Helpful Score: 4
I absolutely loved this book. Beautifully written debut effort. The immigrant story and Kimberly's journey resonated with me on so many levels. My father, too, worked in a factory as a child. We, too, lived in poverty in NYC in cold water flats barely scraping by. I, too, excelled in school and was offered a full scholarship to a prestigious preparatory school. But, unlike Kimberly, I didn't grab the opportunity. I admired Kimberly's persistance and dedication as she struggles to carve a new life for herself and her mother through her hard work and study. I cheered for her, cried for her and will never forget her story. I look forward to Ms. Kwok's next effort with anticipation. Very highly recommended!
Helpful Score: 3
Loved, loved, loved this book! As an avid reader, I had a feeling that this book would turn out the way it did, except it managed to exceed my expectations! It is a beautiful story, filled with so many emotions and life lessons. I have learned that no matter what cards you have been dealt, nothing is off limits when have the determination to succeed. I highly recommend this book - you will not be disappointed!
Helpful Score: 2
I found this story to be tragic and up lifting at the same time. The story is told by Kim, a young Chinese girl, who comes to the US with her mother, they end up working in her Aunt's factory, which is nothing more than a sweat shop. Kim turns out to be an amazingly smart girl, and through her hard work an amazing story is told.
Helpful Score: 2
Girl in Translation is the coming-of-age story of Kimberly Chang, who emigrates with her mother from Hong Kong to New York. Author Jean Kwok successfully transports the reader to the dusty, oppressive sweatshop and heatless, bug-infested apartment where Kimberly and her mother work and live. Thanks to her superior intelligence and hard work, Kimberly overcomes the obstacles and isolation she faces in school and slowly climbs out from extreme poverty to successful adulthood, but not without heartbreaking choices. Knowing that Kwok had similar life experiences added to the profoundness of this debut novel.
Helpful Score: 2
I found this book very interesting and had a hard time putting it down. It gives great insight into Chinese culture, as well as the challenges that immigrants face in the U.S.
Helpful Score: 1
Very well-written, interesting. A good and fast read; I really enjoyed it!
Helpful Score: 1
I really enjoyed the first 3/4 of this book; it was interesting to read about the struggles faced by an immigrant family with a lack of a strong support system. However, my interest waned toward the end as the story seemed more and more superficial, and I could have done without the epilogue altogether. Still would recommend, and still a great read!
I enjoyed this book very much.
Helpful Score: 1
Jean Kwok has written a captivating novel about an 11-year old girl, Kim, and her widowed mother who immigrate from China to the United States. They are sponsored by her Aunt Paula, whose demands upon the two define the meaning of "pound of flesh." Through Aunt Paula's "generosity," they live in an apartment in a soon-to-be-condemned building in Brooklyn, and Kim's mother works in a sweatshop owned by Aunt Paula and Uncle Bob for meager wages, out of which she repays Aunt Paula (with interest) the debts they owe to her. Kim's stellar academic performance eventually provides a way out of their poverty-stricken life.
I really liked the premise of this book. I found myself wondering how many Americans would have the courage and resolve to survive if transported to China under similar conditions. The conclusion is both affirming and heart-rending.
I really liked the premise of this book. I found myself wondering how many Americans would have the courage and resolve to survive if transported to China under similar conditions. The conclusion is both affirming and heart-rending.
Very good - just wish the ending was different, but still a quick & interesting read.
Easy read written beautifully. I loved the flow of the words.
One of the best books I have read in a while. Very interesting, well writen, paced well. You just can't stop reading it. Outstanding first novel. Kimberly and Ma are written are so well you feel like you know them by the end of the book. Highly recommend
I loved this book from beginning to almost the end. I really hated the ending!! What a wonderful story though, despite the bad ending. My favorite thing is that I listened to the book, and the lady that does the reading is amazing! I can't wait for Ms. Kwok's next book!
Warning: Don't start this book if your house needs cleaning, your family wants dinner or you have any of a million other things to do. You will NOT want to put it down! Read it in two days....only took that long because my family did want dinner, laundry needed to be done, etc.
I greatly enjoyed this story of a Chinese adolescent who immigrated from Hong Kong with her mother to NYC.
Okay, and I did care about the little girl and her mother. Of course, I hated the mother's sister who was full of envy. She got the end she deserved.
Really interesting; reads like an autobiography. Is a novel but I'm sure it provides insight into real people's lives and living situations/conditions. I enjoyed it a lot - an easy read.
Enjoyed this book very much. Story of an immigrant who builds her life and matures into a Yale graduate and student.
I loved this story. It follows the life of a young girl as she travels to America from Hong Kong with her mother, and all the way through to adulthood.
I read Girl in Translation for the January theme read in my online book club, The Reading Cove. And to be honest, it read very much like a memoir, not fiction.
I was engaged and pulled into Kimberly Chang's POV initially, but by the last third I was more or less bored. Nothing really happened and for me it was a pretty generic coming-of-age, migrate from China to America de facto memoir. And I really disliked a very inconsiderate and unforgivable choice Kimberly makes in the end, though the narrative seems to treat it as passable.
Would I recommend Girl in Translation? Not unless you've never read a Chinese immigrant novel before. If you have, this may feel redundant. B-/C+
I was engaged and pulled into Kimberly Chang's POV initially, but by the last third I was more or less bored. Nothing really happened and for me it was a pretty generic coming-of-age, migrate from China to America de facto memoir. And I really disliked a very inconsiderate and unforgivable choice Kimberly makes in the end, though the narrative seems to treat it as passable.
Would I recommend Girl in Translation? Not unless you've never read a Chinese immigrant novel before. If you have, this may feel redundant. B-/C+
Very good audio book about a mother and her 11 year-old daughter emigrating from Hong Kong to America and their struggles to make a future in New York City. The story is centered around the daughter and her struggles as a young Chinese girl growing up in American society by day and working with her mother in a factory at night. They live in great poverty, but gradually the daughter builds them a promising future in America.
