Description of girl in translation by jean kwok pdf. Jean is the awardwinning and international bestselling chinese american author. The story has the weight of fate, partly because of its universal themes and partly because of the intermittent references to chinese traditions and traditional ways of thinking and talking. Girl in translation summary and study guide supersummary. The reader was wonderful and i hope to hear more of her work. The book girl in translation by jean kwok is about a girl named kimberly chang and her mother who immigrated from hong kong to brooklyn. How are the relationships that matt and curt offer different. A resolute yet naive chinese girl confronts poverty and culture shock with equal zeal when she and her mother immigrate to brooklyn in kwoks. Jean kwoks girl in translation details the first decade of the lives of kimberley chang and her mother after they emigrate from hong kong to new york city in the 1980s. Comprehensive study guide, chapter summaries, study questions, and more. Jean kwok is the awardwinning, new york times and international bestselling chinese american author of the novels girl in translation, mambo in chinatown, and searching for sylvie lee, which was chosen as the today show book club pick.
Girl in translation excerpt jean kwok author website. Girl in translation by jean kwok 9781594485152 booktopia. Through kimberlys 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. Jean kwok, quote from girl in translation it may not seem like much a few kisses in the dark but it was enough to burn a hole like an ulcer in my heart.
They seemed to be lucky in their move, kims aunt was already in america and was able to help them get their green cards, give them housing when the arrived, help them find a more permanent residence, and employ kims mother in the factory she managed. Stream and download audiobooks to your computer, tablet or mobile phone. When kim was 11 years old, she and her mother moved from hong kong to new york. Girl in translation by jean kwok book club discussion. Jean kwok, who, like kimberly, came to brooklyn from hong kong as a young girl. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or. The girl in translation community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you. Through kimberlys 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 we rarely hear about. Kimberly chang, the girl in the title of jean kwoks first novel, comes to new york from hong kong in the early 1980s with her mother, chasing a better life. She is the author of the national bestseller girl in translation and mambo in chinatown. Jean kwok talks about girl in translation duration. Jean kwok is the new york times and international bestselling, awardwinning author of searching for sylvie lee, girl in translation and mambo in chinatown.
Kimberley chang and her mother move from hong kong to new york. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. I loved this story about 11yearold kimberly chang and her ma who came from hong kong to brooklyn in search of a better life. When she comes to america she started to live two different lives.
G irl in translation by jean kwok is the story of kimberly chang. She worked as an english teacher and dutchenglish translator at leiden university in the netherlands, and now writes fulltime. The main characters of this fiction, historical story are kimberly chang, aunt paula. But all they can afford is a verminous, brokenwindowed brooklyn apartment. It is about a life full of struggles, but beautiful nonetheless, for in spite of the fact that the serious topics such as child labor, emotional abuse and extreme poverty are raised in the. Girl in translation by jean kwok reading guidebook club.
Buy girl in translation 9780141042749 by jean kwok for. Introducing a fresh, exciting chineseamerican voice, an ins. Free download or read online girl in translation pdf epub book. As a little girl, girl in translation author jean kwok emigrated from hong kong to new york, wheredespite working long hours in a chinatown factoryshe excelled in the classroom, eventually graduating from harvard and columbia.
How does the language of the novel evolve as kimberly grows and matures. Jean kwoks debut novel girl in translation became a new york times bestseller and has been published in 16 countries. Her work has been published in twenty countries and taught in universities, colleges, and high schools across the world. I love how this book allowed me to see my own country, with all its cruelty and. In girl in translation, jean kwok has given us a previously untold immigrant story about a brilliant young girl who excels at school, works nights in a new york city sweatshop, and lives with her mother in an abandoned apartment with no heat. 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. And the books lessonthat every choice comes at the expense of something elsehits home in every language.
Buy a cheap copy of girl in translation book by jean kwok. Girl in translation by jean kwok, 9781594485152, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. Listen to girl in translation audiobook by jean kwok. Pdf girl in translation book by jean kwok free download. Like her, you came to new york with your family as an immigrant from hong kong, worked in a sweatshop in chinatown, lived in a roach and ratinfested apartment without heat, and went on to elite educational institutions. New york times books we cant wait to read this summer. The book of unknown americans vintage contemporaries. The girl in translation is a literature, fiction and thriller novel that describes the story of a girl and her mother. New york times bestseller girl in translation by jean kwok is a powerful story about a chinese immigrant family in brooklyn.
Theres a chinese saying that the fates are winds that blow through our lives from every angle, urging us along the paths of time. Get all the key plot points of jean kwoks girl in translation on one page. Review of girl in translation by jean kwok posted on 03272017 by rhapsodyinbooks i loved this story about 11yearold kimberly chang and her ma who came from hong kong to brooklyn in search of a better life. Jean kwok caught between the pressure to succeed in america, her duty to their family, and her own personal desires, kimberly chang, an immigrant girl from hong kong, learns to constantly translate not just. Jean kwok was born in hong kong and immigrated to brooklyn as a young girl. Review of girl in translation by jean kwok rhapsody in. With infectious energy and charm, she comments on the american immigrant experience through her celebrated books mambo in chinatown and the. Throughout girl in translation, the author uses creative spelling to show kimberlys mishearing and misunderstanding of english words. Girl in translation by jean kwok reading group guide. The first edition of the novel was published in april 29th 2010, and was written by jean kwok. Kimberly chang, the girl in the title of jean kwok s first novel, comes to new york from hong kong in the early 1980s with her mother, chasing a better life.
A new life awaits them making a new home in a new country. When kimberly chang and her mother emigrate from hong kong to brooklyn squalor, she begins a secret double life. I can see the little girl sitting quietly at the mannequins feet, eyes shut, the heavy folds of falling fabric closing her. Girl in translation by jean kwok is a heartbreaking story about hardship, determination, bravery, sacrifices people make for their dreams and obligations. Kwok, herself an immigrant, renders kimberlys confusion seemingly from the inside. Each chapter corresponds roughly to a year of her life, beginning in early elementary school and ending shortly before kim goes to. That elements of the story are based on kwoks own life in 1970s america makes kwoks. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read girl in translation. Girl in translation should come with a warning do not expect to get anything done once you start this book.
Jean received her bachelors degree from harvard and. Girl in translation by jean kwok pdf download ebookscart. Review of girl in translation by jean kwok rhapsody in books. Its no easy trick to age a character 20 years in 300 pages and never once let the narrative voice falter or sound jarring. Jean received her bachelor s degree from harvard and completed an mfa in fiction at columbia. Television documentary about girl in translation author jean kwok duration. The girl stops going to school after one disastrous day when the whole class laughs at her. Girl in translation by jean kwok plot summary litcharts.
Girl in translation, jean kwok 9781594487569 youtube. Usa today kwok drops you right inside kimberlys head, adding chinese idioms to crisp dialogue. Ngs nuanced debut novel begins with the death of a teenage girl and then uses the mysterious circumstances of her drowning as a springboard to dive into the troubled waters beneath the calm surface of her chineseamerican family. Jean received her bachelors degree from harvard and completed an mfa in fiction at columbia. This was a wellwritten book with great character development and story line that kept me turning page after page. Introducing a fresh, exciting chineseamerican voice, girl in translation is an. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 290 pages and is available in hardcover format. However, success in america isnt as easily gained as the mother hoped it would be. Girl in translation by jean kwok is a moving novel about a young girl and her mother immigrating to new york in order to achieve a better life after the untimely death of the childs father. The story of your protagonist, kimberly chang, in many ways echoes your own. Jean received her bachelors degree from harvard and completed an mfa in fiction more about jean kwok. A cip catalogue record of this book is available from the u.
1357 396 461 867 1047 826 1483 28 147 1332 1327 909 1210 442 1322 165 917 527 1330 776 139 1235 1187 1484 833 921 1012 464 1256 725 924 901 499 552 378 354 153 120 1060 897 509 1331