I love “chick-lit,” also known as fiction written for and targeted to young, working women in their twenties and thirties. I must say, it’s about time chick-lit is written by and for Asian American women, and Christine Son’s Off the Menu does just that. Intertwining the lives of three best friends — Hercules Huang, Whitney Lee and Audrey Henley, Son paints a picture of three very distinguished lives, careers and passions, and the friendship that glues them together.
Hercules is a top chef with her own restaurant of fine-dining and line of cookware. Whitney is a corporate lawyer with an Ivy League education and a hidden passion for singing. Audrey is a schoolteacher and adopted daughter of Texas billionaires. Over good food and laughs, the three share their stories and struggles, and over a weekend vacation, discover what they want more in life.
Highlighting themes like cultural assimilation, adoption and generational misunderstandings, Off the Menu illustrates some of the complexities and realities of being Asian American. While Hercules, Whitney and Audrey challenge their parents’ expectations, struggle to climb the corporate ladder and fall in limbo and in love, you are bound to journey with these characters as they delve into the intersections of life — friendship, family, love and happiness.
Off the Menu is a book many can relate to — building courage, pursuing passion and finding oneself. So, what are your favorite chick-lit books?
(Visit Christine’s website and visit her blog! Thanks to TLC Book Tours for asking me to be a part of my very first Blog Tour!)
Follow the rest of Christine Son’s TLC Book Tours TOUR STOPS:
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15 Comments to “Blog Tour: Christine Son’s “Off the Menu””
Ernie wrote:
It’s like Cashmere Mafia, but EVERYBODY is Lucy Liu!
Posted on 11-Nov-08 at 2:30 pm | Permalink
Amyable wrote:
Title says Christine Song but the author is really Christine Son?
Posted on 11-Nov-08 at 2:58 pm | Permalink
Ernie wrote:
(Thanks Amyable! I went ahead and edited that; my bad.)
Posted on 11-Nov-08 at 3:27 pm | Permalink
Ari Sahagun wrote:
Great post, Connie! It reminds me of Dirty Girls Social Club, by Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez, I loved that book and the various Latina personalities she presented. I’ll check out Off the Menu.
Posted on 11-Nov-08 at 4:08 pm | Permalink
Mariel wrote:
Very excited to read this book! Sounds like a great read. Thanks for the review.
Posted on 11-Nov-08 at 4:31 pm | Permalink
Natalie wrote:
Hmm. Seeing as I do not have any time to read anything for pleasure these days, I may have to put this off until after the LSAT. Sounds interesting, I am curious what “chick-lit” is. I don’t know if I support this idea of literature directed at “women”, hehe….inner feminist questioning everything…=)
Posted on 11-Nov-08 at 5:43 pm | Permalink
seeconrun wrote:
I think that’s a really good point, Natalie and that came across my mind as I writing this. Let’s talk more about it.
Posted on 11-Nov-08 at 7:03 pm | Permalink
Jen wrote:
Just like in any kind of genre, there are bad “chick-lit” books as well as good ones. I consider Jane Austen’s “Pride & Prejudice” one of the very first “chick-lit” books, albeit not an Asian one…but a fantastic classic.
Personally, I think the term “chick-lit” is really limiting and just a poor attempt at categorizing something just to make a special section on the bookshelf to put the book in. If Connie says this book is great, I can trust her judgment, without putting all “chick-lit” books into one category and condemning them all.
Posted on 11-Nov-08 at 7:46 pm | Permalink
Trish wrote:
I cannot wait to read this book. It’s about time!
Trish
Posted on 11-Nov-08 at 7:49 pm | Permalink
seeconrun wrote:
Rob, I read “China Dolls” and actually, I enjoyed that book more than I did this one.
I thought it was very witty and entertaining. You’re right, it was very stereotypical and white-centric, and mainstream media– but also not, in that it featured Asian American women in those “normal” roles. And while I believe representation is a good thing, I acknowledge the importance of consciousness and constructive criticism. I’d say “chick-lit” is among one of my guilty pleasures along with watching shows like Sex and the City–guilty, but also, oh so healthy.
Posted on 11-Nov-08 at 8:22 pm | Permalink
seeconrun wrote:
Another recommendation:
The Dim Sum of All Things by Kim Wong Keltner. She has a sequel, Buddha Baby, but it wasn’t nearly as good as the first.. I’d say this was my first “Asian chick-lit”..I’ve never been a fan of the word “chick..” (sadly, i’m getting in the hang of it.)
Anywho, I read this book in high school and wrote a review for it on L.A. Youth, a newspaper by and about teens. You can read it at this link:
http://www.layouth.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issue&action=IssueArticle&aid=715&nid=57
Posted on 11-Nov-08 at 8:27 pm | Permalink
Linda wrote:
China Dolls was absolutely horrific. Not just as Asian chick-lit, but as chick-lit in general…as fiction in general. The Dim Sum of All Things was much better.
Random note: I’m rereading one of my favorite Dean Koontz novels, Ticktock, which has a Vietnamese-American protagonist, and every time I read it, I am amazed by how well a white writer portrayed an Asian American.
Posted on 12-Nov-08 at 8:04 am | Permalink
Asianmommy wrote:
Very cool–I’m going to look for this book.
Posted on 12-Nov-08 at 3:33 pm | Permalink
Samantha wrote:
Seems tasty. I’ll check it out.
Posted on 12-Nov-08 at 3:41 pm | Permalink
Christine Son, Author of Off the Menu, on Tour November 2008 | TLC Book Tours wrote:
[...] Tuesday, November 11th: 8Asians [...]
Posted on 07-Oct-09 at 2:51 pm | Permalink
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