ARE YOU LISTENING: MAMBO IN CHINATOWN: A REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

WELCOME TO BOOKIN' WITH BINGO'S" 
ARE YOU LISTENING? DAY"  
I AM EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE TODAY'S  
AUDIO BOOK CHOICE.....

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GIVEAWAY ENDED

MAMBO IN CHINATOWN

 Read By Angela Lin
BY JEAN KWOK

  

ABOUT THE AUDIO BOOK:
From the bestselling author of Girl in Translation, a novel about a young woman torn between her family duties in Chinatown and her escape into the world of ballroom dancing.

Twenty-two-year-old Charlie Wong grew up in New York’s Chinatown, the older daughter of a Beijing ballerina and a noodle maker. Though an ABC (America-born Chinese), Charlie’s entire world has been limited to this small area. Now grown, she lives in the same tiny apartment with her widower father and her eleven-year-old sister, and works—miserably—as a dishwasher.

But when she lands a job as a receptionist at a ballroom dance studio, Charlie gains access to a world she hardly knew existed, and everything she once took to be certain turns upside down. Gradually, at the dance studio, awkward Charlie’s natural talents begin to emerge. With them, her perspective, expectations, and sense of self are transformed—something she must take great pains to hide from her father and his suspicion of all things Western. As Charlie blossoms, though, her sister becomes chronically ill. As Pa insists on treating his ailing child exclusively with Eastern practices to no avail, Charlie is forced to try to reconcile her two selves and her two worlds—Eastern and Western, old world and new—to rescue her little sister without sacrificing her newfound confidence and identity.

PRAISE FOR MAMBO IN CHINATOWN:
"Best Books of 2014: Mambo in Chinatown. Western convention clashes with traditional Eastern culture when a young, impoverished Chinese-American woman dips her toe into the glittering world of professional ballroom dancing—and finds love."— Woman’s Day 

"Best Books of 2014: One of This Summer’s Hottest Page-Turners. A riveting story about a young woman who ultimately finds her calling and manages to exceed everyone's expectations - including, most important, her own."— Real Simple

"New and Noteworthy Books: Mambo in Chinatown. [One of]... the hottest titles. A young woman who finds herself through ballroom dancing must make peace with her old life in New York's Chinatown. Charming."— USA Today

"In her winning second novel (after Girl in Translation, 2010), Kwok infuses her heartwarming story with both the sensuality of dance and the optimism of a young woman coming into her own.”— Booklist

"Summer Books Preview 2014, titles to keep you reading: Mambo in Chinatown. A young Chinese-American woman is torn between her family duties and tradition in New York's Chinatown and the contemporary life she discovers through ballroom dancing."— Los Angeles Times

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jean Kwok was born in Hong Kong and immigrated to Brooklyn as a young girl. SHe is the author of the national bestseller Girl in Translation and Mambo in Chinatown. Jean received her bachelor’s degree from Harvard and completed an MFA in Fiction at Columbia. She worked as an English teacher and Dutch-English translator at Leiden University in the Netherlands, and now writes full-time.

DID YOU READ THIS BESTSELLER BY JEAN KWOK?

MY THOUGHTS/REVIEW:

From the author who gave readers the best selling GIRL IN TRANSLATION comes her latest novel based on a Chinese immigrant family, MAMBO IN CHINATOWN. Jean Kwok enchants readers with a story that blends eastern and western cultures set in New York's colorful Chinatown community. Main character, Charlie Wong, a 22 year old daughter of a noodle maker and ballerina, is struggling to strike a balance between a modern American life while still honoring the traditions of her parents. Having lost her mother at a young age, Charlie must take on the responsibility of maintaining the home for her father and her younger sister, Lisa. Charlie fondly remembers dancing with her mother in their home as a young child but now she has to try out some new moves. She must try and find her own way and a measure of success in a career that will help with expenses at home and provide Charlie with a satisfying life. However, the poor girl fails miserably at each job she takes on whether it is because of her being a bit clumsy or that her reading and writing skills are hampered by dyslexia. She also has the responsibility of guiding her little sister Lisa, who is eleven years younger than Charlie. As close as they are, Charlie realizes she must set a good example. Charlie stumbles upon a job as a receptionist in a ballroom dance studio, leaving behind washing dishes in the noodle shop. The exciting new world and friends are good for Charlie but not something she can tell her father. However, like other jobs, Charlie fails but just happens to be in the right place at the right time when the studio is short an instructor for the beginning dance class. Noting Charlie's aptitude, they give her a chance to teach the class and her life is on a new path at last. When a puzzling illness hits Lisa, the war between customs, old and new, American and Chinese, begins. With Charlie's father's belief in ancient Chinese medicine, and with his brother who successfully practices it in their tight community, Charlie faces an uphill battle. Lisa needs to be seen by an American doctor and so the war of these two worlds begins. Meanwhile, Charlie's life takes a tiny step toward change. The narrative flows well by this time and readers are caught up in Charlie's world as we see how she learns to deal with her father and her new life choices. The supporting cast, especially from the dance studio, add colorful, nicely fleshed out characters readers will enjoy getting to know as they help to move the story along. The different, exotic lifestyles and customs, along with the fabulously described setting that Kwok creates for Chinatown, give readers a unique reason to keep turning pages. As Charlie moves up to be a dancer, I was backstage cheering her on. However, what will happen if her father finds out about her career? What is going to happen to little Lisa as her mysterious illness progresses in alarming fashion? MAMBO IN CHINATOWN is sure to dance it's way into your hearts as Jean Kwok once again gives readers a book and characters that they will enjoy long after the last page is turned.

GIVEAWAY

 THANKS TO RICHARD AND THE FINE FOLKS AT

RANDOM HOUSE AUDIO, I HAVE ONE COPY

OF THIS FASCINATING AUDIO BOOK TO 

GIVE AWAY TO ONE LUCKY WINNER!

  

--U.S. RESIDENTS ONLY
--NO P. O. BOXES, PLEASE
--INCLUDE EMAIL ADDRESS IN COMMENT
--ALL ENTRIES/COMMENTS MUST BE
SEPARATE IN ORDER TO COUNT 
AS MORE THAN ONE ENTRY

HOW TO ENTER:

+1 ENTRY: COMMENT ON SOMETHING YOU FOUND INTERESTING ABOUT MAMBO IN CHINATOWN THAT WOULD MAKE YOU WANT TO WIN THIS AUDIO BOOK

+1 MORE ENTRY: BLOG OR TWEET ABOUT THIS GIVEAWAY AND LEAVE A LINK I CAN FOLLOW IN THE ENTRY

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON SOMETHING YOU FIND INTERESTING ON JEAN KWOK'S WEBSITE BY GOING HERE

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON ONE OTHER CURRENT GIVEAWAY YOU HAVE ENTERED ON MY BLOG. IF YOU ENTERED MORE THAN ONE, YOU CAN COMMENT ON EACH ON SEPARATELY AND GAIN MORE ENTRIES THAT WAY 

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON ONE WAY YOU FOLLOW MY BLOG. IF YOU FOLLOW MORE THAN ONE WAY, YOU CAN COMMENT SEPARATELY AND EACH WILL COUNT AS AN ENTRY

GIVEAWAY ENDS AT

 6 PM, EST, SEPTEMBER 14

GOOD LUCK!