father refuses to have anything to do with Western medicine and will only have Lisa treated by their uncle, who practices Chinese medicine.

I really enjoyed this! I listened to the audio and it (fairly easily) held my interest. I definitely got frustrated with Charlie’s dad. I really liked Ryan, one of Charlie’s students, and Nina, another dance teacher at the studio, who became friends with Charlie. I thought the author did a good job with the ballroom stuff (turns out she has done ballroom professionally), as (though it’s been a number of years), I took lessons off and on for 15 years myself. ( )

SWEDISH REVIEW

Mambo i Chinartown var en härlig överraskning! Jag hade hoppas på en småtrevlig bok, men jag räknade inte alls med att boken skulle vara så fängslade och förtjusande att det var svårt att lägga ifrån sig den. Boken lyckas med att både vara rolig och allvarlig och Charlies förvandling som sker gradvis genom bokens handling är underbar att följa.

Men det är kulturkrocken mellan öst och väst som ger boken en special känsla. Jean Kwok har verkligen lyckats med att beskriva problem för en ung kvinna född i Amerika med kinesiska föräldrar. Charlies pappa är t.ex. emot västerländsk medicin och vägrar låta Charlies lillasyster Lisa få läkarhjälp när hon blir sjuk. han förlitar sig istället på österländska traditioner för att finna vad som är fel på henne. Han är förövrigt inte världens bästa stöd för systrarna (trots att han älskar dem) och mycket av den yttervärldens kontakt som t.ex. skola får Charlie ta hand om när det gäller Lisa.

Det enda jag kan säga om boken som jag inte gillade var slutet. Eller rättare sagt att boken tog slut. Jag skulle ha velat läsa mer om Charlie, hennes familj och hennes vänner och fått reda på vad som händer härnäst.

Tack till Bazar Förlag för recensionexemplaret!

ENGLISH REVIEW

Mambo in Chinatown was a delightful surprise! I had hoped that the book would be pleasant to read, but I never thought that it would be both engrossing and charming. And, hard to put down. The book manages to be both funny and serious and Charlie's transformation that occurs gradually throughout the books is wonderful to follow.

However, it's the culture clash between east and west that gives the books a special atmosphere. Jean Kwok has really managed to describe the problems a young girl faces in America with parents from China. Charlie's father is for instance against western medicine and refuses to let Charlie's little sister Lisa have medical aid when she gets sick. Instead, he relies on eastern traditions to try to find out what's wrong with her. He is, to be honest not the always the best support for the sisters (despite that he loves them) and much of the outside world contact like school is Charlie the one that has to deal with when it comes to Lisa.

The only thing I didn't like about the book was the ending. Or rather that the book ended. I would have loved to read more about Charlie, her family and friends and what will happen next to them all.

thanks to Bazar Förlag for the review copy! ( )

This was an extremely readable book for a variety of reasons - especially because of its authenticity. The primary setting is New York's Chinatown and author Jean Kwok describes the locale convincingly. The back-of-the-house dishwashing and noodle-making at a small mom-and-pop Chinese restaurant was realistically depicted - no glamour or sugarcoating this environment. And the Chinese herbal medicines and traditional Eastern treatments were also factually represented. The ballroom dancing was described as only someone with experience and personal research could write it. I appreciated that Kwok was able to take all these disparate elements from her life and craft a very readable novel.

But without likeable characters that we can care about, the book would have fallen flat. One of the primary reasons I enjoyed this book was that main character Charlie Wong was engaging and sympathetic. I was really rooting for her to succeed (yes, Charlie is a young woman) as a dancer and to mend the father/daughter relationship she has with her widowed father. She is living between her father's old school Chinese beliefs regarding medicine, courtship, and marriage and the new life she begins to realize could be hers. One of the novel's central conflicts is the superstition and fear of Charlie's immigrant father and her own developing confidence in a new world that encourages her to use her talents and be her own person. Charlie's younger sister, Lisa, is also an appealing character and her health concerns become another issue that kept me turning the pages.

And of course in addition to authenticity, setting, and characters, the story itself was engaging. This novel drew me in from the beginning - I couldn't resist the title of "Mambo in Chinatown" and then I was hooked from the first page. If you're looking for an authentic cultural story with a bit of romance and a feel-good ending, this is the book for you. ( )