Girl in translation
TRANSLATION:
ISBN: 978-84-15120-09-4
PAG: 285
PRICE: 19 €
PAG: 285
PRICE: 19 €
SYNOPSIS:
Written with an unforgettable voice, this novel recounts the experiences of a young Chinese immigrant in Brooklyn in the seventies, which grows surrounded by a language and a world that can understand only by halves, and always between the love of tradition and the desire to move towards a better future.
Today I bring the review of a wonderful novel that many have confessed that hyped. I say by the number of comments you left in an entry where he had placed as one of the innovations that interested me. Clearly it is an attractive book at a glance, but the fact is that inside is more beautiful still. A beautiful story I could not drop from the time I began.
This is the story of Kim (Kimberly from reaching the United States) and his mother. Kim is eleven years old when his mother emigrated from Hong Kong to New York. His father died when she was three and now that Hong Kong passed from British to Communist China belong to his mother decides it's time to start a new life with better opportunities elsewhere. In the Live together Kim's aunt, Paula, that very "nicely" will help them stayed at his house during his first week at home and looking for an apartment where they can live, you also give the mother of Kim working in clothing factory she and her husband run in Chinatown. The only serious problem that seem to have is language, but nothing is as great as it sounds.
Aunt Paula is a woman embittered and resentful, which will remind them for years what he has done both, killing every last dollar of money he had to spend to get them out of Hong Kong. The
problems face is a thousand, but mostly this book is a story of survival and overcoming is that if something is born to Kim is to excel in their studies. It was the best of its kind in Hong Kong and now, despite his language difficulties, will apply from the beginning, knowing that only thus able to improve their situation. Every day after leaving the class should help her mother at work you have in the sewing shop, where they are actually exploited, like many others, and finally to return to an apartment without heat and full of cockroaches and rats.
Despite all this, Kim will try to improve every day on their homework and gradually go out among its peers, and though she wanted him to relate more with them is totally impossible. Apart from the misery in which they live, or the embarrassment of having to bring someone home, do not have a free minute and the few that are used in the study until you drop.
will be formed with the sincere friendship of Anette in school and Matt in the tailoring workshop. Two characters I've loved where you will find much support.
Today I bring the review of a wonderful novel that many have confessed that hyped. I say by the number of comments you left in an entry where he had placed as one of the innovations that interested me. Clearly it is an attractive book at a glance, but the fact is that inside is more beautiful still. A beautiful story I could not drop from the time I began.
This is the story of Kim (Kimberly from reaching the United States) and his mother. Kim is eleven years old when his mother emigrated from Hong Kong to New York. His father died when she was three and now that Hong Kong passed from British to Communist China belong to his mother decides it's time to start a new life with better opportunities elsewhere. In the Live together Kim's aunt, Paula, that very "nicely" will help them stayed at his house during his first week at home and looking for an apartment where they can live, you also give the mother of Kim working in clothing factory she and her husband run in Chinatown. The only serious problem that seem to have is language, but nothing is as great as it sounds.
problems face is a thousand, but mostly this book is a story of survival and overcoming is that if something is born to Kim is to excel in their studies. It was the best of its kind in Hong Kong and now, despite his language difficulties, will apply from the beginning, knowing that only thus able to improve their situation. Every day after leaving the class should help her mother at work you have in the sewing shop, where they are actually exploited, like many others, and finally to return to an apartment without heat and full of cockroaches and rats.
Despite all this, Kim will try to improve every day on their homework and gradually go out among its peers, and though she wanted him to relate more with them is totally impossible. Apart from the misery in which they live, or the embarrassment of having to bring someone home, do not have a free minute and the few that are used in the study until you drop.
will be formed with the sincere friendship of Anette in school and Matt in the tailoring workshop. Two characters I've loved where you will find much support.
Gradually we will see Kim make ends meet between two worlds. Will strive to fit in a culture so different from yours but you can offer a much better future than I could dream of Hong Kong, but also strive to preserve and respect you, what you were taught in their country of origin, especially respect for his mother reminds him to never forget their origins.
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| Jean Kwok |
I must say that Kim's mother has given me very sad, because it is much more effort. Not able to learn the language, their customs are so ingrained that it is hard to understand many things that her daughter now faces every day, but despite all the union of both is wonderful.
This novel is based on the experience of the author, as she also came to New York as a child who did not speak a word of English and his family also had to work in sweatshops in Chinatown, described, indeed so great in this book. It's really amazing how it comes to describing the work environment in these workshops miserable, you feel the heat of the steam of these plates, shortness of breath in this highly charged environment. The effort of each worker rewarded with a salary just miserable. Most of them needed the help of their children to comply with orders and deliveries were paid by the piece worked, not hours. Kim is amazing how used to calculate the value of things packed in number of skirts.
For years, I figured if something was too expensive skirts making their price. In those days, the round trip ticket to go from house to cost one hundred meters factory skirts, a pack of gum costing seven skirts, a hot dog cost fifty skirts. I even measure friendship in skirts. I discovered that one was obliged to buy Christmas and birthday with friends, gifts that cost several thousands of skirts. Luckily, my only friend was Annette.
Many things I have liked this book also of history in general. Knowing a little bit of Chinese culture, traditions, remedies for some things, expressions, and a resource that the author has used especially in the beginning, when Kim still does not understand many words are written as they hear them (distorted ) " the background the-lime ti'es upload a pan floor, first door her left-hand."
Ultimately this is the story of a girl who should stop being as soon as a story of overcoming, work and effort and also a beautiful love story. The love of a daughter to her mother and that will born between Kim and Matt. A story of choices, sometimes difficult.
An interesting and exciting reading, written with a brisk pace that does not decline at any time, with characters so rich why, despite the evil that come to pass and all the difficulties they face, instead of feeling sorry, you can only feel admiration.
(Book courtesy of Maeva and bookmarks used while reading the book, courtesy of Isi )
Photographs used:
- the book (in English): http://jeankwok.net/book.shtml
- from the author: http : / / www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2010-05/07/content_9820092.htm 
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