From the author of the 2007 Orange Prize finalist A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers comes a wholly original and thoroughly captivating coming-of-age story that follows a bright, impassioned young woman as she rushes headlong into the maelstrom of a rapidly changing Beijing to chase her dreams.

Read rave reviews from The New York Sun, Entertainment Weekly (A-), The Washington Post, and Salon.com. Read an excerpt at WSJ.com.

From the author of the 2007 Orange Prize finalist A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers comes a wholly original and thoroughly captivating coming-of-age story that follows a bright, impassioned young woman as she rushes headlong into the maelstrom of a rapidly changing Beijing to chase her dreams.

1. The novel is divided, as the title suggests, into twenty short chapters with small black and white photographs scattered throughout the text. Why do you think the author chose this structure to relate her heroine’s story? Discuss what you think the purpose of the photographs might be.
2. Fenfang Wang leaves her rural home in hopes of capturing “bright, shiny things” in the big city. How is her journey similar or dissimilar to that of a young American woman who moves from the countryside to the city in hopes of making it big? Do you know people who have followed the same journey? In what ways do you think the cultural differences between China and America impact upon their individual experiences?
3. What is the significance of “ravenous” of the title? How does Fenfang go about satiating those needs?

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