Overview

Joan Liang's life is a series of surprising developments: she never thought she would leave Taiwan (and for all places, California), nor did she expect her first marriage to implode - especially as quickly and spectacularly as it did. She definitely did not expect to fall in love with an older, wealthy American and become his fourth wife and mother to his youngest children. Through all this she asks herself the question familiar to so many of us: what are we living for? And are we ever truly satisfied?

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Reviews

Captivating from the first sentence ... a beautiful character study spanning an entire life while navigating the joys, sorrow and surprises that life can throw our way * Woman and Home * The Satisfaction Café is both deep and wide, tracing the arc of a single life and then showing how that life ripples out across family, friends and time. At every turn Joan proves to be more insightful and more necessary than people believed her to be, the result of which is this insightful, necessary and beautiful novel. -- Ann Patchett Kathy Wang is a born storyteller, vivid and precise, deliciously cool-eyed, immensely readable -- Jonathan Franzen An intimate portrait of a life unlike any I have read before. I loved this novel and its heroine so much. Kathy Wang writes with humour, wisdom and compassion. A must-read -- J. Courtney Sullivan, author of The Cliffs Kathy Wang's outstanding novel is one of the best I've read in quite some time. Joan is tough, opinionated, vulnerable, and wise, and it is a privilege to witness the arc of her life. I would have stayed with her for another three hundred pages -- Mary Beth Keane, author of Ask Again, Yes Reading Kathy Wang is like talking to your best friend. The Satisfaction Cafe evokes the narrative power of classic Anne Tyler, infused with Wang's signature humor, warmth and wisdom. I want to share this novel with everyone -- Janice Y. K. Lee, author of The Piano Teacher Kathy Wang has written the majestic story of an ordinary life, with all its small joys and everyday struggles and tiny, vast tragedies. Warm but unsparing, clear-eyed, moving, and frequently incredibly funny -- Marina Kemp, author of The Unwilding Subtle, surprising, and elegantly constructed, The Satisfaction Cafe is an insightful and funny exploration of how seldom our choices feel like choices; how rare and elusive the idea of home can feel * Lynn Steger Strong, author of Flight * A beautiful, intimate novel that takes the reader, again and again, to unexpected places. Wang's characters are so real and flawed and human you expect them to spring from the page. What a breath of fresh air - a novel with nothing to prove and so much to give. I didn't want it to end -- Lydia Kiesling, author of Mobility The Satisfaction Cafe is big-hearted without being sentimental, profound without pretence, and witty without sacrificing sincerity - qualities that reflect its unforgettable protagonist, Joan. This is the kind of story that makes you want to write a thank you note to the author, call up an old friend, and gaze at strangers with greater compassion and curiosity. Kathy Wang bestows us with virtuoso prose, gentle wisdom, and a main character who stands among the best I've ever read. I fell in love with and savoured this beautiful novel -- Emily Habeck, author of Shark Heart Kathy Wang creates remarkably nuanced and affecting characters with such ease and economy. I found myself utterly captivated by The Satisfaction Cafe, immediately pulled into the beautifully told sweep of a whole life. A marvelous book -- Phil Klay, author of Redeployment Kathy Wang's quietly pitched but engaging character study [has] a cool, crystalline, lightly witty detachment ... One for fans of Ann Patchett and Anne Tyler * The Times *

The Satisfaction Café is both deep and wide, tracing the arc of a single life and then showing how that life ripples out across family, friends and time. At every turn Joan proves to be more insightful and more necessary than people believed her to be, the result of which is this insightful, necessary and beautiful novel. -- Ann Patchett Kathy Wang is a born storyteller, vivid and precise, deliciously cool-eyed, immensely readable -- Jonathan Franzen An intimate portrait of a life unlike any I have read before. I loved this novel and its heroine so much. Kathy Wang writes with humour, wisdom and compassion. A must-read -- J. Courtney Sullivan, author of The Cliffs Kathy Wang's outstanding novel is one of the best I've read in quite some time. Joan is tough, opinionated, vulnerable, and wise, and it is a privilege to witness the arc of her life. I would have stayed with her for another three hundred pages -- Mary Beth Keane, author of Ask Again, Yes Reading Kathy Wang is like talking to your best friend. The Satisfaction Cafe evokes the narrative power of classic Anne Tyler, infused with Wang's signature humor, warmth and wisdom. I want to share this novel with everyone -- Janice Y. K. Lee, author of The Piano Teacher Kathy Wang has written the majestic story of an ordinary life, with all its small joys and everyday struggles and tiny, vast tragedies. Warm but unsparing, clear-eyed, moving, and frequently incredibly funny -- Marina Kemp, author of The Unwilding Subtle, surprising, and elegantly constructed, The Satisfaction Cafe is an insightful and funny exploration of how seldom our choices feel like choices; how rare and elusive the idea of home can feel * Lynn Steger Strong, author of Flight * A beautiful, intimate novel that takes the reader, again and again, to unexpected places. Wang's characters are so real and flawed and human you expect them to spring from the page. What a breath of fresh air - a novel with nothing to prove and so much to give. I didn't want it to end -- Lydia Kiesling, author of Mobility The Satisfaction Cafe is big-hearted without being sentimental, profound without pretence, and witty without sacrificing sincerity - qualities that reflect its unforgettable protagonist, Joan. This is the kind of story that makes you want to write a thank you note to the author, call up an old friend, and gaze at strangers with greater compassion and curiosity. Kathy Wang bestows us with virtuoso prose, gentle wisdom, and a main character who stands among the best I've ever read. I fell in love with and savoured this beautiful novel -- Emily Habeck, author of Shark Heart Kathy Wang creates remarkably nuanced and affecting characters with such ease and economy. I found myself utterly captivated by The Satisfaction Cafe, immediately pulled into the beautifully told sweep of a whole life. A marvelous book -- Phil Klay, author of Redeployment

Captivating from the first sentence ... a beautiful character study spanning an entire life while navigating the joys, sorrow and surprises that life can throw our way * Woman and Home * The Satisfaction Café is both deep and wide, tracing the arc of a single life and then showing how that life ripples out across family, friends and time. At every turn Joan proves to be more insightful and more necessary than people believed her to be, the result of which is this insightful, necessary and beautiful novel. -- Ann Patchett Kathy Wang is a born storyteller, vivid and precise, deliciously cool-eyed, immensely readable -- Jonathan Franzen An intimate portrait of a life unlike any I have read before. I loved this novel and its heroine so much. Kathy Wang writes with humour, wisdom and compassion. A must-read -- J. Courtney Sullivan, author of The Cliffs Kathy Wang's outstanding novel is one of the best I've read in quite some time. Joan is tough, opinionated, vulnerable, and wise, and it is a privilege to witness the arc of her life. I would have stayed with her for another three hundred pages -- Mary Beth Keane, author of Ask Again, Yes Reading Kathy Wang is like talking to your best friend. The Satisfaction Cafe evokes the narrative power of classic Anne Tyler, infused with Wang's signature humor, warmth and wisdom. I want to share this novel with everyone -- Janice Y. K. Lee, author of The Piano Teacher Kathy Wang has written the majestic story of an ordinary life, with all its small joys and everyday struggles and tiny, vast tragedies. Warm but unsparing, clear-eyed, moving, and frequently incredibly funny -- Marina Kemp, author of The Unwilding Subtle, surprising, and elegantly constructed, The Satisfaction Cafe is an insightful and funny exploration of how seldom our choices feel like choices; how rare and elusive the idea of home can feel * Lynn Steger Strong, author of Flight * A beautiful, intimate novel that takes the reader, again and again, to unexpected places. Wang's characters are so real and flawed and human you expect them to spring from the page. What a breath of fresh air - a novel with nothing to prove and so much to give. I didn't want it to end -- Lydia Kiesling, author of Mobility The Satisfaction Cafe is big-hearted without being sentimental, profound without pretence, and witty without sacrificing sincerity - qualities that reflect its unforgettable protagonist, Joan. This is the kind of story that makes you want to write a thank you note to the author, call up an old friend, and gaze at strangers with greater compassion and curiosity. Kathy Wang bestows us with virtuoso prose, gentle wisdom, and a main character who stands among the best I've ever read. I fell in love with and savoured this beautiful novel -- Emily Habeck, author of Shark Heart Kathy Wang creates remarkably nuanced and affecting characters with such ease and economy. I found myself utterly captivated by The Satisfaction Cafe, immediately pulled into the beautifully told sweep of a whole life. A marvelous book -- Phil Klay, author of Redeployment

Author Information

Kathy Wang is a writer based in Northern California, where she lives with her husband and two children. She previously worked at the intersection of technology and industrial design and is currently employed in the transportation industry.

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