I can’t believe this is a debut novel, it so impressive. It’s on the long list for the Womens prize and my favourite so far. It’s the story of Lu Fang , Sloane and her fifteen year old daughter Alva . We follow Lu fang who is Chinese and Sloane who is American living in Shanghai over a period of time ,it’s a love story that develops over time. It’s a story about race and identity and what it’s like to be different in a foreign country. Alva wants to go to an American school in Shanghai where the rich expats go . She finds it’s not as glamorous as she expected and struggles to be excepted. I loved the descriptions of the food and Chinese customs and how difficult it was to live as a woman in China. It is a coming of age story and covers some serious topics like sexual assault , misogyny and loss. It’s a novel that I read slowly and totally immersed myself in the characters and culture.

RIVER EAST RIVER WEST by Aube Rey Lescure meanders between two different time periods and cities in China. Set in Qingdao in 1985 and Shanghai in 2007, the setting comes through vividly.

The two storylines really seem to run towards each other like two — beware of the cliché! — rivers flowing towards each other, each with its own currents and tributaries. Over the two parts of the story, the novel manages to create an understanding for its characters and where they come from.

The author managed to include real depth beneath the surface of the story, from themes of identity and belonging to the complexities of human relationships. The characters aren't all what you expect them to be, neither are they always fully explained. All achieved in a very understated writing style, sometimes even dry or seemingly unconcerned. This worked very well for me.

The novel has now been longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction.

A story told from two perspectives, Alva a young girl living in Shanghai with her American mother Sloan and Lu Fang, a Chinese man. The influence of the cultural revolution is part of the story and how it affected Lu Fang. The three main characters are not likeable for different reasons, but an enjoyable story.

This started out really well, but fell a bit flat for me in the end. It didn't stay with me as I thought when starting this.

tI horoughly enjoyed reading this book. It gave me new insights into China through the experiences of the three main characters. The authors choice of main characters worked so well. Sloan,a white American trying to make a living teaching English.. her daughter Alva as a teenager whose Chinese father is an unknown individual and Lu Fang a man we meet as a boy and experience so many changes in China through his eyes.It is beautifully written and thoroughly engaging. I was so sorry to finish it.

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Part coming of age story, part social commentary , part family drama- all the ingredients for my favourite type of novel. I really enjoyed this book told from two perspectives and two timelines.

China fascinates me, its culture and and rapid development in recent decades in particular so I loved the timelines in this one ( set in the 80s and the late noughties) and I liked the originality of this being an west to east immigrant story.

The book tells the story of 14 year old Alva, her American mother Sloane and her mothers partner Lu Fang. Each character is developed really well , it took a while to warm up to them but I was wholly invested in them as the book went on. Well there is lot of bleakness within, Lescure has a beautiful writing style which made the darker themes easier to read.

This is one I would recommend sticking with , the writing kept me engaged until the story began to grip me about a third of the way in. I would say this would also be a super audiobook.

A fresh original read from this debut novelist. I'm looking forward to her next book.


4 stars.

Beig fascinated by Chinese culture I was really looking forward to this book. It did engage me and was well written although all the principle characters were not very likeable. Some things about Chinese history I had to google which in some ways was a bit distracting
Overall a good read

Mixed-race Alva and her American mother Sloane live in Shanghai, where Alva attends a local school and dreams of the kind of life she could access via her US passport, although she has never left China. When Sloane hooks up with their landlord, Lu Fang, Alva assumes he's just the next in a series of Chinese men her mother's dated for their money. But it turns out that Sloane and Lu Fang have a shared past that reaches back more than twenty years, when Lu Fang was working in a shipping yard in Qingdao, miserable after missing out on his chance of finishing university due to being caught up in Mao's 'Down to the Countryside' movement in 1966 and sent for rural re-education. River East, River West, Aube Rey Lescure's debut, flashes between Alva's life in 2007-8 and Lu Fang's timeline, which runs from 1985-2005. It's extremely competent; it's readable, the writing flows well, the plot beats land correctly. Lescure has some important things to say about the prejudice of American expats towards the locals and the difficulties that Alva faces, labelled as a laowei by her Chinese classmates and yet dismissed by foreign visitors. But for me, this just lacked soul.

I want to say that one of the main problems with this novel is that Lu Fang, Sloane and Alva are all so unlikeable, and they absolutely are (Lescure almost seems to have designed the narrative so the minute I started feeling sympathy for one of them, they'd do something else horrible, although Lu Fang and Alva do have redemption in their sights by the end of the book). All three of them are obsessed with money and status, and are both used, and use others, in pursuit of it. However, I've never felt that 'I didn't like the characters' is a good criticism of a novel - not all characters are meant to be liked - so let's dig deeper. I guess the bigger issue I had with this cast is that, while I could understand intellectually why they are all so damaged, I never felt it emotionally. Of course Alva's going to be acting out, given the way her mother brought her up; of course Lu Fang has the right to feel bitter about how his prospects were wrecked; even Sloane's early struggles as a single mother are, theoretically, sympathetic. But I never connected to any of them, and so I never found any of them interesting; this lack of investment felt like a death knell for a character-led novel like this one, which ultimately, isn't saying anything very original and whose plot beats are incredibly predictable (and a bit tragedy porn).

This reminded me of the modern-day sections of Susan Barker's The Incarnations, which are also set in 2007-8, though in Beijing rather than Shanghai; it's also about a group of miserable people who wreak misery on each other and the innocents who happen to cross their paths. When I finished this, I found that the only characters I'd really cared about were tertiary: Alva's rooftopping friend Gao Xiaofan and Lu Fang's sad son Minmin. So no, I don't need to like fictional people for their stories to work for me, but there has to be something more to them than this.

🇨🇳 REVIEW 🇨🇳

River East River West by Aube Rey Lescure
Publishing Date: 25th January

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

📝 - Alva is teenage Chinese-American girl growing up in Shanghai in the 2000s with her American mother. She doesn’t fit in at her Chinese public school, and all she wants is to go to the Shanghai American school, and eventually, go to college in America.
Lu Fang was supposed to be the first in his family to go to university in the 1980s, but after one year was forced to labour in the countryside. Still, he built his dream from the ground up alongside his wife and son.
When Lu Fang and Alva’s lives tangle together, they start to learn a lot about themselves and what it means to be a family.

💭 - At first, I wasn’t too sure about this one, and it took me a fair while to get into it fully, but by the end I did enjoy the path the story had taken, and the themes emerging throughout. Each character was flawed in their own way, and though some of the conflicts felt a bit overdone for me, overall I found the development of each relationship to be done well, especially between the two central characters. I also learned a bit from this book, having had very little knowledge of Chinese culture and history beforehand. I will say, there are some quite dark moments in this book, some of which you can see coming and can skip past if needed, but just as a warning to anyone who is planning to pick this up in the future.

Themes: identity, family, flawed decisions, teenage naivety

This is the story of Sloan, an American woman living in Shanghai, China, and Lu Fang, a Chinese man who becomes her husband. The story is told by Alva, Sloan's Chinese/American daughter, and Lu Fang.
Once Sloan gets married to Lu Fang, Alva wants to mix more with the American ex-pats in Shanghai which causes a rift in the family. I felt so sorry for Lu Fang, his life was changed by the Chinese cultural revolution, then he was a dutiful son and husband. He tried so hard to please everyone else at the expense of his own happiness. Very moving.

This is coming of age story of Alva, a girl of American and Chinese decent set in China. Neither her mother, Sloan or Alva are particularly likable. Her stepfather, Lu Fang is more interesting as we learn more about his past under communism. Unfortunately this book wasn't for me as there was no depth to the characters or plot. The constraints of communist China were mentioned at but never really explored. Having said that, I'm sure many readers will enjoy it.

I really loved this book! Thank you to NetGalley and Duckworth Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This story was heartfelt and contained so much but most importantly it revealed many things about Chinese society that I would never have learned otherwise. It also contained so much more about life straddling cultures, whether as an immigrant or person of mixed race.
The balance of views of cultural and familial roles was near perfect. I’m eager to see what this author writes next and highly recommend this debut.

Thank you NetGalley and Duckworth Books for this eCopy to review

River East, River West is a dual timeline and narrator novel which I found very well done as you learn the history of Lu Fang and Sloan even though Sloan's daughter Alva is unaware of any past linking her American mother to her new Chinese step-father.

Unable to stand the propaganda taught at her Chinese school and the bullying for being not properly Chinese Alva conspires to get Lu Fang to pay for her to go to the American International School. What follows is a fascinating insight into how Alva finds her own identity within 2 competing cultures.

This is a great family drama with well developed characters, the plot moves along nicely and the settings are well depicted

This story is told largely from the POV of teenaged Alva, who dislikes going to her propaganda-influenced school and longs to study at the American School instead. Alongside this, she is also struggling with her mother's relationship with wealthy Lu Fang, who a couple of decades ago was a mere shipping clerk.

Alva is a biracial child, part Chinese and part Caucasian, with an American mother, Sloan. While she aspires to be western, her closest affinities are with her Chinese friends and surroundings. As a result, she struggles with identity issues.

The reader is also given insights into the lives of Lu Fang and Alva's mother Sloan, and their journey to the point at which they now stand.

This is an interesting book and an easy read that allows a glimpse into Chinese life and society through the lives of these three protagonists, and reaffirms the universal struggles of dreams, aspirations and identity.

The protagonist, a mixed Chinese-American teenage girl, unfolds her captivating narrative within the vibrant backdrop of China. Her intricate journey resonates with the complexities of identity, navigating the challenges of straddling two cultures. While the girl harbours a desire to embrace Western influences, she finds herself more connected to her Chinese friends and neighbourhood, unveiling the universal struggle of self-discovery.

The story also unveils the life of Lu Fang, who becomes an integral figure by marrying the girl's mother. Through his tale, the narrative delves into his early life and eventual business success, adding depth and context to the overarching storyline. The brisk pace of the narrative makes it an engaging and enjoyable read, offering insights into the intricacies of Chinese society and providing readers with a valuable opportunity to learn more about the cultural nuances and dynamics at play.

The E-Book could be improved and more user-friendly, such as links to the chapters, no significant gaps between words and a cover for the book would be better. It is very document-like instead of a book. A star has been deducted because of this.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book even though are parts that are really quite hard to digest.

The story of Sloan, her daughter Alva and Lu Fang is set in Shanghai and moves easily between time frames and points of view. The cast of characters is quite small so easy to keep up with who's who and the timeline.

The story is ostensibly set at the point of Alva being 15 in 2008. She is rebelling against the party school she attends with its strict regime and lack of freedom. She longs to go to the American School, she wants her mother as partner back again and she wants her mother's husband, Lu Fang gone.

As the story develops we get Sloan and Lu Fang's backstory as well as following Alva as she negotiates her teen years, making new friends, whilst dealing with alcohol, sex and loss.

This story draws you in gently but there are shocks in store along the way. The writing was beautiful and I felt utterly invested in each of the characters with all their flaws. There are some heartbreakingly beautiful moments that had me in tears but equally parts that were shockingly stark. Aube Rey Lescure deals with emotions very skilfully. Very impressive work. A pleasure to immerse myself in this world.

I think this is a debut novel. I'd certainly keep an eye out for more work by this author. Highly recommended.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Duckworth Books for the advance review copy.

River East, River West by Aube Rey Lescure is a devastating story of human beings who are essentially pawns of the bigger machinery that runs the system—local and global econopolitics. But reading it, we realise that they still have the power to adapt if they are ready to stand together as a unit, accepting each other.

A mixed Chinese American teenage girl living in China. Very interesting and I could definitely relate to this very mixed up girl. Wanting to be more western but actually relating more to her Chinese friends and neighbourhood. We also hear about Lu Fang who marries Alva’s mother about his early life and then his business success. It’s a pacy read and very enjoyable and I learned a lot about Chinese society

A dual narration, set in China in the 80s and end of the Noughties. A teenage girl and a shipping clerk, connected by a blond woman. Family drama and sharp observation of belonging and the American dream. Well worth a read!