• Girl in Translation

  • By: Jean Kwok
  • Narrated by: Grayce Wey
  • Length: 9 hrs and 5 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (1,651 ratings)

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Girl in Translation  By  cover art

Girl in Translation

By: Jean Kwok
Narrated by: Grayce Wey
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Editorial reviews

In this touching and insightful debut novel from Jean Kwok, 11-year-old Kimberly Chang makes us proud to call her a fellow American. Grace Wey’s narration effortlessly carries the abrupt “scene changes” that are a natural part of the life of an immigrant child. Wey takes us from the grassy prep school where Kimberly spends her days to the loud, hot factory where she works every evening with her mother fabric fibers sticking to her sweaty body, hours of homework ahead of her.

When Kimberly is in Chinatown, Kwok translates for us but loosely enough to retain the vivid metaphors of the original language. When Matt, another Chinese boy who works at the factory, invites Kimberly and her mother for an outing to see the “Liberty Goddess”, Mrs. Chang says, “Now I wouldn’t want to be a lightbulb.” Kimberly explains, “Her joke, that she would be there as a chaperone stopping the lovers from kissing because of her presence, like a lightbulb in a darkened room made public my private hope: that Matt’s invitation might actually be a date.” The metaphor itself is so descriptive, and the fact that Kimberly has to translate even for us as listeners reminds us that this young woman gracefully leads a double life.

Much like Chinese characters, where the white space in between the brush strokes holds as much meaning as the bold, black lines, Wey’s precise delivery leaves room for Kimberly’s often unspoken, but deeply felt emotions. Kwok and Wey take us on a ride with Kimberly on Matt’s bike we can feel the wind on her face and Matt’s strong back against her chest. But just as abruptly as we shift from Kimberly’s “white” world to her “Chinese” world, Wey’s voice betrays the tragic sound of Kimberly’s heart shutting off. Too much is at stake.

Girl in Translation is a stunning debut novel that will inspire respect and admiration for families who come to this country to start new lives especially children. The first line of Kwok’s debut novel is meant to describe our heroine. “I was born with a talent.” But this line just as aptly describes the author who also came to this country as a child. Girl in Translation shows the promise of our great country and just what many are willing to give up for it…even true love. Sarah Evans Hogeboom

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)

What listeners say about Girl in Translation

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Splendid

This is a beautifully written book with compelling characters. Language plays a central role in this book, and left me with a renewed appreciation for how the constraints of one's language affects one's sense of self. The narration is also among the best I've heard. Highly recommended.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Good here and there, not so good there and here

The book is all-in-all good, but when the author bombs the romantic scenes using corny language. I can almost see her editor suggesting how to "spice up" those scenes with phrases straight out of cheap paperbacks.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Perfect Summer Listen

I don't know why, but I was skeptical about listening to this one. Seems quite a few of my recent library additions have been less than entertaining. But this turned out to be a little gem. It's summer, and I like books I can listen to without having to work at staying interested. I found the cultural lessons to be spot-on and apt. The story never drags, and there is enough character development to sustain the theme. There is a gradual melding of cultures. The young woman gets into enough trouble to keep it real; that is balanced with enough character and stamina to let you cheer when she excels. It's summer, and I want some triumph in my endings. The reader is very, very good. I hardly EVER say that! She puts enough nuance in the accent and dialect to make me grin because I love words and their origins and development. At times, the misunderstood English word is written and spoken through the misunderstanding ears. As Kim develops her English skills, the dialogue improves as well. I found it easy to break off from listening and returning to the story. It's summer; I don't care for romance or mysteries, and the current sci-fi selections are worse than miserable. This is a good story that kept me interested, and it didn't take three chapters to get going or labor through. It is an easy read, but not childish. It's summer, and I hope my luck has turned the corner and doesn't miss a beat until I'm ready to undertake literature which makes me work a bit.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Glimpse into the immigrant culture.

What did you love best about Girl in Translation?

The insights into the Chinese culture and customs..and the difficulties of surviving on the edge of extreme poverty.

What other book might you compare Girl in Translation to and why?

The Fortunate Pilgrim, an early book by Mario Puzo - another book about the immigrant experience. Not as popular a read but a great story.

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

Kimberly, the main character and best delineated by both the performance and the author.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic

I really enjoyed this book, and I liked the narrator's use of accents. Once I started listening to it, it was hard to stop. It opened my mind about the lives that some immigrants have when first arriving in America.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great story... wonderful delivery.

Heartbreaking journey and an amazing, poignant story delivered with great skill. Left me wanting to know more.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Perfect narration!

This was yet another book that pulled me in and made me feel like I really knew the characters. That is, until the end came near. I don't think the ending was bad at all - it just seemed to come out of nowhere and it didn't match the rest of the book.

But the narrator is AMAZING. She was able to switch between accents very well and it helped me to follow the characters. I'm so glad I chose to listen to this instead of reading it!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A look inside an immigrant life

This was an amazing story of a Chinese mom and daughter coming to America for a better life. Once here, they were impoverished for many years trying to make it. The events described are things I cannot even imagine. However, in the end, they persevered.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

great book

this was a great book! a big shocker at the end! would really like to hear more!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
  • KS
  • 01-01-20

Really good!

My official review for this book can be found at the following web site: https://opinionatededucator.tumblr.com/post/188010595645/girl-in-translation

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