Girl in Translation

By: Jean Kwok

Narrated by: Grayce Wey

Length: 9 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

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 difficult truths of her life--like the staggering degree of her poverty, the weight of her family's future resting on her shoulders, 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 back and forth between the worlds she straddles.

Through Kimberly's story, author Jean Kwok, who also emigrated from Hong Kong as a young girl, brings to the page the lives of countless immigrants who are caught between the pressure to succeed in America, their duty to their family, and their own personal desires, exposing a world that we rarely hear about. Written in an indelible voice that dramatizes the tensions of an immigrant girl growing up between two cultures, surrounded by a language and world only half understood, Girl in Translation is an unforgettable and classic novel of an American immigrant--a moving tale of hardship and triumph, heartbreak and love, and all that gets lost in translation.

©2010 Jean Kwok (P)2010 Penguin

Critic reviews

"Searing debut novel... poignant." (USA Today)

"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)

"Consistently compelling." (Entertainment Weekly)

Great story

What made the experience of listening to Girl in Translation the most enjoyable?

The narrator did a great job with all the characters. She made you feel the environment that the characters lived in

Who was your favorite character and why?

The main character

Which character ??? as performed by Grayce Wey ??? was your favorite?

The aunt

If you could rename Girl in Translation, what would you call it?

N/A

Any additional comments?

No

Marvelous!!!

I love this book!!! Great story and performance! It's very inspiring, give a better understand the hard work pays off.

Cultural Exploration

What made the experience of listening to Girl in Translation the most enjoyable?

The story tells about immigrant's poverty and how a culture can limit (for a time) overcoming poverty.

You begin to understand why these characters are locked into their fate, but how other parts of their culture can help free them from their fate.

What does Grayce Wey bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She does an excellent job of differentiating the characters so that you don't have to think about it.

Any additional comments?

This book qualifies as literature.

Vivid story

What a great vivid story of a Chinese girl and her transition from life in Hong Kong to NYC. I enjoyed her courage to face her fears and fight for her family while living through such hardships.

Cool but the Performance is Questionable

If you could sum up Girl in Translation in three words, what would they be?

Uplifting
Tragic
Weird Ending

What was one of the most memorable moments of Girl in Translation?

The Asian accent used by the reader.

What didn’t you like about Grayce Wey’s performance?

Her use of an Asian accent was a little off putting.

A glimpse into a different world

Could hardly stop listening. The story of a girl in highschool at the same time I was but such a different world. One hard for me to imagine but needing to be. The sad truth is that some still live in such circumstances and most of us are so oblivious to them. Beautifully written, it was easy to imagine the main character and what was going through her mind trying to reconcile the two halves of herself.

Fabulous story and narration!

What made the experience of listening to Girl in Translation the most enjoyable?

Narration and the character development! Story told perfectly!

Which scene was your favorite?

The sadness of the stuffed toy fabric.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Kimberly's love of Matt yet knowing it could never work.

Believable story and enjoyable read.

Would you listen to Girl in Translation again? Why?

I don't usually listen to or read books a second time, so no. Otherwise I enjoyed the story. It was slightly dry in places, but I know that this story is true for many people who come to the US to start over. I am amazed at the sacrifice many people make to try and make life for their children better. Even giving up love.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Girl in Translation?

This little girls determination at a young age to make life better for her and her mother. I loved her tenacity. She was not afraid to speak her mind, which got her into trouble occasionally. A girl after my own heart.

Have you listened to any of Grayce Wey’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I enjoyed Wey's performance very much. A few reviewers remarked that they did not think she sounded authentic. They must not know any Chinese immigrants. I think she did a GREAT job. She sounded just like people I know, all of the characters in the story. In fact, I have a neighbor who immigrated to the U.S. about 20 years ago. I may ask her to listen and see what she thinks.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I did not want to listen in one sitting, probably because I never do that anyway, but I needed a break occasionally. I listened to it more often during the day during the last half of the story though.

This is a keeper

I have never written a review before although I have listened to audiobooks for years. "Girl in Translation" should come with a warning - "Do not expect to get anything done once you start this book!" The reader was wonderful and I hope to hear more of her work. A reader can, of course, only be as good as the book and hopefully Jean Kwok will follow this with another of the same quality. My only disappointment was when I heard "12 years later" and realized there was only 33 minutes left in the book. This book is a great read!

Hope, Dreams and Determination

What a wonderful book. The story of Kimberly, a sixth grader and her Ma emigrating from Hong Kong to Brooklyn. Under the sponsorship and guise of her “well-meaning” Aunt Paula, Kimberly and her mother think they are being looked after. Instead they are used as slave/child labour in her sweatshop making pennies a day and living in Aunt Paula’s heatless, roach and rat-infested apartment slated for demolition. Kimberly goes to school all day and works all evening to help pay back their debt to Aunt Paula, to pay rent, to pay for food. But Kimberly has a gift. Besides being brilliant, she has spunk, guts, and the ability to keep things in perspective. She is a wonderful character, full of pride and heart. Kwok effectively used many Chinese idioms throughout the book that were interesting, thought provoking and gave the reader a glimpse into Chinese culture. This coming of age story takes Kimberly from a caterpillar slug and follows her journey till she emerges as a butterfly. She makes many hard choices along the way and there are questions in the reader’s mind whether those choices were right or wrong, but they are made methodically and with justification, at least in Kimberly’s mind. She thinks with her head and not her heart. Is that the one fault that rules her life? That’s up to the reader to decide.
If there is anything negative I have to say about the book, it is that it was too short. Kwok had an opportunity to uncover so many more layers and I would have eaten them up. I certainly hope she comes out with a sequel and soon.
The narrator was superb and added much personality to this book.