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Karin Tanabe

Goodreads Author

Born

Washington, DC, The United States

Website

http://www.karintanabe.com

Twitter

karintanabe

Genre

Historical Fiction, Fiction

Member Since

April 2012

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KARIN TANABE is the author of six novels, including A Hundred Suns and The Gilded Years (soon to be a major motion picture starring Zendaya, who will produce alongside Reese Witherspoon/Hello Sunshine). A former Politico reporter, she has also written for The Washington Post, the Miami Herald, the Chicago Tribune, and Newsday. She has appeared as a celebrity and politics expert on Entertainment Tonight, CNN, and CBS Early Show. A graduate of Vassar College, Karin lives in Washington, D.C.

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Popular Answered Questions

Do you have a favorite quote from your novel, The Gilded Years? I thought it was brilliantly written and a truly phenomenal story that needed to be told. I would love to hear your thoughts on some of your best quotes!!

Karin Tanabe Hi May,

Thanks for your question and I'm so glad you enjoyed the book. Anita's story is such a fascinating one. I wasn't familiar with it when I was at…moreHi May,

Thanks for your question and I'm so glad you enjoyed the book. Anita's story is such a fascinating one. I wasn't familiar with it when I was at Vassar, but when I learned about it in adulthood, I immediately thought it had to be told.

Quotes! I definitely have some favorites. On page 24, the following still sticks out in my mind:

"She could not protest. So she sat, nodded again, and went through the motions she had perfected through so many years of practice. And inside her thin shirtwaist, her heartbeat took off like a deer in the woods."

I like this particular line because it shows early on how practiced Anita is when facing racism. Part of passing was certainly being a great pretender, which she is, but it also shows how much she is impacted by the words of her peers, hence her heart taking off. I also still remember sitting in a library writing this phrase and wanting to find the perfect way to describe Anita's heartbeat. It took a few revisions, but that jolt of a startled deer I think describes it pretty well.

On page 173:

"Negro or not, you've been top of your class again and again. So no, you are not a coward. That school, those people, they are the cowards."

I like this line said by Bessie because it really reminds Anita that she is the brave one, the smart one, and that it's the policies that she has to get around by passing that are wrong.

On page 209, it's a short line, but I like it because it really reminds me of Edith Wharton, whose writing was a big inspiration for me for the New York scenes of the book.

"The faces in New York change, but the last names seldom do."

Thank you for posting!

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Karin, when did you realize yourself as a writer? After writing first book, publishing , success or …? You know this feeling inside «I am truly a writer»

Karin Tanabe Hi Mariia, many thanks for the question! I think when writing becomes something you do a lot of, maybe weekly, maybe daily, and you really enjoy it, t…moreHi Mariia, many thanks for the question! I think when writing becomes something you do a lot of, maybe weekly, maybe daily, and you really enjoy it, then you're a writer. Getting published is of course lovely, but it doesn't make you a writer. I think I was a writer way before I was published, because I did it every day and enjoyed what can be a very lonely process. As Rilke said so well, "Works of art are of an infinite loneliness." But one writers find energy and fulfillment in. Take care. (less)

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Karin Tanabe’s books

Average rating: 3.75 · 20,303 ratings · 2,894 reviews · 7 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Gilded Years 3.87 avg rating — 7,915 ratings — published 2016 — 13 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Woman of Intelligence 3.59 avg rating — 5,196 ratings — published 2021 — 11 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Diplomat's Daughter 3.86 avg rating — 3,167 ratings — published 2017 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Hundred Suns 3.82 avg rating — 2,070 ratings — published 2020 — 12 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The List 3.33 avg rating — 1,224 ratings — published 2013 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Price of Inheritance 3.68 avg rating — 666 ratings — published 2014 — 9 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Sunset Crowd 3.66 avg rating — 65 ratings — expected publication 2023 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Karin Tanabe's Blog

The Price of Inheritance Out Today!

I am so, so excited that The Price of Inheritance is finally out! I hope you fall in love with the art mystery at the center of this book, and with my main characters Carolyn Everett and Tyler Ford.

Thank you for your support and happy reading! I hope there is a beach with your name on it to read this on.

xo Karin

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Published on August 05, 2014 07:37

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Karin is Currently Reading

Karin is currently reading

Carol

by Claire Morgan

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Jun 05, 2020 03:20AM

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The Poisonwood Bible

by Barbara Kingsolver

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Aug 20, 2016 11:07AM

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Bastard Out of Carolina

by Dorothy Allison

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Aug 20, 2016 08:00AM

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Karin’s Recent Updates

Karin wants to read The Sunset Crowd by Karin Tanabe (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 25, 2023 09:22PM · 1 like · like
Karin answered B Warne's question: Did you know you book is also listed under the author Joseph Flores? It has your cover with your name but on the page he is listed as the author. Here is the other page: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58656329-a-woman-of-intelligence-a-novel-of-suspense Thank you for flagging! This is the second time this has come up. My publisher tried to get it removed, but clearly we need to try again. Appreciate it! -Karin
Apr 11, 2022 12:01PM · like
Karin made a comment on her review of A Woman of Intelligence " Odette wrote: "Thanks for sharing this Karin, this plot line resonated with me a lot. Appreciate your honesty and writing a book to help know we are n ...more "
Jan 04, 2022 07:03PM · see review
Karin voted for Yellow Wife as Best Historical Fiction in the Final Round of the 2021 Goodreads Choice Awards. Cast Your Vote
Nov 30, 2021 09:51AM · 1 like · like
Karin has read The Show Girl by Nicola Harrison (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 28, 2021 02:53PM · 6 likes · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Show Girl by Nicola Harrison. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Show Girl by Nicola Harrison <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

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Quotes by Karin Tanabe (?)

“A man who was not my husband, and would never be my husband, because he had no prospects or common sense. That was the best kind of man to have attached to you in a subway.”
― Karin Tanabe, A Woman of Intelligence

1 likes

“Brains are more effective than beauty. Only the world tries to make women forget it. They don't want us to be too smart ... They're scared that if they encourage it, we'll end up more intelligent than the men. With the secret being ... that we already are.”
― Karin Tanabe, A Hundred Suns

tags: beauty, brains, intelligence, intelligent, men, smart, smarter, women

1 likes

“I want to sleep next to you and listen to you exist.”
― Karin Tanabe, The Gilded Years

tags: love

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Polls

YLTO Member's Choice Awards - Debut Author

Anthony Marra author of A Constellation of Vital Phenomena

1 vote, 33.3%

Helene Wecker author of The Golem and the Jinni

1 vote, 33.3%

Edward Kelsey Moore author of The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat

1 vote, 33.3%

Glennon Melton author of Carry On, Warrior: The real truth about being a woman

0 votes, 0.0%

Kate Southwood author of Falling to Earth

0 votes, 0.0%

Emily Murdoch author of If You Find Me

0 votes, 0.0%

Mary Miley author of The Impersonator

0 votes, 0.0%

Karin Tanabe author of The List: A Novel

0 votes, 0.0%

Gavin Extence author of The Universe Versus Alex Woods

0 votes, 0.0%

3 total votes

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