Karen Joan "Siren" -

Top 1000 Reviewer

(Vine Voice)

5-stars Very Interesting And Realistic Characters

"I really enjoyed this excerpt from MU SHU MAC & CHEESE; author Karen Lin clearly has a flare for bringing characters to life. From Elaine and her stress dealing with her visiting mother-in-law, to the traditional, strong, Chinese matriarch, and on to the sheepish husband and typical teenage kids, Ms. Lin has us hooked with her realistic, sympathetic, and very funny characters. Not only does she capture the readers' attention, but she engages us emotionally as well. In just a few short pages, the reader is captivated by this family and really needs to know how they are going to survive each other for 10 whole days.

MU SHU MAC & CHEESE is engaging and witty. We have all had the experience of a visiting family member - be it mother-in-law or mother - coming for a visit and rearranging our home. Elaine handles it with more grace than most of us, but her emotions are very real and very familiar, which is why readers are so drawn to her. Ms. Lin's voice is excellent, she as a wonderful descriptive flare and a lovely sense of humor, and her pacing is spot on; I flew through this excerpt and was quite disappointed to come to the end. I would love to read the entire story someday. My guess is that MU SHU MAC & CHEESE will have me both laughing and crying, and will most definitely capture my heart as well as my interest. Well done!"

Gayla M. Collins

Vine Voice

5-stars    Chinese Mother-in-law for takeout?

Amazon.com Review

"My overall opinion of this excerpt is very positive. The writing is excellent and, in describing the visit of a Chinese mother-in-law, the author uses much wit and humor. Though I felt a bit sorry for Elaine, I believed her Chinese John Wayne would be there to help her through an eight-day visit from his mother."

Amazon.com Review

"There are excellent themes in this excerpt. Elaine's family is bi-racial, and her husband's Chinese mother is coming to visit. Themes of tradition, family loyalty, culture, and coming of age are presented...This excerpt definitely hold the reader's attention, as the minutiae of the family's life and the conflicts introduced are exciting and relevant.

"These few pages of Mu Shu Mac & Cheese captured so much, so swiftly, that I was sad to leave the world created by Karen Lin. Karen deftly and humorously offers up the irony of relationships we marry into. Now I'm concerned about how her main character, Elaine, will cope with this visit from Ma Yang, Elaine's Chinese mother-in-law, and especially how Elaine's teenage son will handle Ma Yang's interference with prom. Talk about pressure!

I especially enjoyed Karen's unique descriptions - from the "mushroom-of-a-man with an ill-fitting toupee" to "A warty little grudge tried to burrow under Elaine's skin," every phrase made me smile while fending off a pang of sorrow. I adore being pulled completely into a story, and Karen Lin did just that!"

"No, not international politics, but family relations when American and Chinese cultures come together by virtue of marriage. Deftly told in fiction form. An award-winner -- and it's easy to understand why." 
- Claire  M. Walter

"This is a very engaging and well written excerpt. I loved the distinctive characters and fretting contradictions of the narrators worries. Pacing and voice were both dead on and I'd be eager to read more. I gave four stars rather than five only for the few unanswered questions that made me stop and wonder rather than keep reading. Why not is Elaine worried about telling her mother in law that she's an ox and not a tiger. After all they have been married 20 years. And why at times does it seem like this is the first feeling out between the two when they've been married two decades and once lived nearer to each other? It is very likely those questions are answered soon enough but they did make me pause in my reading to consider the answer. Also I should note that I like the very brief prologue of Elaine and Wen's meeting.

All in all, one of the better excerpts I've read." - Travis D. Erwin

Reed Salotte

5-stars   Funny, sweet, vivid, enticing

"Karen Lin uses words the way her character, Elaine, uses spices: skillfully, enticingly. Mu Shu Mac & Cheese is so vivid and endearing I was immediately transported to Elaine's kitchen. I love the way Lin interweaves the subtle relationships of family with food and Chinese culture, with liberal dashes of humor. Her description of the Chinese mother-in-law charging in to rearrange Elaine's home made me laugh out loud...I laughed in a few other places, too. Along the way Lin provides a matter-of-fact yet fascinating education in things Chinese--feng shui, 8 as a lucky number, exotic foods, and other traditions. I want more of these lovable characters...more Mu Shu Mac-N-Cheese please."

"I devoured this excerpt. When I came to its end, the skin on my arms uncomfortably goose-bumpy from the emotions she conjured out of my own mixed-culture marriage's past, I found myself wanting more. I look forward to reading what battles of will are surely to unfold between Elaine and her mother-in-law during the eight day visit from hell." - Thom Phelps

"Karen Lin's Mu Shu Mac & Cheese brings the reader immediately into the clashing cultures of the traditional Chinese mother-in-law and the blond wife from Kansas. The details and voice of these chapters bring the reader right into the conflict, laughing even at the most uncomfortable moments. I was disappointed to reach the end of the excerpt, and look forward to reading the whole book some day soon. The writing is so seamless it appears effortless, which is certainly the hallmark of a talented writer."  - Laura K. Deal

"This is a delightful excerpt that leaves you wanting more. From the Chinese mother-in-law rearranging Elaine's home to her dressing teens for prom in garish robes, the reader is swept up into the culture clash between China and Boulder, Colorado. Karen Lin's characters come alive on the page with their humor and her clever descriptions. Karen deftly weaves Chinese astrology to feng shui into the family dynamics, making this a fun read.

I look forward to reading the rest of this story!"
- Chris Myers 

"This voice is so refreshingly real. Through Elaine's eyes, we see those details that so perceptively capture complex, internal feelings. This "tumultuous swirl of East and West" invites me into a world that, externally, is completely new; yet, internally, is so familiar. Thanks, Karen, for creating and sharing this fine piece of literature. I look forward to reading more."                   - Cathleen Schmitt 

"I found myself sweating along with Kansas-native Elaine through the visit of her Chinese mother-in-law. This is a sign of a great writer, one who immediately draws you into the soul of the POV character and makes you feel the same emotions she does. Lin's descriptions are fresh and funny and fabulous. I sure hope this book gets published soon so I can read the rest of the story!"           - Beth Groundwater

"This is a terrifically funny read. Family clashes and mother-in-laws can lead to a great deal of conflict, but when you add the ethnic element, it is very funny. Lin has created a story I was sad not to be able to continue. Poor Elaine! How will she ever survive all that needs to happen in this week plus one day and keep her sanity? Hurry and get this published so I can find out." - Shannon Baker

"This is one of the best Culture Shock stories I've read in a long time! Fast paced, full of witty humor, and a clear sense of the characters. There's danger lurking in every move the Mother-In-Law makes, and the tension is palpable. I really want to read more of this." - Lawdon