I don't know. It was kinda cute, a bit silly, but very confusing. The story jumped around a lot and there were a lot of names to remember. As the story unfolded, I realized that what seemed like a lot of unrelated plotlines were actually related... but even towards the end, I was having a hard time figuring out exactly HOW. Same thing goes for the characters... they were actually all more related to one another than it seemed, at first. And yet, because I had a hard time keeping them all straight (because the story jumped around so much), I had a hard time understanding how they related. I kept reading because it was cute and an entertaining bedtime read. But honestly, I didn't really care that much by the end, and I didn't bother to go back and make it all fit together. On the positive side, I think the idea for the series is a good one, and the characters are funny and quirky and could have made for a great series. I really love the way he uses a western gal in her "gap year" to help us see the Asian setting in a lighthearted, adventurous light... and then we get to also see it through the eyes of this trio of aging Chinese friends who have taken her on as a "partner" into their work. The main character, Mr. Wong, was a little bit irritating (I think because he never seemed to develop as well as the others, surprisingly). He was a bit caricature-ish. But then again, this isn't meant to be great literature, it's just a pleasant way to spend some down time. There were also some surprising moments here and there that delved a little deeper into a character and/or culture, and those brief paragraphs were so well done, it made me wish for more. Without getting too bogged down, the author managed to quickly bring some depth to a lighthearted story here and there. There were also some wonderful "journal entries" (supposedly from Mr. Wong's book-in-progress) titled "Some Gleanings of Oriental Wisdom." Together with the bits of Feng-Shui philosophy (which helped me realize that this is a much more complicated art than I realized!), they imparted a little bit of common wisdom along with the entertainment. :) Taken altogether, I might read another book in the series, if the mood strikes, but... probably not. But I did finish it -- and I don't finish book that aren't worth finishing!
This book was not exactly what I expected in that rather than one continuous storyline, each chapter is a small standalone mystery in and of itself. This is not a bad thing at all and in fact I found this book to be extremely enjoyable. I felt as though its events sort of occurred in episodes, like a television show, which was cool. In fact, one of the quotes under "Praise for Nury Vittachi and The Feng Shui Detective books" is from The Australian and it says, "If Hollywood wakes up..." Yes! I agree that a film or television version of this series would be a ton of fun!The mysteries in this novel are really clever and the incorporation of feng shui elements is an original twist. This book is never boring and kept me interested. I like how the author's choice of settings and the cultures associated with them are inextricably interwoven with the story and characters. The events really could not take place anywhere else, and the characters are so well portrayed that one could easily expect to meet them when traveling to these various places in the book. I thought the unique intermingling of cultures found in these major Asian cities to be really effectively represented in The Feng Shui Detective. I especially found the generational gap and culture clash between CF Wong and Joyce McQuinnie to be interesting, realistic, and of course humorous. That's another thing: this book is funny!The end of the book sets the reader up for the next one in the series, and certainly I was intrigued. I do hope to read more of this series in the future.
What do You think about The Feng Shui Detective (2004)?
I picked this book up because I have read the author's column, "Traveller's Tales", in the Far Eastern Economic Review many times with great pleasure. As a humorist he does not disappoint and this book is further proof of it.It is a detective story, but it is also a good 'clash of cultures" story. The author (I believe this is the first in the series) introduces a set of unusual and interesting characters. Are they stereotypes? Not exactly, but several of them do fit the mold of specific personality types that I myself have known in Asia-born Chinese. While that gives me a an extra pleasure, I think that anyone who likes moderate to light fiction will enjoy this book.If you only like highly intricate tales (think Laurie King's Mary Russell-Sherlock Holmes) or grim, dark tales (think Raymond Chandler) then you might find this too breezy. But if you like the light tales of Nick, Nora & Asta (The Thin Man film franchise) then this will be right up your alley.Personally, I look forward to getting to the other books that involve the same cast of characters (there seem to be 2 or 3).
—Mike
I LOVE the series. It is so funny! I can actually picture the community in Singapore speaking in Singlish and various dialect. True to have this picture in your mind you may need to have been to Singapore but regardless of those knowledge the Feng Shui Detective is a good addition for people who love travel, mystery, and humor. The Writer Himself is amazing person. Very down to earth and have a wicked sense of humor don't believe me? try to read his blog "The Curious Diary of Mr Jam" http://mrjam.typepad.com/ you will laugh for hours. Happy reading
—Vivi
With apologies to native Singlish speakers.Ah Lian (AL): "So, what you got with you hah?"Ah Beng (AB): "A book."AL: "Aiyaa, it's got kaya on it. You been reading it at the kopitiam, issit. No good- lah. Must not read books while makan. Must respect books."AB: "Nevermind-lah."AL: "Where got?"AB: "At Borders."AL: "You bought it? Usually you so kiasu. Only want to read books in the store." AB: "No-lah. Only when I boh lui. Yesterday I got salary. So can buy buy. Besides the story is set in Singapore."AL: "So, what is it about hah? Got a picture of cat statue holding a knife on the cover."AB: "It's a mystery."AL: "Oh, like Agatha Christie, issit? So, who is the detective?"AB: "It's this guy, Mr. Wong. He's a fengshui master who solves crimes with his ang moh assistant, this girl called Joyce. There is also a Malaysian bomoh and some Hong Kong samsengs mixed up in it."AL: "How come can find killers using fengshui, ah?" AB: "Not just fengshui, also some smarts-lah. Can find kidnapped girl, get rid of ghosts in dentists' office."AL: "So, is it any good?"AB: "It's OK. Decently written, but the mystery is light at best. Got plot holes. Some humor from East/West culture clash. But how come this girl Joyce, who had lived for years in Hong Kong still don't like dim sum? How come so blur? And how come Mr. Wong never heard of Sydney Opera House? How come so bodoh?" AL: "Dunno, ah. You always so wrapped up in books. I'm hungry. Let's go get some of that char kway teow in Geylang. Can or cannot?"AB: "Can, can. That char kway teow, die cock stand one!"Singlish dictionary: http://www.talkingcock.com/html/lexec...
—Grace Tjan
