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66th out of 1,003 books
—
2,195 voters
Girl in Translation
by
Jean Kwok (Goodreads Author)
Introducing a fresh, exciting Chinese-American voice, an inspiring debut about an immigrant girl forced to choose between two worlds and two futures.
When Kimberly Chang and her mother emigrate from Hong Kong to Brooklyn squalor, she quickly begins a secret double life: exceptional schoolgirl during the day, Chinatown sweatshop worker in the evenings. Disguising the more di...more
When Kimberly Chang and her mother emigrate from Hong Kong to Brooklyn squalor, she quickly begins a secret double life: exceptional schoolgirl during the day, Chinatown sweatshop worker in the evenings. Disguising the more di...more
Hardcover, 304 pages
Published
April 29th 2010
by Riverhead
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I've never read a book that described more accurately what it is like to be an Asian American immigrant.
It's like Ms. Kwok took pieces of my own experience (growing up in a cockroach-infested apartment with parents scraping by by working multiple menial jobs), and lines lifted from my friends' stories (calling an eraser a rubber, telling parents report cards came out only at the end of the year) and merged them with a thrilling and thoroughly absorbing story.
The novel takes the Chinese immigrant...more
It's like Ms. Kwok took pieces of my own experience (growing up in a cockroach-infested apartment with parents scraping by by working multiple menial jobs), and lines lifted from my friends' stories (calling an eraser a rubber, telling parents report cards came out only at the end of the year) and merged them with a thrilling and thoroughly absorbing story.
The novel takes the Chinese immigrant...more
I'm very hesitant to review this book, mostly because I'm not quite sure how to put to words what it is that reading this has made me feel.
It is at once both very familiar, and yet completely foreign. The Cantonese, the way that the author translates the slang and the phrases, the cultural traditions, the deeply embedded lifestyle that is Chinese pride and saving face...when I read about that, it was like something sparked in my blood. This part, I understand, and I have lived.
But then there's t...more
It is at once both very familiar, and yet completely foreign. The Cantonese, the way that the author translates the slang and the phrases, the cultural traditions, the deeply embedded lifestyle that is Chinese pride and saving face...when I read about that, it was like something sparked in my blood. This part, I understand, and I have lived.
But then there's t...more
Somehow, I managed to finish this book, though I complained about it the entire time (I know, my own fault, I should have shut up or stopped reading it). I could not understand the rave reviews about it and couldn't fathom that people had read the same book that I was reading until I realized a consistent flaw in how we review both books and film: too often, people are praising the story itself rather than the telling of the story. Which is what I believe happened with this book. I suffered thro...more
6 likes · like · see review
Weird and disappointing to have the exact same reaction to two consecutive novels (both on Amazon's list of best books of 2010, incidentally) -- the story had potential, but was told way too superficially. Only this book was actually less enjoyable for me than Secret Daughter, the last book I read.
I felt like I'd read this story many times before. Eleven-year-old Kimberly emigrates from Hong Kong to the U.S. with her impoverished widowed mother in seek of a better life; the two struggle with adv...more
I felt like I'd read this story many times before. Eleven-year-old Kimberly emigrates from Hong Kong to the U.S. with her impoverished widowed mother in seek of a better life; the two struggle with adv...more
6 likes · like · see review
Remember the popular song in the 90s, It's a Hard Knock Life? That song kept popping into my head as I read this novel. For Kimberly, a Chinese immigrant residing in the slums of Brooklyn, it's a hard knock life indeed. Her mother and her come from Hong Kong when Kimberly is approximately eleven years of age and fully dependent on Aunt Paula, a jealous relative, they find themselves living intimately with roaches and rats in a garbage-bag-in-place-of-windows, illegal apartment with no heat or ai...more
13 likes · like · see review
It's as if Jean Kwok and Nicholas Sparks made sweet love and had a literary baby named "Girl in Translation." This book is yet another coming of age novel that fails to set itself apart within its genre.
Kimberly, a Chinese immigrant, moves to Brooklyn, New York, with her mother. Speaking minimal English, when she arrives, Kimberly begins to navigate her way through a new school, city and culture, enduring through hardships left and right. They live in a condemned apartment building; work in a s...more
Kimberly, a Chinese immigrant, moves to Brooklyn, New York, with her mother. Speaking minimal English, when she arrives, Kimberly begins to navigate her way through a new school, city and culture, enduring through hardships left and right. They live in a condemned apartment building; work in a s...more
15 likes · like · see review
Girl in Translation is a walk in the shoes of Kimberly, a child immigrant caught in an exploitative labor trap upon arriving in America from Hong Kong. Because she is a uniquely gifted child, there is a chance of Kim escaping her crushing reality.
Her story compassionately explores why and how she and others make momentous choices, and leads us to the brink of a pivotal moment in Kim's life.
I liked the humanity of the characters. Most of Kim's confusion - at being immersed in a strange culture -...more
Her story compassionately explores why and how she and others make momentous choices, and leads us to the brink of a pivotal moment in Kim's life.
I liked the humanity of the characters. Most of Kim's confusion - at being immersed in a strange culture -...more
5 likes · like · see review
Jean Kwok, Girl in Translation, mirrors the life of the author. Kimberly Chiang emigrates from Hong Kong to New York with her mother to seek a better life in America. Fatherless, she and her mother are thrown into the indentured servitude by their devious, greedy and cunning aunt. As Kimberly adjusts to her new life, she finds school is very different from Hong Kong. The star student struggles academically and is teased mercilessly. Finally after tremendous hard work and perseverance her talents...more
Girl in Translation is the story of Kimberly Chang, an eleven-year old girl who arrives in Brooklyn from Hong Kong with her widowed mother. Their immigration has been arranged and paid for by Aunt Paula, her mother’s older sister. They are hopeful -- and why not? America is the country where dreams come true.
Every novel needs a villain and here it’s Aunt Paula who takes on the role. Having paid for bringing her sister and niece to America, she now feels they owe her total obedience for the rest...more
Every novel needs a villain and here it’s Aunt Paula who takes on the role. Having paid for bringing her sister and niece to America, she now feels they owe her total obedience for the rest...more
This is a favorite for me. I listened to the audiobook and, if you can, I highly suggest that be the way you "read" this book. The narrator does a fantastic job with the Chinese accent.
Having grown up in a lower income area in the 80's I had the opportunity to be around many Cambodian, Vietnamese, Korean and Chinese families newly immigrated to the US. I remember the way these people were treated, with uncertainty and sometimes just downright rudeness. Unfortunately, its much the same way the ea...more
Having grown up in a lower income area in the 80's I had the opportunity to be around many Cambodian, Vietnamese, Korean and Chinese families newly immigrated to the US. I remember the way these people were treated, with uncertainty and sometimes just downright rudeness. Unfortunately, its much the same way the ea...more
3 likes · like · see review
Exactly the kind of book I enjoy: immigrant family, conflicts between cultures, love story. I enjoyed it very much.
I loved this book, even the epilogue, which I know some didn't care for.
Having a son in a duel immersion Chinese program at school, I was so drawn into Ah-Kim's adjustments to life in America. I often thought of my son's Taiwanese teacher & how hard it must be to pull up roots and move to a new country that is so different.
I actually listened to this book and loved the voice of Ah-Kim. I felt this book was very well written and drew me in immediately.
I enjoyed watching Kimberly learn and g...more
Having a son in a duel immersion Chinese program at school, I was so drawn into Ah-Kim's adjustments to life in America. I often thought of my son's Taiwanese teacher & how hard it must be to pull up roots and move to a new country that is so different.
I actually listened to this book and loved the voice of Ah-Kim. I felt this book was very well written and drew me in immediately.
I enjoyed watching Kimberly learn and g...more
Probably not a fair criticism, but I was confused by the many similarities between the author's life and the main character's story.
If Girl In Translation had been non-fiction, I'd rate it as three stars. I liked the insights into the immigrant experience and applauded her successes.
As a work of fiction this was flat and dry. Two stars is generous.
This flatness would be OK if this was a memoir.
If this is 90% based on the author's life, I wish she had the courage to add the remaining 10%, make...more
If Girl In Translation had been non-fiction, I'd rate it as three stars. I liked the insights into the immigrant experience and applauded her successes.
As a work of fiction this was flat and dry. Two stars is generous.
This flatness would be OK if this was a memoir.
If this is 90% based on the author's life, I wish she had the courage to add the remaining 10%, make...more
Reseña publicada en: http://www.desvandesuenos.com/2011/07...
Tengo que decir que la obra me atrajo desde el primer momento en que la vi y estoy encantada de haber tenido la oportunidad de leerla porque me ha hecho experimentar muchas sensaciones y reflexionar bastante sobre la vida. La novela narra la historia de una niña china que emigra con su madre a Estados Unidos y que se asienta en el barrio neoyorkino de Brooklyn. Su situación nada más llegar es muy precaria: no tienen apenas dinero porqu...more
Tengo que decir que la obra me atrajo desde el primer momento en que la vi y estoy encantada de haber tenido la oportunidad de leerla porque me ha hecho experimentar muchas sensaciones y reflexionar bastante sobre la vida. La novela narra la historia de una niña china que emigra con su madre a Estados Unidos y que se asienta en el barrio neoyorkino de Brooklyn. Su situación nada más llegar es muy precaria: no tienen apenas dinero porqu...more
When Kimberly Chang and her mother emigrate from Hong Kong to Brooklyn, Kimberly begins a secret double life: exceptional schoolgirl during the day, Chinatown sweatshop worker at night. Disguising the difficult truths of her life - like the extent of her poverty, the degree to which her family's future rests on her, or her secret love for a factory boy who shares none of her talent or ambition - Kimberly learns to constantly translate not just her language but herself between the worlds she stra...more
It is coming of age book (a young person's transition from childhood to adulthood) about immigrant girl Kimberly. It is story about hardship and triumph, heartbreak and love. As People Magazine describes "Kwok drops you right inside Kimberly's head, adding Chinese idioms to crisp dialogue. And the book's lesson--that every choice comes at the expense of something else--hits home in every language." — People Magazine, 3.5 out of 4 stars. Those who will read the book and will look at author’s biog...more
Girl in translation is about a young girl, Kimberly and her mother who emigrated from Hong Kong, China and their struggle to make it in this new world. When they get to America, they speak basically no English, but are helped by Kimberly's aunt and uncle who own a sweatshop in chinatown. They have no money, and live in a terrible little apartment that has no heat and no furniture but a stove, bathroom and a mattress. Kimberly's mom works at the sweatshop all day, while Kimberly goes to school du...more
A touching look at the life of immigrants from China in present day New York. I say "present day" because there's a digital radio mentioned, and a television. But my first thought was that this novel must have been set in the early 20th century, because how in the world could people still live like that?? The windows with no glass, the roaches, the mice. It's truly unbelievable, but such is the life depicted in the lower East side where Kimberley and her "ma" are taken by her Aunt Paula upon the...more
The first thirteen chapters of this book were extraordinary. I literally could not remember that I was reading a work of fiction. Kwok crafted brilliant, stirring scenes that cast clear and frightening light on the daily tribulations of non-English speaking immigrants. Her exploration of language barriers, cultural confusion, peer exploitation, and isolation were heartrending (and I'm fairly certain I don't actually have a heart). This book was well on its way to my 5-star keeper shelf. And then...more
This book brings up cultural differences, third culture kids, family debts, and socioeconomic issues. I was exposed not only to the struggles that many immigrants make, but it also made me realize how selfish people can be in these situations. I also realized how many things that we think we have gotten over a society still exist: sweatshops, unlivable houses without heat and windows, etc. I realized how poor education is in some places, and how many teachers there are unaware of the socioeconom...more
From time to time, ,I love to read books that I could really connect to so I could sympathize with them or say "I TOTALLY know how this feels or what she's talking about"
It starts with a little girl named Kimberly Chang when her and her mother moved to New York from Hong Kong. They had a rough start in the beginning, having to live in a rundown apartment, working at a Chinatown sweatshop, and struggling with the English language. Oddly enough, Kimberly was eager to fit in with the American girl...more
It starts with a little girl named Kimberly Chang when her and her mother moved to New York from Hong Kong. They had a rough start in the beginning, having to live in a rundown apartment, working at a Chinatown sweatshop, and struggling with the English language. Oddly enough, Kimberly was eager to fit in with the American girl...more
This is a story of a Chinese mother and daughter who emigrate from China to America (NYC) with the help of the mother's older sister. They have a large debt to pay off to the older sister so the mom works in her clothing factory under sweatshop conditions (extreme heat, extreme hours, reduced pay). Kim, her daughter, is forced to help out at the factory so they can make enough to survive. They live in an apartment infested with cockroaches and mice and no heat. Kim speaks little English at first...more
Ive read this book twice now, once on my own and several years later for book group. Both times I had the same experience. I just love the first half of so when she is younger and they are struggling to learn English and American ways. As she assimilates I find my attention moving to anger at the heartless aunt who has them in virtual bondage, living in a condemned building without heat, working 12 or more hours a day. Kim is a hard working student struggling to balance her school and economic d...more
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This book is a harsh yet beautiful chronicle of Kimberly Chang and her mother's experience as new immigrants to the United States. They arrived in the US speaking very little English and at the mercy of her mother's sister who quickly puts them to work in her Chinatown sweatshop and has them living in squalor in a condemned apartment building.
Kimberly and her mother persevere against all the odds as they slowly carve out an existence for themselves and Kimberly is forced to grow up and take on a...more
Kimberly and her mother persevere against all the odds as they slowly carve out an existence for themselves and Kimberly is forced to grow up and take on a...more
The writer in me was not all that impressed with this novel. The stage business is pretty hum-drum (lots of staring and blinking and that sort of thing), and the romance is a bit overwrought. Kwok builds a world quite well and her characterization is wonderful, but she pulls back from the tension almost every time she gets her characters into trouble. That's not to say her characters don't have problems; they clearly do. But the story is never as poignant or heartbreaking as it should be because...more
1 like · like · see review
This one will haunt me for a while. Literally, it might keep me up at night. There is nothing that gets under my skin like a lack of communication's effects on love (heavy sigh). Anyway, Kimberly's voice was straight forward and honest. Allowing the reader to both understand and identify, without it becoming one big sob story. I loved how the author included so many "chineseisms" and thus showing her need to translate her entire existence. I found myself strangely able to identify with Kimberly....more
Excellent story. Have to wonder if life like that goes on (and why we can't make things better???). Must be nice to have such a talent, but how about those who don't. Are they consigned to their poor lives forever?????
When Kimberly Chang and her mother emigrate from Hong Kong to Brooklyn squalor, she quickly begins a secret double life: exceptional schoolgirl during the day, Chinatown sweatshop worker in the evenings. Disguising the more difficult truths of her life like the staggering degree o...more
When Kimberly Chang and her mother emigrate from Hong Kong to Brooklyn squalor, she quickly begins a secret double life: exceptional schoolgirl during the day, Chinatown sweatshop worker in the evenings. Disguising the more difficult truths of her life like the staggering degree o...more
It started out a bit slow, but became more and more fascinating. I think I would have enjoyed the book more as a biography/memoir since so much of the story is the author's own experience and it's written in a first person narrative. I did find some of it hard to believe, but without spoiling the story, I can't tell you about it here. Since I also moved to the US at a young age, fourteen, I found a few parallels in the not understanding the codes. No matter if we move far or only a short distanc...more
by Jean Kwok
AR Level 5.7
I should start by saying I just read this book in about 32 hours--I couldn't put it down! The story was so interesting and compelling, and I just really wanted to know what would happen to Kimberly. Kimberly and her mom immigrate to Brooklyn, NY from Hong Kong when Kimberly is in 5th grade. She and her mom are so poor that they live in an apartment in a condemned building--for 7 years! No one is supposed to be living there. Their apartment has no heat, and many broken pan...more
AR Level 5.7
I should start by saying I just read this book in about 32 hours--I couldn't put it down! The story was so interesting and compelling, and I just really wanted to know what would happen to Kimberly. Kimberly and her mom immigrate to Brooklyn, NY from Hong Kong when Kimberly is in 5th grade. She and her mom are so poor that they live in an apartment in a condemned building--for 7 years! No one is supposed to be living there. Their apartment has no heat, and many broken pan...more
An excellent debut novel portraying the American immigrant experience. The prose was easy to read and clearly described the situation, the gruelling experience, the deplorable living conditions and the challenges of making a life when in debt to family who are only supportive if it is to their benefit. The story is not unique but Kimberley's rise from poverty to a comfortable life is probably the experience and the dream of all asian/chinese immigrants. Education and hard work and maybe karma th...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Which topic did you found interesting in the novel? | 10 | 80 | May 10, 2013 06:38pm | |
| L'Awesome Book Club: Girl in Translation - October 2011 book | 2 | 8 | Oct 08, 2011 02:11am |
Jean Kwok immigrated from Hong Kong to Brooklyn when she was five and worked in a Chinatown clothing factory for much of her childhood. She won early admission to Harvard, where she worked as many as four jobs at a time, and graduated with honors in English and American literature, before going on to earn an MFA in fiction at Columbia.
Her debut novel Girl in Translation (Riverhead, 2010) became a...more
More about Jean Kwok...
Her debut novel Girl in Translation (Riverhead, 2010) became a...more
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“What a relationship looks like on the outside isn't the same as what it's like on the inside. You can be more in love with someone in your mind than with the person you see every day.”
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118 people liked it
“Sometimes our fate is different from the one we imagined for ourselves.”
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