Welcome to Litsy!

• TBR since August 12, 2019

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 novel of an American immigrant -- a moving tale of hardship and triumph, heartbreak and love, and all that gets lost in translation.

I enjoyed reading this, until the end of the book. but the main character was kind of irritating once she became a teen, which I suppose tracks. I HATED the ending.
Kim and her mom are brought over by their aunt and put into work at their uncle‘s factory. Kim pushes herself and excels at school but must decide between her roots in Chinatown and the opportunity outside it.
2/5 stars

Quite the coming of age/American Dream story. Reminiscent in many ways of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Looking forward to #overbookedclub discussion.

#OverbookedClub you don't have to be tagged to join in. If you've read the book I hope you will join us. @megnews @katy4peas @Butterfinger @Readswithcoffee @julieclair @SamanthaMarie @Kdgordon88 @kspenmoll @Chrissyreadit @CoffeeNBooks @Crazeedi @Roary47 @catebutler @TheBookHippie @melissajayne @rubyslippersreads if you want to be tagged for the discussion let me know.

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I really liked this coming-of-age tale of Ah Kim and her mother immigrating from Hong Kong to Brooklyn, New York. I hope you can join us for the discussion. #OverbookedClub @megnews @Readswithcoffee @CoffeeNBooks @Chrissyreadit @Butterfinger @melissajayne @SamanthaMarie @Crazeedi @BarbaraJean @katy4peas @Kdgordon88 @kspenmoll @TheBookHippie @catebutler @rubyslippersreads @erzascarletbookgasm @IndoorDame @JaclynW @Roary47 @Johanna414

I enjoyed this book. The relationships seemed realistic. Has the feel of a memoir without the whiny aspect I detest in most real memoirs😂

Ugh—the ending. A straightforward, honest mother-daughter immigrant story from Hong Kong to Brooklyn shifts tone into unexpected melodrama, character consistency upended. Class, language, friendship, ambition, family jealousy, labor, adolescence, NYC. Clear, compelling prose & Kim is a strong character, but the ending took it down for me. Ends are hard, but this ain‘t it. 2011

Kim and her mother emigrate from Hong Kong to NYC, ending up in a human trafficking situation and abject poverty. This story reads as though it is Kim‘s memoir of growing up and is mostly fantastic. There‘s a plot point thrown in near the end that cheapens the book and I wish it hadn‘t been included, but I otherwise found this incredibly compelling.

I loved this book! A coming of age story, a love story, and an immigrant story. It‘s both sweet and bittersweet, heavy and light, serious and funny. Like others have said, it reads like a memoir. Great book!

I found this book compelling in its first person description of the immigrant experience--indeed, it moved me to tears at times. The last 1/3 was more jarring in terms of going a bit soap opera--we could have used another 100 pages or so to flesh things out--but the care and fluency in the writing, coupled with the touching relationship between mother and daughter, makes this one a pick if a light read.

Loved this character driven, coming of age, immigration story. It read like a memoir. 4⭐️ #2020book6

#7Days7Covers - Day 1

Thanks for the tag @ravenlee

Replenishments for my #BooksToFilm Display 😁!

Have you read any of these?!

#LitsyLovesLibraries #MrBooksDisplays

Celebrating our freedom with two of my loves by the pool; my son and a great book. Thanks @LaraReads 😁😘

"..fates are winds that blow through our lives from every angle, urging us along the paths of time. Those who are strong-willed may fight the storm and possibly choose their own road, while the weak must go where they are blown... At the time when it seemed that everything I‘d ever wanted was finally within reach, I made a decision that changed the trajectory of the rest of my life."

The beginning sounds interesting already. ?

I enjoyed it. What a bittersweet ending.

Enjoying this novel except for the horrid aunt

Forgot my other book at my parents‘ so I found one on my bookshelf I‘ve never read.

Excellent book!!! Loved it from beginning to end!

Book club book and surprisingly good.

I never hear anyone talking about this absorbing coming-of-age novel. It follows a young girl named Kim, who immigrates to New York with her mother and faces the difficulty of living in two worlds — on one side her family‘s crushing poverty and, on the other, the easy life she sees her new classmates living.

#undertheradar #24in48 #readathon #comingofage #bookrec

A coming-of-age story about Kimberly and her mother, who are immigrants from Hong Kong in search for a better life in America.
#readingwomenmonth #immigrantstory

Just finished this and really enjoyed it. Good coming-of-age novel about a #Chinese immigrant and her mother, who move from Hong Kong and struggle to survive in New York City. #LitsyAtoZ2018 @BookishMarginalia

On the other hand, this description is entirely believable. Using your second or third language - especially when you‘re not at a high level - is exhausting!

I‘m enjoying this, but I‘m not quite sure I believe the cluelessness of her teachers. They live in New York and this student has clearly just come from outside the country. It‘s hard to believe they wouldn‘t have any idea of the difficulties for her - especially when her English is obviously so limited.

“Little heart‘s stem” seems like a sweet way to address one‘s kid. I wonder if it is a real Chinese expression. If anyone knows, I‘d be interested to hear more 🤔. My inexpert googling didn‘t bring up anything helpful!

GIRL IN TRANSLATION - Enjoyable read about the immigrant experience. I wish the ending had been done differently, but it didn‘t ruin the experience.

Kimberly and her mother arrived from Hong King to NYC. The days are long and the work is endless. Her mother couldn‘t possibly keep up with her work at the factory alone, so Kimberly shuffled between middle school and the sweatshop, helping as much as she can.
The novel takes you behind the stereotypes of Asian immigrants, it looks at the immigrant experience of two Chinese women in the 1980s.
#fiercefeb #sheworkshardforthemoney @Cinfhen @batsy

I could not put this book down! Kwok takes readers into the unimaginably difficult lives of Kimberly Chang and her mother, recent immigrants from Hong Kong. The story perfectly captures the teenage/immigrant experience in pre-cell phone/social media Brooklyn.

I got to model for my library‘s most recent #BookFaceFriday, yay! I am excited to read this book! - Photo credit Portland Public Library

I loved this beautiful novel about a girl and her mother who immigrate to the U.S. from Hong Kong. A wonderful story about the hardships facing immigrants, set in New York.

My next read! For the interested bookworms: I'm starting my own book blog. Feel free to check it out! First review will come up soon! Booksandmunches.wordpress.com

A friend asked for suggestions of women writers so I got a little carried away! These were my suggestions, which I'm saving here for future use. What other books would you all suggest? #womenauthors #booksuggestions

Some of these have been on my #TBR for longer than others, but eventually I'll get to all of them! #immigrantsong #rockinmay

This one started a little slow for me but once I was connected to the story I found all kinds of excuses to keep my headphones in. My coworkers probably think I was working really hard on a project, lol! As for the book, it left me grateful and also heartbroken.

Sunday afternoon. My choice for the book by or about an immigrant in the #bookriot #readharderchallenge2017.

Currently listening. #audiobook

Just bought this. Let's see how it is - after my work that is 😬

If you haven't read this one - it's on sale and an awesome book!

Really liked this one! It explores the life of a mother and daughter who have come to New York from Hong Kong, who work in a sweat shop to get by and slowly try to better their position in life. The main character was strong and independent, this was a good start to #24in48 ! 😊

Addie is still confused about why she needs to pose with books 😂 getting started on the #24in48 readathon tonight, since I have the house to myself and have to do some home improvement projects tomorrow. Only a little ways into this one, but I'm liking it so far 🤓