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Dec 11, 2007

Jason rated it:

(My full review of this book is much longer than GoodReads' word-count limitations. Find the entire essay at the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com].)

So first, a confession from my personal life that is relevant to today's essay; that like many others, I too once fell in love with someone while on a foreign trip, in many ways precisely because it was a foreign country and she was a foreigner within that country. And like many others, it wasn't just simple More...

0 comments like (6 people liked it)

Jul 05, 2011

Vicky rated it:

Things I liked:

1)The title of this book, which is named after an actual Chinese to English dictionary.

2)Z's unintentional humor, like--"I not understanding what she saying. Mrs. Margaret have a neatly cut pale blonde hair, with very serious clothes. Top and her bottom always same colour. She not telling her age, but I guessing she from 31 to 56."

3)Z's language reflections, like--"I thought English is a strange language. Now I think French is eve More...

1 comment like (5 people liked it)

Feb 28, 2009

Yulia rated it:

This is a charming and surprising book, but one that is also very frustrating to read (which is both a compliment and a complaint).

Note: It's best to read this book in the voice of someone struggring with Engrish. If you do so, it becoming easier adopting the tone and the mindset of the protagonist. (In my immigrant-raised habit of taking what is said and written with entire seriousness and my snobbery about proper grammar and pronunciation, I was initially offended by the author' More...

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Sep 24, 2007

Therese rated it:

YAWN.Couldn't finish it. The female protagonist, Z, is so feeble and boring. She has some kind of love affair with some old hippy guy. Blah. Am totally bummed cuz it was really horrible and maybe I'm just not 'getting' what it is all about to be an Asian woman in modern society. This made me angry with Z's timid comformity and neediness. And I thought the boyfriend was really annoying and disgusting. Meh. Read if you must. But there have to be better things out there to spend your time on.

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Aug 20, 2008

Tina rated it:

Just finished this quick read - it is interesting reading the view on the English language from Chinese that leads to confusion - such as why do we say "We are going to go..." why two verbs where they just have one? I also like how as the chapters progress the English of the narrator is becoming better. The definition of the word at the start of each chapters holds the deeper meaning of that short chapter theme.

I enjoyed this for the view it gave me of the English to Chi More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 07, 2011

Osho rated it:

Both funny and poignant, this novel uses a word and definition to open each chapter of the narrator's diary or notebook. A student from China in England, she writes in English, which improves over time, as does her ability to express more complex and nuanced ideas and emotions. At times it's hilarious and the observations pithy; at others it is a tale of protracted yearning. A very enjoyable novel, perhaps especially so for English as a Foreign Language teachers.

2 comments like (2 people liked it)

Aug 23, 2008

Gitta rated it:

Craggy, life-size account of a Chinese woman's experiences when she arrives in London to learn English and falls in love with an English man.

I was a bit disappointed by the inconsistent use of 'bad' English; the conceit of learning vocabulary, grammatical rules etc doesn't work as well when, early in the book, she's using 'me' and 'I" quite well, and then lapses completely much later on when it's the focus of a chapter.
As a bilingual writer I would have expected more accu More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jun 30, 2008

Lee rated it:

I completely identified with this book because it brilliantly captures the feeling of immersing oneself in a foreign language and culture. What happens when you begin to fluently speak, live and love in another language is fascinating. What the author conveys so well here is how the beliefs impregnated within the language alter how you interact with people and conduct relationships.

I loved Z and her practical wisdom. Her 5 week solo travel stint through Europe in many ways felt More...

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Mar 04, 2008

brian rated it:

What a beautiful little book. What a tragic love story. What a sexual coming-of-age tale. What a narrative on the Everyman being a broken man. What an account of the cultural differences between the east and the west. What an illustration of an asian woman in western society.

This is a powerful book about love in a modern relationship told through a captivating narrative.

In the beginning and in the end it is a love story -- a very sad love story but a completely realisti More...

2 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jun 16, 2007

Jessica rated it:

A young Chinese woman comes to London to study English for a year. As she learns the language, she also learns about love and independence. The language in the book changes, starting with very poor, stilted English, peppered with errors, to near-fluent English at the end.

I really liked the concept of the book and it was a lot of fun to read the main characters language at the beginning, as she tries to learn English. Although I liked the style, I didn't care much for the sto More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 08, 2009

Adrienne added it

My step-mother gave it to my sister for Xmas, but she had already read it, so she gave it to me. She says that she loved it though and it like changed her life, and she actually skipped class to read it. It's fun reading books that mean a lot to other people.

Twenty-three year old Z, of the unpronounceable (at least to British people) name, moves to London for a year to study English. Due to a linguistic misunderstanding, she ends up moving in with a British man in his forties, who beco More...

2 comments like

Jan 04, 2012

Aina rated it:

This turned out to be a surprisingly good book for me, as I didn't expect at first when I started reading it.

Guo has written this story about a young, curious, quirky Chinese girl (she insists that people call her Z, because her Chinese name is too complicated for them to pronounce anyway, but begins with a Z), whom meets an older Englishman in London, and through some language misunderstandings ends up living with him, and having an affair. The book is intentionally written with some More...

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Aug 04, 2011

Vanessa rated it:

My boyfriend (who is English and reads the Guardian) gave me this book. My flatmate (who is Chinese and reads Grazia) borrowed it without asking. That's the trouble with talking to your flatmate about books. This week she's gone off to Austria with my copy of Candy (by Mian Mian) because I made the mistake of telling her how much I was enjoying it.

Back to this one by Xiaolu Guo. I avoided it for a while because it's written in bad English. My boyfriend found this cute but it's not good More...

2 comments like (2 people liked it)

Apr 09, 2011

julia rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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Mar 02, 2011

Kathleen rated it:

A new woman from our book club recommended this book. I'm interested in cross-cultural relations. Yup, this is about a Chinese young woman meeting a middle-aged (deadbeat?!) Englishman. Lots of miscommunication -- between cultures - British and Chinese; and men and women. At times, it was amusing as we read the story through the eyes of a Chinese woman learning English. Also, it's a story of sexual-awakening - yup, another awakening! I like this quote (from the back of the book) - "L More...

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Aug 18, 2010

Anna rated it:

I've purchased this book twice and read it many times. It makes me sad to give it away, but I can't keep carrying it around the world.

This is a story about love, but it's also a story about culture clash, and language, and misunderstandings. The cover copy tells me it's a comedy, but I mostly found it sad, and it left me longing.

The story itself is about Zhuang Xiao Qiao (she calls herself Z), who begins by arriving in London for a year-long study abroad program to learn English.

More...

4 comments like

Aug 11, 2010

Judy rated it:

I'm not quite sure how feel about this book. What I liked, as many people mentioned, was the style. I thought the Chinglish felt natural and I often laughed at how Z misplaced words or made silly assumptions. I liked the progression from broken English to someone with a basic grasp of the language.

What I didn't like at all was Z herself. Her personality and her actions repulse me on many levels. I'm not sure why a country girl who immigrates to England would simply move in with a ma More...

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Jul 26, 2010

Andy rated it:

I was going to pick this up a while back but something held me back, until I found it cheap in sale. Portraying it as a romantic comedy is slightly misleading. There is humour, initially and broadly from the poor use and understanding of the English language from 'Z' and her unwitting observations and then later from more intricate understanding of nationality and individuality. But it's no rom-com.

The romance and indeed the central relationship between him and her never comes a More...

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Jun 27, 2010

Joon rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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Mar 20, 2010

Ursula rated it:

(I have a paperback Advance Reading Copy.)

I had picked up this book ages ago and read the first few pages, then been put off by the broken English the beginning is written in. ("Is unbelievable, I arriving London, "Heathlow Airport". Every single name very difficult remembering, because just not "London Airport".) However, when I picked it up again and gave it another try, I found it very easy to get into the rhythm of the writing. Particularly if you know a More...

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Dec 01, 2009

Josh rated it:

Actually three and a half stars. An extremely interesting book. The question is: who does one sympathize with in this love story? I can't figure it out, and my mind kept changing throughout the text. Is the young Chinese woman (abroad for the first time in London to study English and falling in love with an older British man) to be admired for the clarity and simplicity with which she sees the world? Respected for her earnest and hard-fought struggle with a foreign culture? And empowered by her More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 26, 2009

Sonia rated it:

A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers
Author: Xiaolu Guo

When Zhuang arrives in London for her studies in English, everything is so different for her, observations of her Hostel, food and London and even her teacher, Mrs. Margaret are extremely funny, everything is strange, everything is new, not always pleasant but new, there are phrases like
‘Sorry for my English”, or ‘ Now I am studying hard on English, soon I stealing their language too’
Soon she meets More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jan 01, 2011

Bhargavi rated it:

Sometimes when you read a book that makes you laugh and cry all at once and you wonder what kind of a book that is- a good one, I have realized .Xiaolu's book is a poignant ,yet funny tale of a young Chinese girl who arrives in London with shiny eyes and unending reserves of curiosity to learn English.Written in the first person narrative,almost like a diary,the first 100 odd pages almost reads like a chicklit - breezy and funny. As the protagonist, Z tackles English breakfasts,the infamous" More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 24, 2010

Arthur rated it:

Written in delicious pidgin, this novel details the experiences of an acutely perceptive 23 year-old female Chinese student facing daily life in London for her first time in the West.

While all 352 pages will pass for a light read in a few hilarious hours, this book deserves slow and thoughtful attention for surprising insights into the Chinese mindset as the main character works her way through the culture bumps of daily life.

Blurb Excerpts
Amy Tan qualifies Concise More...

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Feb 07, 2011

Mizumi rated it:

Like said earlier, quite an interesting read. Most books about cultural differences are seen from the view point of a westerner going east or someplace else. This time, a girl from China comes to Europe, and we get a Chinese view on our European habits and languages. So the other way around, which makes you question everyday things you normally wouldn't think twice about. There's also some Chinese and Chinese ways of thinking in the book, and some small drawings or writings, which gives you the More...

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Apr 06, 2011

Jessica rated it:

Conceptually interesting, but I think the concept also limits the book's impact. The book is a diary of a young Chinese woman who leaves China for the first time in her life to spend a year studying English in London. The entries begin in broken English and improve along with her fluency, so subtly you only scarcely realize it's happening. She falls in love but gradually comes to realize that in spite of their ever-increasing ability to communicate, they haven't ever truly been able to understan More...

3 comments like

Aug 01, 2011

Jade rated it:

When I first read this book, there are many grammar confusions so I skipped them. But Later on in the book, I started to realized that perhaps she made those mistake on purpose. Me too, is also from a Mandarin speaking country. If one translate some of the grammar in the book, one can totally see what she really meant. For example, the past/current tense in the chapter when she talks about "LOVE" It was not just a simple grammar mistake.
The story line is easy to related to for me More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 23, 2011

Natalia Pì rated it:

I liked this book very much, for several reasons.
The story of a young Chinese girl from the south of the country, who moves to London to learn English, and then learns a lot more than just the language. It's a sweet, melancholy bildungsroman about a girl coming of age, who becomes a woman away from home, experiencing things she would never have imagined back home, exploring a different world and a different soul.
The cultural traps that can slowly poison a relationship between two peop More...

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Apr 08, 2011

Neury72 rated it:

Ce livre permet de comprendre l'immersion d'une Chinoise dans un Londres contemporain sous fond d'histoire d'amour. Car il s'agit d'une histoire d'amour avant tout et de cultures également.

Ce qui est attachant reste l'apprentissage de la langue, la progression du personnage principal qui se révèle au fur et à mesure des pages. Non seulement elle apprend une langue, un mode de vie à l'occidental, l'amour, mais également soi-même, sans tabou et sans complexe.

La sincé More...

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Jul 25, 2011

Gretchen rated it:

This book has an unusual structure which I found made it difficult to get into the story, but once I engaged, it was a good read. The chapters are very short and are chronological. Each begins with a definition of and English word from the Chinese-English dictionary that 23 year old Z, from China, is using during her year in London where she has come to learn English. She quickly links up with a sculptor (referred to only as “you”) who is 20 years her senior and with whom she lives. It is to More...

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