A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers

Her characterisation of Z's lover is subtle and profound... This novel will be compared with A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian, but it is so much better than that. Guo uses her minimalist, messed-up prose not just to tell an affecting coming-of-age story, but to ask deep questions about the real differences between Chinese and British culture and language.

Scarlett Thomas, Independent on Sunday

An auspicious English language debut...its young heroine adrift in a London whose people and customs prove as full of pitfalls as the tongue she struggles to master.

Boyd Tonkin, Independent, Christmas books special

Xiaolu is a fabulous writer, fresh, witty and intelligent. She handles language in an astonishing way. I don't think I have enjoyed a book as much in the last twelve months and I am looking forward to hearing a lot more from this promising young voice.

Joanne Harris

A delicate combination of unwitting humour, sadness, sex and displacement. Unputdownable.

Katie Fforde

Written in deliberately bad English, this is a wonderful comic romance

Eileen Battersby, Irish Times