Girl in Translation Audiobook By Jean Kwok cover art

Girl in Translation

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Girl in Translation

By: Jean Kwok
Narrated by: Grayce Wey
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About this listen

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
Coming of Age Fiction Literary Fiction Heartfelt
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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

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
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Absorbing and honest look at the life of an immigrant

Great story that was so honest it has to be part memoir, and indeed when I looked up Kwok's website, it does closely mirror that of her own. It does come off a bit trite at times, but I appreciated the peek into a life that many of us might never understand. Fascinating. The narrator was ok, a little weak at times, and I do think parts of the story are improved with a Chinese immigrant accent.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

just okay

It wasn't worth the rating audible customers gave it.
Interesting in a voyeur sort of way

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Well written insightful view of the life of a Chinese immigrant

I thought the narrator did a great job with this story. It is a well written biography of a Hong Kong Family making their own way in NYC.

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

great book

Loved the book. The narrator was amazing! She read as if telling the story 1st hand.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Inspiring story, incredibly performed!

I wish this book never ended. A frequently funny, sometimes tear-jerking American success story with the most lovable protagonist I have encountered in ages.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great book

What a story! You've got to listen to this one because the heroine is so powerful in this story. Wow, if we could all have her drive and energy, we'd all be such better people! I admire her and the story was extremely interesting and informative.

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

Narration issues

The story was really interesting and overall I liked it. I couldn’t find what year/era the story takes place. The narration was strange and not very accurate/precise. It seemed when the narrator was speaking for an American character without a Brooklyn accent, she mispronounced words or used a wrong but similar word. She’d say words with a hard “g” sound using a soft “g” sound, for example. Characters with a Brooklyn accent were fine, no issues. I would think a narrator should be able to be completely fluent when reading an English book, even if they have a Chinese accent. It was a bit frustrating because I had to figure out what she was trying to say every now and then.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Truly loved this story and narration

Although I come from a different background the author made it so relatable. What a beautiful emotional story.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Terrific

Enjoyed every second. Recommended for full price!

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Grabbed Me

Halfway through this book, I would have given it two stars. But as it continued, I liked the people and the love story. Vey thought provoking and well written.

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4 people found this helpful