Miss Chopsticks

Tapping into people's fascination with what is going on in modern China, Xinran (author of the bestselling The Good Women of China) has written a delightfully warm and fascinating tale of three peasant girls trying to get to grips with life in the big city.

Sisters Three, Five and Six don't have much education, but they know two things for certain- their mother is a failure because she hasn't produced a son, and they only merit a number as a name. Women, their father tells them, are like chopsticks- utilitarian and easily broken.

But when they leave their home in the countryside to seek their fortune in the big city, their eyes are suddenly and shockingly opened. Together they find jobs, make new friends, and learn more than a few lessons about life...