The Downstairs Girl

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 bel...read more

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!