NATIONAL BESTSELLER - In a powerful debut about modern-day motherhood, immigration, and identity, a pregnant Chinese woman stakes a claim to the American dream in California. "Utterly absorbing."--Celeste Ng - "A marvel of a first novel."--O: The Oprah Magazine - "The most eye-opening literary adventure of the year."--Entertainment Weekly NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The Washington Post - NPR - Real Simple Holed up with other mothers-to-be in a secret maternity home in Los Angeles, Scarlett Chen is far from her native China, where she worked in a factory and fell in love with the married owner, Boss Yeung. Now she´s carrying his baby. To ensure that his child--his first son--has every advantage, Boss Yeung has shipped Scarlett off to give birth on American soil. As Scarlett awaits the baby´s arrival, she spars with her imperious housemates. The only one who fits in even less is Daisy, a spirited, pregnant teenager who is being kept apart from her American boyfriend. Then a new sonogram of Scarlett´s baby reveals the unexpected. Panicked, she goes on the run by hijacking a van--only to discover that she has a stowaway: Daisy, who intends to track down the father of her child. The two flee to San Francisco´s bustling Chinatown, where Scarlett will join countless immigrants desperately trying to seize their piece of the American dream. What Scarlett doesn´t know is that her baby´s father is not far behind her. A River of Stars is a vivid examination of home and belonging and a moving portrayal of a woman determined to build her own future. Praise for A River of Stars "Vanessa Hua´s story spins with wild fervor, with charming protagonists fiercely motivated by maternal and survival instincts."--USA Today "A River of Stars is the best of all worlds: part buddy cop adventure, part coming-of-age story and part ode to female friendship."--NPR "Hua´s epic A River of Stars follows a pair of pregnant Chinese immigrant women--two of the more vibrant characters I´v