Overall, what did you think of The Girls of Good Fortune? (no spoilers, please!)

[Janie-Hickok-Siess]

I’ve been a loyal Kristina McMorrris fan from the outset and enjoyed The Girls of Good Fortune for a variety of reasons.

FIrst, it was educational. Although I certainly knew about the contributions many Chinese immigrants made to the development of U.S. transportation (being a Californian, I learned as a child about their work on the railroads and there are excellent exhibits at the California State Railroad Museum in Old Sacramento). I also knew about the bigotry and prejudice they endured. But I did not know about the massacres or laws passed prohibiting marriage. I also was unaware of the tunnels beneath Portland and the origin of the term “shanghaied.”

Additionally, the story was entertaining and the characters endearing. It was fast-paced and evolved into an unexpected adventure. I also appreciated the intergenerational aspects and found the author’s compassionate way of relating the tale emotionally resonant given her personal connection to the characters and their experiences.

[Pamela_K]

I enjoyed The Girls of Good Fortune at the beginning and appreciated learning about how the Chinese were persecuted and treated in the late 1800’s. Though massacres of Chinese people is not happening in the 21st century there still are racist sentiments alive and well today. I actually think attitudes toward Asians in general reflect a degree of jealousy as many Asians including the Chinese are so accomplished. That said, I too found the escapades in the last third of the book tedious and frankly unbelievable. As noted in earlier comments I think a reduction in Celia’s adventures and close calls would have made the book much more powerful.