Vanessa Yu's Magical Paris Tea Shop

June 29, 2020
Lim follows Natalie Tan’s Book of Luck and Fortune with another picturesque fabulist rom-com, though readers may be frustrated that the romantic story line overpowers the magic. Vanessa Yu—accountant, aspiring artist, and reluctant clairvoyant—is a much-loved member of a sprawling Chinese American family. She is also the oldest cousin of her generation who’s yet to be married. Unlike her elegant Aunt Evelyn, the other clairvoyant in the family, Vanessa sees her ability to predict the future as a curse; particularly objectionable is the supernatural rule barring clairvoyants from finding true love. After a lifetime of rejecting her gift, a series of tragic predictions sends Vanessa to Paris with Evelyn for lessons in controlling her ability. Lim flexes her descriptive powers in her evocative (if perhaps excessively detailed) portrait of Paris and its many artistic and culinary attractions. The eccentric and lovably meddlesome Yu family are a constant delight, but Vanessa’s single-minded focus on her love life overpowers the other story threads—especially after she meets handsome artist Marc Santos. Still, the characters sparkle, the magic successfully enchants, and Lim skewers the anti-Asian racism the Yus face in France with pointed and timely commentary. This feast for the senses will especially appeal to hopeless romantics. Agent: Jenny Bent, the Bent Agency

In this heartwarming audiobook, narrator Nancy Wu transports listeners to the romantic city of Paris. In a quiet voice and slightly uncertain tone, Wu depicts Vanessa, an accountant burdened by her inherited talent for clairvoyance. Her sophisticated Aunt Evelyn, superbly presented in a silky timbre and measured pace, invites Vanessa to stay with her in Paris, where she will instruct her on how to control her fortune-telling ability. Listeners will believe they are in Paris as Wu vividly describes the city's fashion, art, and many delectable-sounding pastries. Romance is in the air as Vanessa becomes smitten with dreamy pastry chef Marc and Aunt Evelyn rekindles a romance with restaurateur Girard. Wu also conveys sparkling portrayals of Vanessa's other aunties, all opinionated, and her beloved uncle. M.J. � AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine