This is an American-Chinese multigenerational story. Told in three parts by Lily, Nick, and Mei, in that order and not in a linear timeline. Mei and Charles were born in China and during their youth they lived through the era of Mao Zedong and the dreadful consequences of his “Great Leap Forward”. They were both university students who ended up doing menial work in the fields in the countryside but escaped to Hong Kong and eventually to America. Beautifully written, this is quite a long book and fairly slow paced but quite compulsive reading.

Briefly, Mei became a scientist and had a child called Lily who worked in media until she met a wealthy Industrialist Matthew Chen and married him. They had a son, Nick/Nico but after they separated Lily moved to San Francisco having no contact with Mei, through her own choice. Nico was raised by Lily, a strict mother and despite feeling unloved and alone he achieved a place at Yale university, unbeknown to him financially assisted by Matthew.

Of Chinese birth and/or origin but also American many of the family struggle to understand how to best fit in to modern American society. Each section of the book is really interesting but I felt that there seemed to be no actual conclusions to any of their stories. Some fascinating insights into Chinese culture and into the main characters lives, with some interesting family dynamics. A story with a philosophical bent as destiny, choice fate and fortune all play a part in this profound tale.

Real Americans is a family saga with POVs from three different generations. It tackles each generation's struggles, dilemma, ideas and issues.

I was a little bit confused with whose timeline I was reading. Other than that, I enjoyed the story, which has a mix of romance, science, history and a little bit of magic. I rate it 3,5 stars rounded up to 4.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest opinion.

Real Americans
Rachel Khong

Started off loving this. Really enjoyed Lily’s story and the start of her relationship with Matthew. Nick’s story was ok but unfortunately not as believable for me and I found my interest waning.
By the time I got to the story of Lily’s mother I really just wanted things to get wrapped up. Instead the third part of the book dragged on a bit too much and the ending just didn’t leave me feeling satisfied at all.

I don’t like giving poor reviews as I know the blood sweat & tears that go into writing a book but I feel the author was a little ambitious with this book. However she can most definitely write and I would be more than happy to see what comes next.

Many thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this title.

A Chinese-American multigenerational saga that is undoubtedly beautifully written and well-thought-out. Although the book is quite lengthy, I found myself engaged for the majority of it, largely due to Rachel Khong's prose. However, I must admit that my initial enthusiasm for the plot waned as I progressed. The narrative is divided into three sections—Lily, Nick, and May—with Lily's story being the most captivating for me. Additionally, I had high hopes for a certain secret revelation, which ultimately fell a bit short of expectations.

While I appreciate the themes the author explores throughout the book, and I did enjoy it overall, it didn't quite have the impact I anticipated. Nonetheless, I remain open to exploring more of Khong's work, as her writing style and the dynamics between the characters were the highlights for me.

A shocking and complex multi-generational story that starts off very quietly but then has massive ramifications and a real impact. Lily is an intern in New York, struggling to make rent when she meets and falls for the very rich nephew of her boss. The course of true love might not run smooth for the mismatched pair, but there is something more sinister at work in their family histories that catches up with them. As the stories of their parents entwine, and the family they dreamed of doesn't quite go to plan, truths, shocking decisions and ongoing complexities are exposed and myths exploded. A very absorbing read that has complex characters all around Lily.

My experience with the book turned out to be somewhat disappointing, especially because my expectations were quite high. When I started reading it, I expected it to be the kind of story that would grab me and keep me hooked until the end, but it wasn't. Part of my disappointment came from the structure of the book, which is divided into three parts with seemingly disconnected stories, and with jumps between them. Part of my disappointment came from the structure of the book, divided into three parts with seemingly disconnected stories, and time jumps that end in cliffhangers with no clear resolution.
The book is divided into three stories: the first, a love story between Lily and Mathew; the second, a coming-of-age tale centred on Nick; and the third, the flight of Lily's mother Mei from a communist country in search of the American dream. The problem is that each part seems to start telling an interesting story, but then leaves a lot of things undeveloped and without clear answers.
Of the main characters, I found the female characters, Mei and Lily, mother and daughter, more convincing, showing more depth and consistency. The male characters, on the other hand, left me with many unanswered questions. Mathew, Lily's husband, was particularly difficult to understand. Even at the end of the book, you were still unclear as to why he had fallen in love with Lily and what motivated him as a husband or as a father. Nick, the son, began his part with a good level of intrigue, but his development didn't live up to the potential it promised.
An additional element that I found disconcerting was the inclusion of a small bit of magical realism, which, while not in the way, did not add much to the main plot either. This lack of cohesion in the stories, coupled with the unresolved cliffhangers, left an overall feeling of dissatisfaction.
In short, the book seemed promising, but its structure and the underdevelopment of the characters and their stories did not live up to my expectations. I would have liked more development and connection between the parts, as well as a clearer resolution of the conflicts raised.

Mi experiencia con el libro resultó ser algo decepcionante, especialmente porque mis expectativas eran bastante altas. Cuando empecé a leerlo, esperaba que fuera el tipo de historia que me atrapara y me mantuviera enganchado hasta el final, pero no fue así. Parte de mi desilusión proviene de la estructura del libro, dividido en tres partes con historias aparentemente desconectadas, y con saltos en el tiempo que terminan en cliffhangers sin resolución clara.
El libro se divide en tres historias: la primera, una historia de amor entre Lily y Mathew; la segunda, un relato de coming of age centrado en Nick; y la tercera, la huida de Mei, madre de Lily, desde un país comunista en busca del sueño americano. El problema es que cada parte parece empezar a contar una historia interesante, pero luego deja muchas cosas sin desarrollar y sin respuestas claras.
De los personajes principales, me parecieron más convincentes los femeninos, Mei y Lily, madre e hija, quienes mostraron más profundidad y consistencia. Los personajes masculinos, por otro lado, me dejaron con muchas preguntas sin respuesta. Mathew, el esposo de Lily, fue particularmente difícil de entender. Incluso al finalizar el libro, seguías sin tener claro por qué se había enamorado de Lily ni qué lo motivaba como esposo o como padre. Nick, el hijo, comenzó su parte con un buen nivel de intriga, pero su desarrollo no alcanzó el potencial que prometía.
Un elemento adicional que encontré desconcertante fue la inclusión de una pequeña parte de realismo mágico, que, aunque no estorbaba, tampoco aportaba mucho a la trama principal. Esta falta de cohesión en las historias, junto con los cliffhangers sin resolver, dejó una sensación de insatisfacción general.
En resumen, el libro parecía prometedor, pero su estructura y el subdesarrollo de los personajes y sus historias no cumplieron con mis expectativas. Me hubiera gustado más desarrollo y conexión entre las partes, así como una resolución más clara de los conflictos planteados.

This story follows a family, albeit in rather an odd order. We start with Lily, born in America to traditional Chinese parents who are scientists. She falls in love with an American, Matthew, and they marry and have a child Nick, who's story we then follow as his parents split up and he considers himself Chinese American, although he doesn't look Chinese. It then becomes complex as the perspective changes to Lily's mother, May, born in poverty in China, abused by her family and neighbour, but determined to make her way as a scientist. We see the cultural revolution through her eyes, and her escape from China, but not with Ping, the love of her life, but a more reliable partner who she marries.

The book has interesting sections, but has a lot of rather dull irrelevancies as the characters angst about their background and desires. The various sections with differnt points of view didn't mesh well, and occasionally they changed mid-chapter. Overall I was mildly entertained but wasn't really gripped.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House UK and Cornerstone for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A Chinese - American multi generational beautfully written novel, told from multiple perspectives brought together at the end.

Enjoyed Lily's reflections the most, as was less interested in Nick's comingof age teenage dialogues & chaos. The Sci-fi was an unexpected surprise.

Would be a great bookclub book, to reflect on race, culture, identity, power and wealth from the different generational & character perspectives.

Pacing was completely off for me, and I couldn’t connect to any of the characters. In the end decided it wasn’t worth pushing through and I didn't complete the book.

Told across multiple time points this is an inter generational novel about three members of one family. It doesn't have a linear time span but goes back and forth depending on which character is the focus. I confess I didn't understand ( or care about) the science but was invested in the story and hoping that they all got together happily in the end. In alert it's a story about controlling time and the desire to have more time. In part it's about racial identity and how that shapes us. In part it's about escaping from our past.

I really enjoyed reading this novel and raced through it. I would recommend it to anyone interested in how families work ( and don't). The writing is quietly excellent and there are characters to love and a bit of Chinese history thrown in. A really good mix.

“Real Americans” tells the story of three generations of one family. Lily is an unpaid intern in New York in the late nineties. She can’t afford her rent, doesn’t really have friends and is a disappointment to her parents who fled China looking for a better life. But a chance meeting with wealthy Matthew could change her life. We then skip several years to find out about Nick, Lily’s son, and how he plots with his best friend to escape his restricted upbringing, get to university and hopefully find somewhere he belongs. But when a DNA test reveals who his previously unknown father is, it throws everything into uncertainty and has effects for years to come. Finally we find out about Lily’s mother Mei, her upbringing, her choices, her mistakes and how all of that has impacted her life and her family’s.

I really enjoyed this book. There is so much ground covered in it from the recent history of China where many of the population were persecuted, to America and race relations, to family relationships, romantic relationships and friendships, to the theme of wanting to fit in and the ethics of genetic research. There’s even a slight fantastical theme as each generation has the same ability which no one else knows about or understands. The research that must have gone into this book is immense! All of these aspects come together to tell a fascinating story.

If I have any criticism at all, it’s that I found Lily’s story a bit difficult to follow as it jumped around a lot and I felt more to fill in those gaps would’ve helped. I’m also not sure the ending was realistic but I liked it nonetheless. If I could, I would give this 4.5 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

What an incredible novel! My grandfather said to me once that you can never understand someone else's geography. By that he meant how people travel along through their lives and the decisions they make along the way. I probably haven't explained that well but hopefully the gist is there! Anyway - this book made me think of that because each character could never understand how each navigated through their life and how decisions they made impacted each other. It is also such a fascinating read as a new mum as although the parents all wanted what was best for their child, tried their best and showed their love the best they could, each child found it lacked or felt they needed more, especially from the parent who was present. I thought at the end of it I would have a favourite POV but each character brought so much to the story and each with such a strong voice it's impossible to pick one. I really enjoyed how the book was written. I'm not usually one for vague timelines but this one just guided me through so gently it was like my hand was held throughout to make sure I was present. It took me about 2 months to read this, fitting in time when I could and usually that would really impact the pace of the story but if anything it just made me feel that I wasn't ready for this book to end which just emphasises how incredible an author Khong is. Can't wait to read another one!

An interesting scenario of life changing choices. Two intellectuals who managesto escape Mao's China and get to America. They are scientists. Their daughter, Lily later ends up in New York trying to make her own way and is in an intern job when she meets the son of a Pharmaceutical empire. All is fine until she introduces her mother to Matthew's family. Then the past is unveiled gradually as the mother and Matthew's father know each other from past work together.
Lily's son Nick year's later start asking about his absent father, more questions result.
Quite the story of 3 generations and how decisions can have repercussions years later.

I was very quickly immersed in this novel, the initial chapter was easy to get into felt like this was going to be a comfortable read. The story starts in present day America and at a American Chinese girl and her relationships. It broadens to let us discover her family story.
Story about the manipulation of genetic material in in vitro fertilisation, which I personally feel believable,. Without giving too much away, it is found to be possible to manipulate a babies jeans so that they take after one or other of their parents more than would happen by chance. if I allowed myself to suspend my disbelief, I enjoyed the story more and after all this is really what reading novels is about isn’t it?
I loved the way that you learn more about the historical story as you go through the novel in time and from different members of the family so that ultimately you get the full story.
Initially, although I was enjoying reading the story, I thought that there was something lacking I was very glad to discover, therefore that that something, proved to be the historical Chinese sections which elevated the novel significantly
The author has a clear easily read writing style and the book was an easy enjoyable read.
I read an early copy of the novel on a NetGalley UK. The book is published on the 30th of April 2024 by random house, UK Cornerstone.

This review will appear on NetGalley UK, Goodreads, and my book blog, bionicSarahSbooks.wordpress.com. After publication, it will also appear on Amazon, UK.

Dnf at 54%

Pacing was completely off for me, and I couldn’t connect to any of the characters. In the end decided it wasn’t worth pushing through.

Men make their own history, but they do not make it as they please; they do not make it under self-selected circumstances, but under circumstances existing already, given and transmitted from the past. (Karl Marx)

In other words, we all make many choices in our lives, but many things are already chosen for us. This might be down to where in the world we’re born, to which family, or a whole bunch of other elements, including inherited health conditions. It's is a theme that runs throughout this excellent novel, and yet it took me me quite a while to identify this.

It’s starts with Lily meeting Matthew. The former is a Chinese-American woman of very limited means, and the latter is most definitely a born and bred American, and not short of a bob or two. He quickly whisks her off to Paris, seemingly on the spur of the moment, and soon after they’re a couple. I thought this would be the beginning of the story but I was to learn that this was actually the mid-point, we’ll learn how the story truly begins, and then how it ends, later in the book.

There are, in fact, three generations covered here. Their stories are complex and interweaving. But because of the way it’s structured, it isn't initially clear where it's all heading. The story of Mai (Lily’s mother) is the most harrowing section, documenting the chilling regime imposed by Mao Zedong and the very limited options open to all but the party leaders and their families. The final section brings everything together and finally makes sense of the piece as a whole.

There’s a good deal of philosophising here, and lots of science, too. But the central theme is how luck, or fortune, plays such a key role in determining what sort of life it is we will be allowed to lead. Unless we are able to load the odds in our favour, that is. Is it possible that modern science has a card up its sleeve that will enable us to improve our odds? There is a science fiction element to this tale, but based (I presume) on what might one day be possible. It was always there in this story, in the background, but it wasn't intrusive, and I didn't spot it for the most part. It crept up on me, and actually not in a bad way. In truth, I was always more engaged in the people: their stories, what they desired, and what was driving them.

There are small things here that I could pick at, but really it’s a tale that had me gripped pretty much from the start. It’s superbly written and imaginatively created. I loved it and was really sad to finally finish this slow-moving but hugely thought-provoking tale.

Real Americans is a multi-generational story about what it means to be American if you were born in China, born to Chinese parents or born white to a Chinese mother. The story is told in three parts and begins with Lily Chen’s experience of living in New York and meeting a rich all-American boy called Matthew. As her story comes to a close, the reader realises that this is not a simple boy meets girl story and there are much more complicated aspects. I loved this book - I loved the style of writing, the different time periods and the voice of the different characters. My only criticism is that the final third is told in a much slower pace but covers a massive timeline and I’m not sure that change in momentum suited concluding the story for me personally. Overall, an excellent, original family saga.

Oof! This book is why I love reading!

I was totally caught off guard by how much I enjoyed this one, it has so much depth and layers. The blurb gave an inkling to a multigenerational tale filled with betrayal and forgiveness but it's so much more than that.

This ticks many boxed for me, a literary novel, multi POVs and timelines with elements of futuristic science and historical fiction combined and a tiny dash of fantasy for good measure. I know that sounds like a lot going on but it isn't one bit confused about itself, it is simply put a very smart and intelligently told story, perfection for me.

The novel starts out focussed on the blossoming relationship between Lily and Matthew who come from very different backgrounds and cultures. Lily has always felt like a disappointment to her mother and Matthew is ashamed of the wealth of his family. By the time you reach the end of Part I you realise there's a lot more than meets the eye here and hints to more sinister undertones to the story.

Khong does an incredible job of portraying her main characters, Mei, Lily and Nick. She absolutely nails the complexities of familial ties including the fine lines between wanting the best for your child's future and being overbearing and interfering, all while weaving a story with complex themes pertaining to modern societial questions regarding race, immigration and ethics in science as well as the age old question of nature v nurture.

The language is gorgeous, the philosophical viewpoints of the characters make you pause for thought and in my case, highlight extracts for reflection. I can also say I learnt about Chinese culture and modern history.
A genuinely beautiful and also clever book that is going to be a smash hit this year, so take my word for it and stick it on the pre-order list as it is out at the end of April this year.

Many thanks to Random House UK for the advance reader copy in return for an honest review.

5 stars!

Whatever I expected after reading the book blurb of Rachel Khong's novel, it wasn't a 'poor girl meets rich guy relationship bridging the cultural divide' scenario, told in such a clichéd, saccharine chick-lit fashion. Instead, I think, I hoped for a vibrant, realistic depiction of a reasonably intelligent second generation Chinese girl finding her place in American society.

After dinner on only their first date he flies her from New York to Paris with both only wearing the clothes on their back. I mean — seriously??!!

The writing and style, then, sits uncomfortably somewhere between Danielle Steel and Cinderella — nothing wrong with either of those genres — merely a sense that in this case the novel's marketing went slightly awry.

Many thanks to the publishers and to Netgalley for the ARC.

Real Americans is a multigenerational story about relationships, friendships and search for identity. The scope is diverse, moving from the China of Mao’s Cultural Revolution to modern America and Rachel Khong has woven an intricate plot around the lives of three generations. In essence, a Chinese couple, scientists, flee China and settle in America. They want the best for their daughter and when she dies well and falls in love with a rich American, it seems the American dream is coming true. However, that’s really the start of the problems as the central character tries to find her place in society, but feels increasingly alienated. Their son also struggles and the narrative moves across each of these three main characters and their lives.

It’s a slow burn story; I had no idea at the outset how it would all end and it is very much character driven as we follow the lives and hope of the Chinese couple. The depiction of Mao’s China and their reasons for flight are chilling and I really enjoyed that part of the story. The parents are strong people and come across well and I was invested in their future. The whole gives a fascinating glimpse into the conflict of doing pg well but never quite feeling like you belong. Fitting into a Western culture with strong Eastern roots has its own difficulties and I found Rachel explores these with honesty and sensitivity, The writing is fresh and vibrant and this is packed with interest. I really enjoyed it.