The Downstairs Girl, Stacey Lee
The Downstairs Girl, Stacey Lee
4 Rating(s)
List: $24.99 | Sale: $17.50
Club: $12.49

The Downstairs Girl

Author: Stacey Lee

Narrator: Emily Woo Zeller

Unabridged: 10 hr 22 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 08/13/2019


Synopsis

From the critically-acclaimed author of Under a Painted Sky and Outrun the Moon and founding member of We Need Diverse Books comes a powerful novel about identity, betrayal, and the meaning of family.

By day, seventeen-year-old Jo Kuan works as a lady's maid for the cruel daughter of one of the wealthiest men in Atlanta. But by night, Jo moonlights as the pseudonymous author of a newspaper advice column for the genteel Southern lady, "Dear Miss Sweetie." When her column becomes wildly popular, she uses the power of the pen to address some of society's ills, but she's not prepared for the backlash that follows when her column challenges fixed ideas about race and gender. While her opponents clamor to uncover the secret identity of Miss Sweetie, a mysterious letter sets Jo off on a search for her own past and the parents who abandoned her as a baby. But when her efforts put her in the crosshairs of Atlanta's most notorious criminal, Jo must decide whether she, a girl used to living in the shadows, is ready to step into the light. With prose that is witty, insightful, and at times heartbreaking, Stacey Lee masterfully crafts an extraordinary social drama set in the New South.

About Stacey Lee

Stacey Lee is the critically acclaimed author of the novels Under a Painted Sky and Outrun the Moon, the winner of the PEN Center USA Literary Award for Young Adult Fiction. She is a fourth-generation Chinese American and a founding member of We Need Diverse Books. Born in Southern California, she graduated from UCLA and then got her law degree at UC Davis King Hall. She lives with her family outside San Francisco.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Cindy on June 01, 2020

I like the ideas behind this book and the messages it presents for young girls by showing an Asian woman challenging gender and racial issues. I especially appreciate historical stories that feature Asians in the US and not just Asia. Seeing the protagonist navigate Atlanta as a Chinese woman, as we......more

Goodreads review by Nilufer on April 29, 2022

Five shining, rebellious, upstanding, remarkable, powerful, emotional stars! I loved this book because it’s about two things that I love the most: Words and changing! WORDS are the bridges provide connection between people. WORDS could get your feet off the ground and give you the freedom to explain,......more

Goodreads review by Anne on June 04, 2021

A Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club May 2021 selection I loved this when I first read it on audio, narrated by Emily Woo Zeller, and subsequently thoroughly enjoyed my reread in print. Set in Gilded Age Atlanta, this YA pick features a strong teenage heroine who gets herself into hot water when her anonymou......more

Goodreads review by kaz.brekkers.future.wife on July 02, 2022

!!!BEYOND FIVE STARS!! Oh eme ghe!!! (that's me saying omg in Spanish in case you couldn't tell). I love this book. The 1920's settting, the diversity, the scandals. Also, we can agree that Lady Whistledown and Miss Sweetie would totally be friends, right? Anyway. We have Jo Kuan, by day a VERY under......more

Goodreads review by Ellie on March 04, 2020

This was such a fun, engaging read that I completely devoured it - sorry, people I was buddy-reading it with ;-; Charming and witty, but also illuminative of the situations of PoC in 1890s Atlanta, THE DOWNSTAIRS GIRL is a perfect historical standalone that doesn’t become overly heavy or stodgy. Jo i......more