The Satisfaction Cafe

Reviews / Votes

Captivating from the first sentence ... a beautiful character study spanning an entire life while navigating the joys, sorrow and surprises that life can throw our way * Woman and Home * With hints of Anne Tyler, Wang shows how the extraordinary can find its way into every life * Vogue * The Satisfaction Cafe is both deep and wide, tracing the arc of a single life and then showing how that life ripples out across family, friends and time. At every turn Joan proves to be more insightful and more necessary than people believed her to be, the result of which is this insightful, necessary and beautiful novel. -- Ann Patchett Kathy Wang is a born storyteller, vivid and precise, deliciously cool-eyed, immensely readable -- Jonathan Franzen An intimate portrait of a life unlike any I have read before. I loved this novel and its heroine so much. Kathy Wang writes with humour, wisdom and compassion. A must-read -- J. Courtney Sullivan, author of The Cliffs Kathy Wang's outstanding novel is one of the best I've read in quite some time. Joan is tough, opinionated, vulnerable, and wise, and it is a privilege to witness the arc of her life. I would have stayed with her for another three hundred pages -- Mary Beth Keane, author of Ask Again, Yes Reading Kathy Wang is like talking to your best friend. The Satisfaction Cafe evokes the narrative power of classic Anne Tyler, infused with Wang's signature humor, warmth and wisdom. I want to share this novel with everyone -- Janice Y. K. Lee, author of The Piano Teacher Kathy Wang has written the majestic story of an ordinary life, with all its small joys and everyday struggles and tiny, vast tragedies. Warm but unsparing, clear-eyed, moving, and frequently incredibly funny -- Marina Kemp, author of The Unwilding Subtle, surprising, and elegantly constructed, The Satisfaction Cafe is an insightful and funny exploration of how seldom our choices feel like choices; how rare and elusive the idea of home can feel * Lynn Steger Strong, author of Flight * A beautiful, intimate novel that takes the reader, again and again, to unexpected places. Wang's characters are so real and flawed and human you expect them to spring from the page. What a breath of fresh air - a novel with nothing to prove and so much to give. I didn't want it to end -- Lydia Kiesling, author of Mobility The Satisfaction Cafe is big-hearted without being sentimental, profound without pretence, and witty without sacrificing sincerity - qualities that reflect its unforgettable protagonist, Joan. This is the kind of story that makes you want to write a thank you note to the author, call up an old friend, and gaze at strangers with greater compassion and curiosity. Kathy Wang bestows us with virtuoso prose, gentle wisdom, and a main character who stands among the best I've ever read. I fell in love with and savoured this beautiful novel -- Emily Habeck, author of Shark Heart Kathy Wang creates remarkably nuanced and affecting characters with such ease and economy. I found myself utterly captivated by The Satisfaction Cafe, immediately pulled into the beautifully told sweep of a whole life. A marvelous book -- Phil Klay, author of Redeployment Kathy Wang's quietly pitched but engaging character study [has] a cool, crystalline, lightly witty detachment ... One for fans of Ann Patchett and Anne Tyler * The Times * Beautifully observed ... Wang vividly portrays both immense tragedy and quiet success in the trajectory of a single life with compassion, humour and wisdom -- Hannah Beckerman * Observer * An antidote to our global dissatisfaction ... Ironic but rarely biting, Wang's narration moves nimbly just above Joan's perplexed perspective while catching the notes of absurdity and hypocrisy around her. That's perfect because Joan is always within and without - participating in the culture of wealthy White people but also subjected to it, living in luxury but caught in an undercurrent of condescending comments, glances, and expectations -- Ron Charles * Washington Post * Kathy Wang's sumptuous new novel The Satisfaction Cafe beguiled me so fiercely I wanted, once finished, to un-remember it so I could relish it again for the first time. In no way the Hallmark-card rom-com its title may suggest, this deft, sharp, funny, poignant chronicle delights and surprises: modern, complex, credibly absurd. Traveling skillfully across one woman's lifetime, readers will feel up-close and personal - both to that trajectory and to all the lives it touches. One of the richest, prickliest, wittiest contemporary sagas I can recall, "Satisfaction" is - I'm sorry, no other words work - profoundly satisfying * Boston Globe * Captivating, beautiful, superbly told ... Just sublime! * Woman's Weekly * This novel offers an intimate portrait of a woman navigating life's many complexities. Wonderfully written, with real depth and empathy, it reveals the strengths and flaws of its characters with warmth and honesty. A captivating, thought-provoking read * Press Association * Welcome to sunny California ... peopled by a rich mix of flawed humanity ... satisfaction guaranteed * Saga *