| | |  | Knives | Home » » Dixieland Sushi | | | | | | | Description: | | Wax on.... Jen Nakamura Taylor thought she left behind her awkward past of growing up half-Japanese, half-white in a small Southern town when she moved north to produce a popular Chicago television show. But when she gets word that her Southern Belle cousin is marrying Kevin Peterson, the very boy Jen loved-with-a-capital-L for years, she realizes she can't run from her past forever. Not only does the news conjure up sticky memories of growing up with a mixed heritage in the South (soy sauce on chicken fried steak, anyone?) but now the very single and very busy Jen has got to find a date for the wedding -- a grand affair that could put Scarlett O'Hara to shame. Wax off.... Riley -- Jen's cute British friend from work -- seems just the ticket; even his girlfriend thinks it's a good idea. But as Jen and Riley whistle on down to Dixie, sparks start to fly. Add to the fire the grown-up but still charming Kevin Peterson, who appears to have a soft spot for Jen, and, well, whoa. It's going to take everything Jen has (and a lot of help from the Karate Kid-wisdom of her pop culture hero Mr. Miyagi) to survive the meeting of past and present, and of North and Far East and South...where Jen finally learns to come to terms with her heritage, her love life, and herself. | | | Product Details: | | | Author:
| Cara Lockwood | | Paperback:
| 304 pages | | Publisher:
| Pocket Books | | Publication Date:
| May 03, 2005 | | Language:
| English | | ISBN:
| 0743499425 | | Product Length:
| 8.49 inches | | Product Width:
| 5.54 inches | | Product Height:
| 0.83 inches | | Product Weight:
| 0.89 pounds | | Package Length:
| 8.03 inches | | Package Width:
| 5.2 inches | | Package Height:
| 0.94 inches | | Package Weight:
| 0.57 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 27 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 27 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 12 found the following review helpful:
I loved this bookMay 05, 2005
By Bearette24
While "Dixieland Sushi" is not deep or serious, I really enjoyed it and thought it explored some issues that are not typically touched upon in chick lit.
The story follows 28-year-old Jen, the child of a Japanese woman and an blond Arkansan nicknamed Bubba who has a "room of death" filled with fish that he caught, etc. One of the fish is called "Bud" because he caught it with a can of beer.
Jen's beauty-queen cousin, Lucy (on the Caucasian side of the family) is marrying Jen's childhood crush. The story is told through a series of flashbacks that bring the reader back to the roller-skating birthday parties and Valentine's Day in the classroom of Jen's childhood, when she carefully selected a Garfield valentine for her crush, only to watch him throw it away.
Back in the present, Jen has a demanding job as a TV producer with an irascible boss and crazy news anchors whom she has to keep in line. The irrepressible Riley, a British co-worker whom she thinks of as "Colins" (because of his resemblance to both Colin Farrell and Colin Firth), is a great love interest. But when Jen sees her crush again, what will happen?
I thought this story was great because it was laugh-out-loud funny and also delved into growing up in the '80s in Arkansas as a biracial teenager. Identity issues continue to rear their head even when Jen is an adult. For example, one guy with whom she had no sparks is suddenly interested in another date when he finds out she's half-Japanese. She concludes he has the AO blood type (Asian Obsessed).
Definitely worth reading.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
 Decent, but not re-readableJun 08, 2005
By Always Reading
Having enjoyed Ms. Lockwood's other novels, I was eagerly awaiting this one but sadly it was not as good as I'd hoped. The plot is cute enough - half Asian/half white girl returns to the South for the wedding of her cousin to her former schoolgirl crush and ends up falling in love with her "date" on the way down and finally coming to terms with her heritage and family's quirky ways.
The writing flows well, as it does in her other books, but for some reason this book didn't resonate well with me. It wasn't super funny, nor was it super serious, nor super-deep but did touch lightly upon a number of issues. At times, it felt like the love story was just thrown in because a love story seemed necessary - I think it could have worked just as well, if not better, without it.
So I'd recommend this book if you're looking for some light one-time reading or if you really loved the eighties (every other chapter is an 80's flashback), but if this is your first experience with a Cara Lockwood book, I'd recommend "Pink Slip Party," the cutest and funniest one yet.
I'm now looking forward to her next book, which hopefully I'll enjoy as much as her first two.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
 Fun and flashback wonderful!Jul 07, 2006
By Mother Goose
I loved this book. Not only did it keep me in stitches, it also brought back so many memories of the 80s pop culture. You certainly do not have to be Asian to connect to the characters. We all have had crushes, feeling not belonging in school, ashamed or embarrassed by a relative... I loved how this book was written as well, it was easy to read ( 3 days) Cara writes with such great humor that many times my husband asked what I was laughing at. Get this book if you want to re-live the 80s a little!
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Awesome read!Apr 26, 2005
By C. K. Jordan
"Jordan"
An awesome read! Lockwood does it again with book #3 - tying a girl's big 3: family, love & career together. From childhood experiences to adulthood realities, Lockwood brings her story together with bursts of laughter and geniune humor. Reader's will cheer for "Jen" from her embarassing childhood experiences, grade-school crush, office crush and insane-but-normal family.
Who doesn't remember Mr. Miyagi's words of wisdom?
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Absolutely HilariousApr 22, 2005
By Beth
While I've read all of Lockwood's novels, this one is my favorite to date. She seamlessly inserts flashbacks into the story (which are hysterical I might add) - done in such a way that you simply can't wait until you get to the next chapter. It's a great story about the importance (and insanity) of family. Mark my words; this will be THE summer read of 2005.
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