A RIVER OF STARS

Jennifer Lim's upbeat narration offers a fascinating look at the immigrant experience. In China, Scarlett Chen is the pregnant mistress of Boss Yeung, who is married. Boss has three daughters, and Scarlett is carrying a son, so he sends her to the U.S., to an establishment for pregnant Chinese women who want their children to be born American citizens. Lim's voice runs the gamut from shrill and high-pitched to low and tender while portraying the variety of personalities and classes among the women. Scarlett learns that Boss wants her to give up the baby, so she and her friend Daisy escape and take to the mean streets of San Francisco, with Boss hot on their heels. Lim's engaging narration almost makes up for Hua's contrived ending. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2018]