This is not a grab you by the throat sort of book. It is a gentle tongue-in-cheek meander through life for the Chinese immigrants in London around the 1920's.

Mr Ma and his son, Ma Wei, come to take over the running of an antique shop after the death of Mr Ma's brother. However Mr Ma has absolutely no head for business and all his son wants to do is study. They are "helped" to find lodgings with Mrs Wedderburn and her daughter by Reverend Ely who purports to know more about China and its culture than most of the Chinese people he has encountered.

What follows is almost an essay on the trials and tribulations encountered by any immigrant. In other words we like the help, even admire the culture but all are considered inferior to an English man. The story could be transplanted to any time - the hatred reserved for the Irish after the famine forced them to leave their homes, the Windrush generation or any number of "colonials" who have sought to make Mother England their home.

Lao She is equally scathing about the Chinese - Mr Ma is all about saving face, young Ma Wei wants to fall in love and be accepted. In fact the only one who fits in is the wily shop assistant Li, who Mr Ma constantly belittles.

This is quite a dense book and the story is merely a recounting of incidents but it tells you a great deal about life for an immigrant and the Ma's disillusion with what they thought England would offer. All in all, a salutary tale fit both sides.

Recommended for anyone who is interested in the history of Chinese immigrants or merely enjoys a story of daily life and hardship for those who come to our shores seeking a different life.