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leavingsealevel's review against another edition
3.0
You know when you can't separate a book from when you read it? Reading this book -- or, I can see, any book about the mass incarceration of the Japanese American (/Canadian) community -- while that man is president is going to be as much about the time as it is about the book. There is so much in this book that looks and feels like today.
I know Canada is far from guaranteed to save any of us from this presidency, as comforting as it is to imagine otherwise. This book is a good reminder anyway. In 1942 Canada was the exact opposite of a safe place for Japanese Americans to run to. Read this, read [b:Obasan|9723|Obasan|Joy Kogawa|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1342814508s/9723.jpg|1259446] and [b:Itsuka|625174|Itsuka|Joy Kogawa|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348932791s/625174.jpg|937177], read [b:The Electrical Field|1193754|The Electrical Field|Kerri Sakamoto|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1320487552s/1193754.jpg|1181808], read the history. What Canada did was arguably worse than what the US did.
I know Canada is far from guaranteed to save any of us from this presidency, as comforting as it is to imagine otherwise. This book is a good reminder anyway. In 1942 Canada was the exact opposite of a safe place for Japanese Americans to run to. Read this, read [b:Obasan|9723|Obasan|Joy Kogawa|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1342814508s/9723.jpg|1259446] and [b:Itsuka|625174|Itsuka|Joy Kogawa|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348932791s/625174.jpg|937177], read [b:The Electrical Field|1193754|The Electrical Field|Kerri Sakamoto|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1320487552s/1193754.jpg|1181808], read the history. What Canada did was arguably worse than what the US did.
ciaran_chaos's review against another edition
4.0
A very easy and cute read.
I'm so glad I found this in the library. The characters are very likeable and the storyline keeps you reading. I thought this gave an interesting glimpse into what vaguely happened in Japan after the war (despite this being a fictional story). I just really enjoyed reading this.
I love how it focuses on girls/women and their difficult relationships in post-war Japan, written by a woman, who is herself a third generation Japanese-Canadian.
The storyline, and the characters, all deal with so many different things. Everything is gently dealt with -the food rations for example. The topic of sex work is never deliberately referred to as "sex work", as the focus is more on moral issues regarding underage workers, and having to survive somehow, find food for the family and how this inadvertently affects entire families.
I'm so glad I found this in the library. The characters are very likeable and the storyline keeps you reading. I thought this gave an interesting glimpse into what vaguely happened in Japan after the war (despite this being a fictional story). I just really enjoyed reading this.
I love how it focuses on girls/women and their difficult relationships in post-war Japan, written by a woman, who is herself a third generation Japanese-Canadian.
The storyline, and the characters, all deal with so many different things. Everything is gently dealt with -the food rations for example. The topic of sex work is never deliberately referred to as "sex work", as the focus is more on moral issues regarding underage workers, and having to survive somehow, find food for the family and how this inadvertently affects entire families.
oregon_colette's review against another edition
4.0
Despite the title and cover image, The Translation of Love is not a romance novel but a gentle coming-of-age story set in post-WWII Tokyo. Reading this book, I got a small glimpse of life in occupied Japan from many different viewpoints. including adults and two young girls.
Set in a time and place that I had never given thought to before, I found it to be both engaging and easy to read. The first three-quarters of the book were 5 Stars, but unfortunately the ending fell flat for me. Still, it is a recommended read.
Set in a time and place that I had never given thought to before, I found it to be both engaging and easy to read. The first three-quarters of the book were 5 Stars, but unfortunately the ending fell flat for me. Still, it is a recommended read.
jeanettesonya's review
5.0
So far, my favourite book I've read this year!
This book is told from five perspectives, all beautifully intertwined with each other in a satisfying way. This is a story I hadn't heard before, the story of post-WWII Japan. The US occupation is bringing democracy and a whole generation of heartbroken women with babies that don't look quite Japanese. Fumi's sister is missing and she wants Aya, a repat to help find her. Sumiko is dancing with GI Joes, and refuses to go farther than that. Matt is an American Japanese soldier who doesn't fit in as either American or Japanese. Kondo is a school teacher, writing letters of love to American soldiers from their Japanese girlfriends and translating their break up letters.
I really loved this one!
This book is told from five perspectives, all beautifully intertwined with each other in a satisfying way. This is a story I hadn't heard before, the story of post-WWII Japan. The US occupation is bringing democracy and a whole generation of heartbroken women with babies that don't look quite Japanese. Fumi's sister is missing and she wants Aya, a repat to help find her. Sumiko is dancing with GI Joes, and refuses to go farther than that. Matt is an American Japanese soldier who doesn't fit in as either American or Japanese. Kondo is a school teacher, writing letters of love to American soldiers from their Japanese girlfriends and translating their break up letters.
I really loved this one!
carolyn_librarian's review against another edition
3.0
Multiple POVs, leisurely paced
An interesting look into post-WWII Japan
An interesting look into post-WWII Japan
thebooktrail88's review against another edition
5.0
Visit the literary locations in the novel here: Translation of Love
This is just a beautifully written and utterly captivating book that left me spell bound. The words just flow on the page and the emotion invested in each and every character made each character fully formed and interesting. This was a story of the American occupation of Japan told on so many levels and through various viewpoints but it never gets confusing – rather I was there beside each and every one seeing the effects of both sides of the occupation – something very unique that an author could be forgiven for focussing on one more than the other, but not Lynne.
I think she’s painted a very multicoloured picture of a difficult time and made it accessible and heartwarming via the power of the written letter. How poignant some of the letters are and the way people use them to reach out across the divide. The mix of viewpoints in the novel too read like a song – all in different voices but the basic melody and their harmonies made the overall tune all the stronger. Never as the phrase ‘All singing from the same song sheet’ been quite as significant.
There’s so much to recommend this novel – the author’s research, her beautiful words and turn of phrase and her ability to make me smile on one page and cry on the next – (the girls and what they find one day!) This was just a gorgeous novel in so many ways and I just love the title – The Translation of Love – words and love unite us all and if only we could communicate properly with each other. We all need the same after all – to be loved, to love and to find strength in each other and ourselves.
I’ve always though that letter writing was an art. Now this novel has made it more so.
This is just a beautifully written and utterly captivating book that left me spell bound. The words just flow on the page and the emotion invested in each and every character made each character fully formed and interesting. This was a story of the American occupation of Japan told on so many levels and through various viewpoints but it never gets confusing – rather I was there beside each and every one seeing the effects of both sides of the occupation – something very unique that an author could be forgiven for focussing on one more than the other, but not Lynne.
I think she’s painted a very multicoloured picture of a difficult time and made it accessible and heartwarming via the power of the written letter. How poignant some of the letters are and the way people use them to reach out across the divide. The mix of viewpoints in the novel too read like a song – all in different voices but the basic melody and their harmonies made the overall tune all the stronger. Never as the phrase ‘All singing from the same song sheet’ been quite as significant.
There’s so much to recommend this novel – the author’s research, her beautiful words and turn of phrase and her ability to make me smile on one page and cry on the next – (the girls and what they find one day!) This was just a gorgeous novel in so many ways and I just love the title – The Translation of Love – words and love unite us all and if only we could communicate properly with each other. We all need the same after all – to be loved, to love and to find strength in each other and ourselves.
I’ve always though that letter writing was an art. Now this novel has made it more so.
mactammonty's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed the story, just not as much as I hoped. It just seemed to skim the surface of so many things. The internment camps in Canada, the subjugation of Japanese women by the GI's after the war, the difficulties of those caught on the wrong side of the ocean and more. It may have taken on too much diluting the story.
It did spark my interest in the Japanese internment camps in Canada. I have added a few books on the subject. It feels like a hidden part of the war. An unacknowledged racism. It is another piece orf Canadian history that is not taught in schools.
It did spark my interest in the Japanese internment camps in Canada. I have added a few books on the subject. It feels like a hidden part of the war. An unacknowledged racism. It is another piece orf Canadian history that is not taught in schools.
raaahella's review
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This was a great historical fiction novel set in Japan post WWII. It was enjoyable but hard to follow at times and became a bit dragging at the end. As I was listening to the book, not reading it, I understand that it may have bèn a better to read the ohysical book type of story. I was continuously confused between Matsemotto and Kondo's characters and who was who. It also left a weird feeling of lots of unfinished business. Such as rhe old man in the park who lost his eyes in the war. And the threat from the Rickshaw to Sumeko was just left there after the incident at bar lucky. Eddie's character also seemed to have little or no purpose other than the negative time he took the other GI out shopping and had to explain to Matsemoto how annoying it was that American's did not realize they were insulting him by their comments of him not really being American. But that could have moved forward wither way with another character. There seemed to be too many view points for such a short novel. I wonder if some of it was chopped off when presented to the publisher originally.
readingvegan's review
4.0
While I wasn't super excited about this book in the beginning, I thought it was, in general, a pretty sweet and feel good tale that provided a lot of cultural and historical perspective and background. I absolutely adore the way Nancy's connection with Aya, I thought that was one of the cutest parts of the book and I would read a separate book just about them doing things together. Despite saying sweet and feel good, I definitely think it has some darker content [no spoilers] that I wouldn't expose a really young reader to, but should be expected because this book deals heavily with WWII. I think I gave this five stars due to the author's ability to intertwine plots and storylines to wrap things up and leave the reader with a more satisfied feeling. One thing I would've liked to have seen is [spoiler alert] Matt, who in my opinion is coded as gay, navigate that in the time period and culture he's in. I think that would've been highly interesting. Also I would've liked to see some resolution with Bar Lucky and/or the orphanage. tl;dr: It was pretty great and I would recommend this to my friends in a heartbeat!