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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Beautiful Bildungsroman with a heartwarming relationship shared among two sisters
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
my interest/investment ebbed and flowed while reading this book. i appreciated the reflections on language, translation, loneliness, & family dynamics but didn’t love the dialogue or descriptions of other characters (but it’s hard to say how much of that is a result of translation.) in the end, i’m glad i read it.
This book must be remarkable to read in its original bilingual form. Even so I’m happy the translator made provisions to make clear the different languages in this monolingual version. It is really acute at conveying: loneliness, the don’t-fit-in-here-or-there of a first gen American, cold, 80’s NY (landlines!!!!) and college towns. I recommend so much
I found this book while searching "woman in translation book Japanese" and a website recommended me.
I read this book in English, so even though the translator already said that this book is bilingual before and makes it different from the one that she translated and the real text, I just feel not much different.
This book feels like Minae Mizumura is telling you the story about her life and what she remembered or thought when she was in America before finally deciding that she will go back to Japan. Because of this feeling, I feel like someone telling you a story where you can jump between one thing to another as much as how the person who tells s/he wants to tell you. Suddenly she remembered something along the way and she will tell you immediately.
Majorly talks about how she feels so different while being a Japanese who lives for 20 years in America, always dreaming to go back to Japan but doesn't have any courage to decide for her life. Being indifferent to her sister who adapts really well in America but at the same time also feels what she felt. She also told how Nanae's (her sister) life was.
In my personal opinion, it's hard to read this book because I could feel how Minae feels. Missing the Japanese people, environment, cultures, feels different when you are not there. But also I feel so hard on reading this book because of jumping between one story to another without a clear timeline. Maybe it just does not suit me well...
I read this book in English, so even though the translator already said that this book is bilingual before and makes it different from the one that she translated and the real text, I just feel not much different.
This book feels like Minae Mizumura is telling you the story about her life and what she remembered or thought when she was in America before finally deciding that she will go back to Japan. Because of this feeling, I feel like someone telling you a story where you can jump between one thing to another as much as how the person who tells s/he wants to tell you. Suddenly she remembered something along the way and she will tell you immediately.
Majorly talks about how she feels so different while being a Japanese who lives for 20 years in America, always dreaming to go back to Japan but doesn't have any courage to decide for her life. Being indifferent to her sister who adapts really well in America but at the same time also feels what she felt. She also told how Nanae's (her sister) life was.
In my personal opinion, it's hard to read this book because I could feel how Minae feels. Missing the Japanese people, environment, cultures, feels different when you are not there. But also I feel so hard on reading this book because of jumping between one story to another without a clear timeline. Maybe it just does not suit me well...
challenging
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Beautiful book!
Story about two Japanese girls moved to States and trying to fit in their American life. One turned out to be very ‘Americanized’ while the other is keeping the root, but both feel not really accepted as American in the States or Japanese in their home country.
Story about two Japanese girls moved to States and trying to fit in their American life. One turned out to be very ‘Americanized’ while the other is keeping the root, but both feel not really accepted as American in the States or Japanese in their home country.
emotional
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“An I-Novel” explores loneliness in language and in family. It elicits questions of what it means to be happy, how far dedication to family should go, and what it looks like to pursue a passion.