OVERVIEW
This is the second book I have read by Kristina McMorris. But, this book touched me deeply as it was about Chinese immigrants in 1800s Oregon.
My husband is an ABC (American-born Chinese) and our daughter is a hapa (half in Hawaiian). My father-in-law (and my daughter's "Ye Ye" (father's father)), fought in WWII in the U.S. Army in Sicily. My husband and I would never have met without his sacrifice to come to an unknown land in search of a better life for his family. We are almost all immigrants to our beloved country even though mine came from Europe primarily in search of religious freedom and/or land many generations ago. My daughter is the culmination of her ancestors' wildest dreams on both sides!
Kristina mentions the beautiful book, hapa.me, by Kip Fulbeck as an inspiration for this novel. My daughter and I attended a hapa author's panel at the Japanese American National Museum in Little Tokyo (Los Angeles) in 2018. The panel was moderated by Kip and included Jamie Ford, Amy Hill, and Velina Hasu Houston who generously answered a very personal question posed by my daughter. My daughter's picture was even included as part of the ongoing exhibit!
So, yes, this novel is very personal to me and my family!
OVERALL REVIEW: 5.0 stars.
Writing: 5.0 stars
The writing was just so beautiful. I was touched by the addition of Cantonese throughout the novel which added a lovely touch.
Even though some of the language was horrific, it reflected the time and was racist and xenophobic. Sadly some of the language is still in use today. When will we learn from our mistakes?
Character development: 5.0 stars
The character development was excellent. The main character was Celia Hart Chung (hapa; daughter of a Chinese missionary family's caucasian daughter and a Cantonese father). Celia transforms from hiding her ancestry and "passing" as white to being a proud Chinese woman! Brava!
The secondary characters were the Bettencourt family (Celia's initial employer), Marie (a Chinese brothel madam and Celia's employer), Lettie (Cecilia's sex worker friend), and Owen (kidnapping victim).
The tertiary characters are Celia's parents, the city of Portland, and horrific historical events. There was also another character who will not be elaborated on to avoid spoilers.
There were two types of throw-away characters: those with a storyline impact or those for added interest.
Storyline: 5.0 stars
Celia works for the Portland mayor's family and then falls out of favor. She is then sent to work for a brothel madam as a housekeeper. Along the way, Celia discovers horrible things happening in Portland and the surrounding areas. She tries to correct these egregious wrongs but is "shanghaied" in the Portland tunnels with Owen. They are taken away on a ship bound for San Francisco. There is much more, but NO spoiler zone here!
The locations were: Portland, Oregon, and San Francisco, California.
Memorable/Informative: 5.0 stars
This was a deep and dark historical fiction novel at times. It was difficult to read and horrifying to realize that so much of this happened only about 150 years ago in our country. But, if we only learn about hearts, flowers, and unicorns, we will not learn from our past!
This novel was a necessary read as two Chinese massacres occurred in cities near where I now live (Pasadena and Los Angeles). Appalling!
Book cover: 5.0 stars
Gorgeous!
Book title: 5.0 stars
Perfect!
HIGHLY recommend
NetGalley eARC/ebook
The Girls of Good Fortune by Kristina McMorris
400 pages
Sourcebooks Landmark
FUTURE release date: 5/20/2025
INFORMATIONAL LINKS
TRIGGER WARNING: Sexual content, pregnancy, adoption, xenophobia, racism, sex workers, murder, violence
Happy reading,
Dorothea 💜
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