Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune

Written by Roselle Lim

Narrated by Catherine Ho

Lush and visual, chock-full of delicious recipes, Roselle Lim’s magical debut novel is about food, heritage, and finding family in the most unexpected places.  

At the news of her mother’s death, Natalie Tan returns home. The two women hadn’t spoken since Natalie left in anger seven years ago, when her mother refused to support her chosen career as a chef. Natalie is shocked to discover the vibrant neighborhood of San Francisco’s Chinatown that she remembers from her childhood is fading, with businesses failing and families moving out. She’s even more surprised to learn she has inherited her grandmother’s restaurant. 

The neighborhood seer reads the restaurant’s fortune in the leaves: Natalie must cook three recipes from her grandmother’s cookbook to aid her struggling neighbors before the restaurant will succeed. Unfortunately, Natalie has no desire to help them try to turn things around—she resents the local shopkeepers for leaving her alone to take care of her agoraphobic mother when she was growing up. But with the support of a surprising new friend and a budding romance, Natalie starts to realize that maybe her neighbors really have been there for her all along.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Audio
• Release date: Jun 11, 2019
• ISBN: 9781984890382

Reviews for Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune

[shazjhb · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A fun book. Liked the food and people

[carriewuj · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This reminded me of Like Water for Chocolate, but an Asian version. The "power" of food seems to be a hot topic lately - comfort? Natalie is a 20-something woman, traveling the world, (current stop Montreal) when she gets the call that her mother in San Francisco has passed away. Natalie returns home immediately and tries to piece together her agoraphobic mother's demise - why had she left the house? In talking to the elders in the Chinatown neighborhood she doesn't learn much initially, but she begins to see her heritage and the need to put down roots and invest in her community. She learns that her grandmother was a well-respected cook and inherits her cookbook from her mother's things. It seems to be imbued with "magic" that can heal relationships and people's character flaws, so Natalie sets about re-opening her grandmother's long-closed restaurant, making "magical" dishes that help not only the people she is cooking for, but the whole neighborhood. Her cooking also attracts a handsome tech start-up guy, Daniel who just happens by the shop when she makes dumplings that happened to be a childhood favorite. It's a light read for sure, but as such was lacking substance. I like a little more realism in my magical realism. Problems felt contrived and the solutions even more so, and everything has a neat conclusion including the identity of Natalie's long-lost father, her mentor relationship with the surly Mr. Wu, her ability to transform the neighborhood with her restaurant and her belated understanding of her mother's condition. This reads more like a fairy tale and didn't ring true to me.

[gpangel_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Natalie Tan’s Book of Luck & Fortune by Roselle Lim is a 2019 Berkley publication.

A Whimsical journey of self-discovery, finding one’s niche, and making your dreams come true!

Natalie returns to her Chinatown neighborhood after her mother dies. She hadn’t spoken to her mother in years and her sudden death causes a plethora of old feelings to resurface. Despite the problems she had with her mother, Natalie is filled with regret. She also sees how far the neighborhood has deteriorated since she’s been gone. When a realtor approaches Natalie, trying to convince her to sell her mother’s place, which includes the long -shuttered restaurant her grandmother owned and operated, Natalie balks. She soon discovers that contrary to what she’s been led to believe the restaurant is in working order. Her dream of being a chef could very well come true after all- however it will not be an easy task. With the help and support of her grandmother’s recipes and friends and neighbors, Natalie looks for just the right recipe for success- one that will give back to the community and carry on her grandmother’s legacy.

What a delightful story! This feel-good story adds in just a touch of magic, to go along with family and friends, a sprinkle of light romance, and tons of great food and recipes. I loved the characters, the family secrets, and the character development.

This is a fun story, really cute, with a few moral lessons tossed in, such as never giving up on one’s dreams no matter what adversity must be met and overcome. However, for me the most prominent theme is giving back to the community, paying it forward, and helping others, with the right intentions in your heart, and that’s a something we should do more of!

4 stars

[ecataldi-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book was charming and made me SOO HUNGRY. Seriously my stomach kept growling the whole time, that is how good Roselle Lim's descriptions are! When Natalie comes back to San Francisco it's not to celebrate. Her mother has just died and she needs to come to arrange the funeral. As the only surviving family member Natalie must wrap up all the affairs, but those hardest to wrap up ,are the affairs of the heart. Natalie and her mother hadn't spoken in 7 years after Natalie ran away to pursue her dream of being a cook when all her mother wanted for her was to stay at home. When Natalie come home she see how down and out her little part of Chinatown is, if only there was something that could help rejuvenate it... When Natalie discovers that her mother owned not only the apartment but the whole building including the small restaurant below, she thinks that maybe she can continue her family's legacy. Paired with the magical recipe book of her grandmother's she is set to change the luck of those around. Cute, charming, and filled with amazing recipes. A nice fluffy read :)

[eyes92c · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Captivating tale with foodie overtones!

Loved this contemporary novel with a touch of magic realism set in San Francisco's Chinatown.
Am I reading the Chinese version of The Road Less Travelled or Chicken Soup for the Soul?
What we have is an expose on the healing properties of food all mixed into a fanciful story bringing life back to a neighborhood.
Natalie Tan returns home after her mother's death, to find the neighborhood run down and herself the owner of a boarded up restaurant (her grandmother's) in the downstairs of her building.
Natalie had left to follow her dream of becoming a chef. When the local seer gives her the secret for restoring the neighborhood and her dreams, she reluctantly takes up the challenge.
I loved the description of the tea lady's night garden, the help from the somewhat clairvoyant cat, and the wonderful recipes interspersed throughout the story.
Tension in the hood, romance and resolution makes this an uplifting story of community, friendship, and relationships.

A Berkley Publishing Group ARC via NetGalley

[teachlz · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Roselle Lim, Author of “Natalie Tan’s Book of Luck & Fortune” has written an enchanting, intriguing, captivating, savory and delicious story. The Genres for this novel are Fiction, Women’s Fiction, with a dash of Magical Realism and Romance. There also is a huge cultural component to this story. The author describes her colorful cast of characters as quirky, temperamental, complex and complicated. Most of the story is told in San Franciso’s Chinatown.

Natalie Tan has been estranged from her mother for seven years and sees and hears a bird and knows that her mother has died. At the same time, a phone call from her mother’s neighbor confirms this. With a heavy heart, Natalie heads home. She realizes that the neighborhood has changed. Most of the businesses are attached to the homes. Natalie has to be respectful and observes the cultural ways.

Natalie discovers that her mother and grandmother also had a major falling out. Her Grandmother was one of the best Chinese cooks around, and the restaurant is part of Natalie’s house. Natalie also loves to cook and appreciates music. One of the neighbors has a cookbook that belonged to her grandmother, and suggest that Natalie should cook and can make the neighbors and neighborhood better.

Roselle Lim has tastefully included many recipes for the reader that sound amazing. If Natalie would bring the restaurant back, would that help the neighborhood? I appreciate that the author discusses acknowledging mental illness and the importance of family, friends, neighbors, communication, love, and hope. I would highly recommend this delightful story.

[cherylk_44 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book surprised me in a good way. I love when a good can swept me away within the pages of the story. This is what Roselle Lim did in Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune! A five star recommended read.

Everyone was a gem in this book. Natalie shined and got brighter with the help of everyone in the neighborhood. It was as if everyone was family. I wanted to hang out with them more. Thus the sadness I felt when I finished this book.

There are plenty of recipes featured throughout this book. I will have many to try out from dumplings to soup, crab, and chicken wings. What I enjoyed the most about the recipes was the meaning they brought: happiness, hope, romance, etc.