"White Ivy" by Susie Yang: An Intriguing Novel Exploring Identity and Family Dynamics

Debra J. Clark: I liked the book and it kept my interest but the main character was so very flawed. She had few redeeming qualities, if any.

United States on Oct 11, 2023

Rachel Bridgeman: This is one of those rare jewels of a novel, immaculately constructed and with a narrative voice whose authenticity is starkly juxtaposed with the choices that everyone else wants for her.

Left behind in China with her grandmother whilst her parents went to the promised land, America, Ivy straddles two very different continents and grows up learning to juggle her sense of fulfilment from both. She has the American Dream thrown at her from every corner and longs for nothing more than acceptance by her peers who remain distrustful and wary of her-she is unaware that they have her held up to them as a model of how to obey their parents which doesn't help Ivy at all.

So she learns to take, to steal, almost as if she is stealing the personality and future that she wishes for herself versus her parents' expectations of greatness for her. There is a disconnect between punishment and praise, they punish her for not being the child that they raised because her formative years were moulded by her grandmother in China. Conversely, Ivy has no idea of just what her parents are going through to make ends meet and achieve what they think is the dream-successful children, house...

United Kingdom on Aug 19, 2021

LimaKilo: Have to agree with Clare in Kent. The storyline is straight out of Mills & Boon. Totally presposterous. 3 stars because I managed to stay interested enough to finish it. Well written tosh.

United Kingdom on Jun 15, 2021

dianne c milbrath: Character development well done with a very depressing story. Highlights the difficulties with integrating different cultures.

Canada on Feb 26, 2021

J. v. Kirchbach: Susie Yang’s debut novel WHITE IVY is a layered character study that left me with a lot to think about. Good thing it was a bookclub pick since “A young woman’s dark obsession with her privileged classmate” isn’t a premise that’ll typically catch my eye.
But it was wonderful vor bookclub, the discussion centered around Ivy Lin‘s quest to assimilate and attain the unattainable an acceptance by the New England WASP‘s she had idealized since her childhood.

The early chapters about Ivy’s childhood shed light on the factors that shape her, including a three-year separation from her parents, her grandmother’s influence, and a summer trip to China. In her middle school years at a private school, Ivy is exposed to wealth and privilege—a stark contrast to her poor immigrant family’s means—and meets a classmate, Gideon, whom she idealizes and sees as the epitome of success in life.But thankfully, it’s never really about Gideon.
 
White Ivy explores appearances—the assumptions others make based on Ivy’s outward appearance, stereotypes about Asian women, the Chinese concept of “saving face“ and „toughening up“, the way Ivy values...

United States on Feb 24, 2021

Amazon Customer: I am still reading White Ivy! It’s a pretty good easy read!!

Canada on Dec 08, 2020

F Todd: Once I started White Ivy it was very hard to put down- always the sign of a good book! The author does a great job at constructing interesting and three dimensional characters- flawed in recognisable and very human ways. The protagonist is very much an anti-hero, not something I always enjoy but in this case done to perfection. It also cleverly captures many aspects of US society - especially the experiences of immigration, belonging and perceptions of wealth and happiness. Very impressive first novel!

United Kingdom on Nov 18, 2020

Mr. August: This is one of those novels when you know that the ending is not going to be a HEA – happily ever after. There is too much angst and foreign complications. Ivy Lin, our main character, is born in China and initially raised by her grandmother, Meifeng, who, although loving, taught her to steal. Her parents, Nan and Shen, have gone to America to create a better life and finally save enough money to bring Ivy to Massachusetts. Ivy, now reunited with her parents, who she hardly knows, has a brother, Austin. No one really tells Ivy what’s really happening. Her grandmother, on a few occasions, tells Ivy about her Nan’s sad life to defend her daughter after a mean argument.

Nan is not likeable. She is an overbearing, strict Asian mother who constantly erodes her daughter’s confidence and threatens she will end up alone and starving unless she works and behaves the way she orders. Beset with financial problems, there is a stream of fighting for some financial security. Ivy does not agree with her parents’ view of almost everything. However, Ivy has a few things going for her; she is pretty with beautiful eyes and is smart.

Ivy reconnects with a grade school crush,...

United States on Nov 08, 2020

Gary Moreau, Author: While every reviewer has an obligation to be as objective as possible, it is sometimes difficult to know if a criticism is valid or if the author is simply not the target audience for this particular book. Which is precisely why I do not review many of the books I read. I feel a sincere obligation to the author and the potential reader to only offer reviews of books I was intended to read.

This book is classified on Amazon under the Asian American Literature genre. It is a genre I truly enjoy and often read, being an American who has lived in China for 11 years and is married to a Chinese woman who comes from very modest beginnings not dissimilar to those of Ivy Lin.

The introduction on Amazon says that the story of Ivy Lin offers “stark insights into the immigrant experience…” And the book’s reading group guide describes it as “A coming of age story, a love triangle, an exploration of class and race and identity.” My kind of book, I thought.

In the end, however, I believe this is an immigrant’s story in only the most technical sense. It is, rather, the story of a woman born in China with a very Western worldview (How it was acquired is not...

United States on Nov 07, 2020