A River of Stars. By Vanessa Hua. Ballantine Books; 304 pages; $27.
ONLY the wealthiest Chinese women make their way to Perfume Bay, a five-star secret compound near Los Angeles for expectant mothers. Here the spoiled wives of Shanghai bosses—all carrying prized male heirs—consume diets rich in superstition (no bananas, which cause babies to slip out early); schedule Caesareans on auspicious dates; and pick English names worthy of their princelings (perhaps Stanley, in honour of Morgan Stanley, or Warren, after Warren Buffett). In time they return home with the ultimate status symbol: a son with American citizenship.
Scarlett Chen, the Chinese heroine of “A River of Stars”, Vanessa Hua’s delightful first novel, is sent to this lavish prison by her married lover, Boss Yeung, who runs the factory in the Pearl River delta which she helps manage. But she flees when she learns that...
from The Economist: Books and arts https://ift.tt/2Bha7wh
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