Rosh's Reviews > Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers
Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers
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In a Nutshell: Great as a dramedy; decent as a mystery. Straddles well the thin line between being comical and being stereotypical. Entertaining but predictable.
Story Synopsis:
Here’s what you need to know about the goods and the not-so-goods of this work:
👉 The title and blurb support the idea that the book will be a murder mystery. It is so, but not primarily. The main genre is more like contemporary drama or women’s fiction, with a strong found-family trope. Going into this expecting a mystery novel, even a cosy mystery, would be disappointing. (It doesn’t help that the ‘mystery’ is fairly guessable at the halfway mark.)
👉 Vera Wong is a force unto herself. Basically, she carries the whole story on her shoulders. She is opinionated and loving, funny and interfering. She considers herself perfect and knowledgeable; whether she is or not is another matter. As such, there are many times when she will get on your nerves. Your enjoyment of the book will depend on how you can accept this bulldozer of a woman who shoves away anything that stands in her path, either with fondness or with force, or sometimes, even with food. I am still trying to decide how I felt about her – she was equal parts adorable and aggravating.
👉 As a Chinese immigrant to the US, Vera’s character includes quite a lot of ’Asian Mom’ tropes. These can be seen as either funny or clichéd, depending on your approach to the representation. (I remember this same issue with Counterfeit by Kirsten Chen; what I took as satirical was taken by some other readers as insulting.) However, this book doesn’t laugh at Vera, but laughs with her. I think the rep was spot on. (I am an Asian mom, so I can say this with some authentic authority. 😉)
👉 The rest of the characters are diverse as well. We have an Indian and an Indonesian too. The Indian rep was spot on. A welcome change. (I think the Indonesian one would also be authentic as the author is an Indonesian.)
👉 There are many humorous scenes in the book when Vera is around. I especially loved Vera’s comments about the Chinese-French patisserie. On entertainment value, the book rates quite high.
👉 All the “suspects” get enough shared space under the spotlight. At the same time, their arcs are mostly predictable, and their personalities are typical goody-goody pushover kinds. A layered portrayal would have added to the mystery factor. (Coming to think of it, there was just one negative character in the whole book, and even that portrayal was one-noted.)
👉 There is a child character who was quite sweet. I felt quite sorry for her as none of the adults in her life, except Vera, seemed to know how to handle her. That said, the child’s behaviour and her speech didn’t seem age-appropriate. I think she was written as a two-year-old just to avoid plot elements about school [thus making it easy to always have her around when needed], but she never sounded like children aged two usually do.
The audiobook experience:
The audiobook, clocking at 10 hrs 41 min, is narrated by Eunice Wong. She was outstanding! Right from the emotions to the character voices to the overall vibes, she narrated the audiobook to perfection. I’d definitely recommend the audio version as a great way of experiencing this book. Even with multiple characters, the writing doesn’t make the plot confusing, so it could be a great option for audio newbies too.
Basically, this is a book you read for sheer, straightforward entertainment. The storyline is mostly guessable, so it is the characters, especially Vera, that will make or break your experience. I wish the book could have included some surprises as well, but that wasn’t to be. Still, it's a fun novel, not to be taken seriously.
3.75 stars.
My thanks to HarperCollins UK Audio and NetGalley for the ALC of “Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the audiobook.
———————————————
Connect with me through:
My Blog | The StoryGraph | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter
Story Synopsis:
Vera Wong is a sixty-year-old teashop owner in San Francisco, and like every Asian mom, she is an expert not just in tea brewing. She loves her son Tilly though he doesn’t have time for her, and she stays updated about everything from “the Google.”
When she wakes up one morning to find a dead man in the middle of her teashop, Vera knows that she can do a much better job than the police at catching the killer. Within a couple of days, Vera has her list of suspects ready. Now to nab the culprit!
The story comes to us in the third person perspective of Vera and her various “suspects”.
Here’s what you need to know about the goods and the not-so-goods of this work:
👉 The title and blurb support the idea that the book will be a murder mystery. It is so, but not primarily. The main genre is more like contemporary drama or women’s fiction, with a strong found-family trope. Going into this expecting a mystery novel, even a cosy mystery, would be disappointing. (It doesn’t help that the ‘mystery’ is fairly guessable at the halfway mark.)
👉 Vera Wong is a force unto herself. Basically, she carries the whole story on her shoulders. She is opinionated and loving, funny and interfering. She considers herself perfect and knowledgeable; whether she is or not is another matter. As such, there are many times when she will get on your nerves. Your enjoyment of the book will depend on how you can accept this bulldozer of a woman who shoves away anything that stands in her path, either with fondness or with force, or sometimes, even with food. I am still trying to decide how I felt about her – she was equal parts adorable and aggravating.
👉 As a Chinese immigrant to the US, Vera’s character includes quite a lot of ’Asian Mom’ tropes. These can be seen as either funny or clichéd, depending on your approach to the representation. (I remember this same issue with Counterfeit by Kirsten Chen; what I took as satirical was taken by some other readers as insulting.) However, this book doesn’t laugh at Vera, but laughs with her. I think the rep was spot on. (I am an Asian mom, so I can say this with some authentic authority. 😉)
👉 The rest of the characters are diverse as well. We have an Indian and an Indonesian too. The Indian rep was spot on. A welcome change. (I think the Indonesian one would also be authentic as the author is an Indonesian.)
👉 There are many humorous scenes in the book when Vera is around. I especially loved Vera’s comments about the Chinese-French patisserie. On entertainment value, the book rates quite high.
👉 All the “suspects” get enough shared space under the spotlight. At the same time, their arcs are mostly predictable, and their personalities are typical goody-goody pushover kinds. A layered portrayal would have added to the mystery factor. (Coming to think of it, there was just one negative character in the whole book, and even that portrayal was one-noted.)
👉 There is a child character who was quite sweet. I felt quite sorry for her as none of the adults in her life, except Vera, seemed to know how to handle her. That said, the child’s behaviour and her speech didn’t seem age-appropriate. I think she was written as a two-year-old just to avoid plot elements about school [thus making it easy to always have her around when needed], but she never sounded like children aged two usually do.
The audiobook experience:
The audiobook, clocking at 10 hrs 41 min, is narrated by Eunice Wong. She was outstanding! Right from the emotions to the character voices to the overall vibes, she narrated the audiobook to perfection. I’d definitely recommend the audio version as a great way of experiencing this book. Even with multiple characters, the writing doesn’t make the plot confusing, so it could be a great option for audio newbies too.
Basically, this is a book you read for sheer, straightforward entertainment. The storyline is mostly guessable, so it is the characters, especially Vera, that will make or break your experience. I wish the book could have included some surprises as well, but that wasn’t to be. Still, it's a fun novel, not to be taken seriously.
3.75 stars.
My thanks to HarperCollins UK Audio and NetGalley for the ALC of “Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the audiobook.
———————————————
Connect with me through:
My Blog | The StoryGraph | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter
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Reading Progress
March 20, 2023
– Shelved
March 20, 2023
– Shelved as:
arcs-not-started
April 18, 2023
–
Started Reading
April 26, 2023
– Shelved as:
3-75-stars
April 26, 2023
– Shelved as:
audiobook
April 26, 2023
– Shelved as:
netgalley
April 26, 2023
– Shelved as:
ng-2023
April 26, 2023
–
Finished Reading
Comments Showing 1-50 of 59 (59 new)
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Suja
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Apr 19, 2023 08:14AM
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![Rosh](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1700254211p1/91622714.jpg)
Quite decent so far, Suj. I am still deciding if it is comical or stereotypical. :D
![Suja](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1707319584p1/24330516.jpg)
![Jenny](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1670284997p1/116959721.jpg)
![A Mac](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1625941067p1/97390147.jpg)
![Srivalli Rekha](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1702292115p1/76236561.jpg)
![preoccupiedbybooks](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1711881123p1/36310974.jpg)
![Thibault Busschots](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1578226172p1/76463472.jpg)
![Feli_H](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1641769454p1/145096640.jpg)
![Federico DN](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1709366504p1/29005117.jpg)
![Liz](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1316269997p1/4125660.jpg)
![Rosh](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1700254211p1/91622714.jpg)
Thanks, Suj! Dial A is in my nevers list. TBH, I took this only because of the title. :D But it's a good entertainer. I hope you love it too. 💚
![Rosh](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1700254211p1/91622714.jpg)
Thanks, Karly! It was good fun. 💚
![Rosh](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1700254211p1/91622714.jpg)
I hope you enjoy it too, SLR!! Thanks!
![Rosh](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1700254211p1/91622714.jpg)
Thanks, Jenny! Right about the child characters - very few books get the age rep right.
![Rosh](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1700254211p1/91622714.jpg)
Thanks, A! True - it was mostly good. If some parts hadn't felt too forced in, I might have rated it higher. :)
![Rosh](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1700254211p1/91622714.jpg)
Thanks, Catherine! 💚 Aye - a rare hit combo. :D
![Rosh](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1700254211p1/91622714.jpg)
Thanks, Jayme! Will look forward to your thoughts! 💚
![Rosh](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1700254211p1/91622714.jpg)
Haha, don't you want to get it from the horse's mouth by reading the book? :P
![Rosh](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1700254211p1/91622714.jpg)
Thanks, Heidi! It was predictable for me, but I hope at least a few readers find surprises herein. :D
![Rosh](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1700254211p1/91622714.jpg)
Exactly, Sri. She makes or breaks the book.
No re... Couldn't segregate my points into pros and cons - most were mixed and I was sleepy. :D
![Rosh](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1700254211p1/91622714.jpg)
Thanks, Fran! Same here. I love it when authors get children's ages and behaviour right.
![Rosh](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1700254211p1/91622714.jpg)
It is supposed to be a cosy mystery, Thibault. I don't know how it lost its way into women's fiction. Reading it with the right genre expectations can change one's experience. But I guess mysteries sell more than women's fiction! :)
![Rosh](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1700254211p1/91622714.jpg)
Thanks, Feli! Business, after all. Mysteries are more popular. It does have a mystery component, but it is more like a side dish than the main ingredients. :D
![Rosh](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1700254211p1/91622714.jpg)
Thanks, Jasmine! Why do you think I grabbed it? :P
![Rosh](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1700254211p1/91622714.jpg)
Completely agree, Feddie. Even if things get predictable, what matters is how the predictability is handled. :)
![Rosh](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1700254211p1/91622714.jpg)
Thanks, Koisty! Completely agree with your words.💚
![Rosh](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1700254211p1/91622714.jpg)
Thanks, Liz. I agree - though she did have her clichéd moments, it wasn't the stereotypical portrayal I usually see.
![Srivalli Rekha](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1702292115p1/76236561.jpg)
I know this feeling! :)
![Rosh](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1700254211p1/91622714.jpg)
Ditto, Sujoya! The mystery was quite so-so. :)
![Rosh](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1700254211p1/91622714.jpg)
Thanks, Gali! I hope you enjoy it too. :)
![Kat](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1720224311p1/105191338.jpg)
![Rosh](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1700254211p1/91622714.jpg)
Thanks, Kat! 💕 I hope you enjoy it too.
![Rosh](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1700254211p1/91622714.jpg)
Thanks Melissa! I don't think this is a series yet, though I don't mind it turning into one. :)
![MarilynW](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1522535580p1/49815208.jpg)