Fan Wu is an exciting storyteller with an original take on the disarray of family history and American culture, and, ultimately, how we manage to define ourselves. BEAUTIFUL AS YESTERDAY is a story with intelligence, insight, and heart.

A book for the new millennium. Told half way between here and there, BEAUTIFUL AS YESTERDAY holds a mirror to America as much as it tells us about contemporary China…Fan Wu tells tales of modern Chinese women without mythologizing or romanticizing their lives. Her stories are foreign and familiar all at once, her writing beautiful and spirited…

Full of mystery and misunderstanding…perfectly poignant

Characters, plot, and Chinoiserie combine in a debut novel (FEBRUARY FLOWERS) that shines…animated by unforgettable characters, and infused with emotional honesty, Fan Wu’s first novel is moving, sexy, and impossible to put down. Her style is deceptively simple, her prose confident, clear and precise…a brilliant debut.

A fresh, original work that strikes a fine balance between intimacy and restraint, and shatters several stereotypes along the way.