English student Lissie Cheng works at her uncle and aunt’s restaurant, the Four Treasures. She owes them a lot as they stepped in when her parents died and are still bringing up her younger sister, JoJo, a keen competitive swimmer.
Normally her aunt will sit all the good-looking patrons in her older sister Jenny’s section but with Jenny working a banquet function, Lissie is left to serve a party of four – the charming Charles Bing, his stand-offish sister Hazel, his insufferable friend Preston Lin and his snobbish mother, Mrs Lin. All hell breaks loose when Lissie serves a dish that Hazel has an allergic reaction to.
And so this Chinese-American take on Pride and Prejudice gets underway. Willing to give most P&P retellings a go, I am usually left disappointed. BUT NOT THIS TIME! I really enjoyed how the author weaved in the Austen elements, without the storyline being too predictable. I eagerly awaited her take on Wickham, Mr Collins, and the Lydia situation – and it all worked a treat.
