The Downstairs Girl: Reese's YA Book Club

An interesting historical fiction book about a American-Chinese girl named Jo living in Atlanta GA. A little slow at first but enjoyed the POV, southern setting and a twist at the end

This audiobook about a Chinese American living in Atlanta during the Reconstruction was disconcerting to me at first, simply because the narrator had a southern accent, with no hint of a Chinese timbre. Later in the book, one of the characters suggests it odd to hear a southern accent out of a Chinese woman's mouth, so I guess it was intentional. Once I got over that, the story drew me in. Jo was a lively and endearing character, squatting below a printer's shop with her 'Old Jin' for her entire life. She faced terrible prejudice for her Chinese heritage and worked in any way she could to help buy food and necessities. Her love for words was delightful - imagine having a wall full of words you want to remember! This was fun to listen to!

The last 10 chapters were my favorite. I felt like the beginning was slow. I wasn’t sure what to expect with the story, but I felt like there were things I wanted to speed up. I know it was building up the history of time in Atlanta, but I felt like the way the ending was the whole book could have been. I did enjoy the story and I loved Jo as a person. She was sweet and had dreams. I only wish I knew more about who the character was based on!