Girl in Translation Review

Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I finished this book awhile ago, yet it still has me thinking. The main character, Kimberly, is so strong throughout the story and at the end makes a very tough decision. Ultimately I think she made the right – and least selfish decision – and I wonder if I could have done the same myself?

The few characters in the story are well thought-out from Ma to Mike to Annette. It’s fun seeing Kimberly progress from 11 or so with very limited English abilities and new to the country to a fully integrated and confident teenager to a successful adult that had fulfilled her goal of providing a better life for herself and her family.

I loved watching Kimberly’s relationship with her mother unfold. I enjoy reading stories about generational cultural clashes {my all-time favorite is Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri} and generally these stories are filled with angst on behalf of the child when dealing with their parent’s language limitations or cultural insecurities. In Girl in Translation, Kimberly rarely seems to experience that frustration and doesn’t seem to begrudge taking care of her mother and making sure they eventually have a better life. She goes to a fancy private school and receives the best education among Brooklyn’s elite during the day, and then works in the factories all night to help her mom earn more money. When they earn just 1 cent per garment that they work on, they need all of the extra hours they can get. Kimberly lives this double life until she goes off to college and rarely complains; instead, she’s just thankful that she even has the opportunity to receive the good education and that they’re making those pennies at the slum factory that’s run by her own aunt and uncle.

All of the odds are against Kimberly and her mother after their move to the United States, and yet they make it through by having faith that things will get better and being resourceful when necessary. I’m not sure I’ll ever forget them finding the leftover stuffing and coverings from stuffed animals and using those to sew robes and sweaters so that they could keep adequately warm during the winter when their slum apartment had no heat. This scene was alternately happy and heart-breakingly sad. It was happy because finding the fabric ensured they would survive the winter and not freeze to death and heart-breaking because without the find they surely wouldn’t have made it through the winter, as they didn’t even have enough money to buy a proper winter coat or get an apartment with heat.

As for the romantic elements of the book, I couldn’t help but root for Kimberly because she was always in control. She made the choices in her relationships, and it was refreshing to see that she wasn’t passive in this regard.

It’s cliche, but this is one book I could not stop reading once I started.

What did you think?

View all my reviews at GoodReads & let’s connect!

Girl in Translation Book Review is a post from: Fantabulously Frugal.

One of my goals for 2012 is to read more. I was a little bookworm when I was a kid and you’d never catch me without a book in my hand. That love extended to college where I majored in English and was able to read the greats {and not-so-greats} to my heart’s content. I don’t know what happened after college; I guess I was just burnt out and even though I graduated long ago I’ve been slow to get back on the reading train.

That’s all going to change this year.

Nothing holds me more accountable than blogging, so I thought I’d make my goal to read 12 books in 2012 and to blog about each. At the beginning of each month I’ll announce the book I’m going to read and at the end of the month I’ll post a review, that way if you want to read along you’ll have plenty of time.

January’s selection is going to be Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok. One of my favorite food bloggers, Eat Live Run recommended it as her favorite book of 2011, which is all I needed to hear. I tend to love all of her book recommendations and secretly think we might be book twins.

Here’s the synopsis of Girl in Translation from Publisher’s Weekly:

A resolute yet naïve Chinese girl confronts poverty and culture shock with equal zeal when she and her mother immigrate to Brooklyn in Kwok’s affecting coming-of-age debut. Ah-Kim Chang, or Kimberly as she is known in the U.S., had been a promising student in Hong Kong when her father died. Now she and her mother are indebted to Kimberly’s Aunt Paula, who funded their trip from Hong Kong, so they dutifully work for her in a Chinatown clothing factory where they earn barely enough to keep them alive. Despite this, and living in a condemned apartment that is without heat and full of roaches, Kimberly excels at school, perfects her English, and is eventually admitted to an elite, private high school. An obvious outsider, without money for new clothes or undergarments, she deals with added social pressures, only to be comforted by an understanding best friend, Annette, who lends her makeup and hands out American advice. A love interest at the factory leads to a surprising plot line, but it is the portrayal of Kimberly’s relationship with her mother that makes this more than just another immigrant story.

Happy Reading!

Pick up Girl in Translation for the Nook or Kindle for $9.99. You can also pick up a paperback copy from Amazon for $6.

January Book Selection: Girl in Translation is a post from: Fantabulously Frugal.

You can get one-day shipping at Amazon.com through 7:30pm EST tonight. You can even get your package on the SAME DAY you placed your order (Christmas Eve, anyone?) by selecting “Local Express Delivery” in NYC before 10am and in Chicago before 7am. The shipping prices vary but I put a few things in my cart and they were $3.99 to ship before Christmas.

I put this game on my wish list because the reviews are amazing, and since it’s mostly opinion-based answers, you can play it again and again without getting bored!

Loaded Questions

I got this book for my boyfriend who works in finance – any book by Michael Lewis will be well received if your boyfriend/dad/co-worker loves banking/finance/investments:

 Boomerang: Travels in the New Third World

This Coastal Scents 88 Color Makeup Palette would be a great (and affordable – less than $20!) gift for ANY woman in your life and is a favorite of one of my favorite beauty vloggers Dulce Candy!

Still Time to Shop Online For Christmas! is a post from: Fantabulously Frugal.

Check it out! Fashion 2.0: Blogging Your Way to the Front Row by Yuli Ziv is FREE right now if you get the Kindle edition!

I’m not going to pretend I know who Yuli Ziv is, because I don’t. Maybe I should, but alas. As someone that would eventually like to be a “pro blogger,” I find books like this all sorts of useful. FF isn’t necessarily a fashion blog and I don’t aim to sit front row at any runway shows, but tips are tips and I’m excited to delve into this book!

Click here to snag it for FREE!

Free status at Amazon can change at ANY time since only a certain number of free copies are available. Head over soon for the best chances of getting it free!

Kindle books can be read on more than just Kindles. You can download the Kindle app for a number of products like smart phones and iPads!

Download a FREE Kindle Version of Fashion 2.0: Blogging Your Way to the Front Row is a post from: Fantabulously Frugal.

Leather Bracelet- White

Chevron is all the rage these days! However, I totally want to wear this pattern, but am slightly terrified. Sometimes when I try to wear trends I tend to look like I’m trying too hard. This is a great way to be trendy! This bracelet is also handpainted, so no two bracelets are exactly the same. I love that.

Hot Air Balloon card

This card is black, white and coral, which are three of my favorite colors! If they aren’t yours, no fret! This card can be customized just for you!

Framed Vintage Paperback: Slipping Beauty

This piece of art serves dual purposes. One, it’s fab and can be hung or placed as is to add a vintage touch to your decor. Two, the paperback is in great condition so you can totally read some short stories from Avon Books from 1952. I know just the room I’d put this in!

William and Jessica were kind enough to answer some questions. Enjoy!

1. How did you and William come up with your Etsy shop?

William and I began creating together the first time we ever met. One of our first projects together were the button earrings (seen in our etsy shop) and things only grew from there! After a year of dating long-distance–I was in San Francisco and he was in Austin–I decided to move back to Texas, where I had lived for 10 years prior. Once I got back, William and I continued making, and with the encouragement of a friend that owns a jewelry boutique here in town, we opened an Etsy shop with our first collection in May.

2. What material(s) do you enjoy working with the most?

I think, for us, it’s a tossup between brass and leather. Brass, with it’s nautical affiliations, proved to be the best material for the current collection. Brass has a fantastic quality about it when it antiques–the unique markings in the metal come out, and it earns a beautiful patina. It can also be polished to stay shiny and golden—we like that it has two extremes! Leather has a warm and rustic feel to it. It is beautiful when left alone, but also makes for a fantastic foundation for the addition of designs–both tooled and painted. Leather has a lasting quality to it that translates for both men and women, which we appreciate.

3. What is your favorite color? What is William’s favorite color?

Jessica: My favorite color changes…I suppose you could say that I’m fickle! Currently, I am in love with deep fall colors, like cranberry red, navy blue, and forest green. But I’m desperately in love with adding neon splashes to this kind of a color palette—just a bit of florescent pink or orange instantly turns a color palette that was very popular in the early 90s into a modern, playful theme. But two months ago, I was gung-ho seafoam green and light pink. I still love those. Can my answer be all of them?

William: Turquoise.
: )

4. What is your favorite item in your shop?

Jessica: It’s really hard to pick one–we don’t create things that we don’t love! I would say that I rotate every few weeks between pieces that I wear. Right now I’m wearing the Large 30″ Triangle Chevron Necklace, and I really love it! It seems to go with so many outfits—from a cute patterned dress to a T-shirt and jeans! I also wear the Black and White Chevron Lariat bracelet with a “J” initial almost every day.

William: My favorite is Jessica Blake. Oh, my favorite item in the shop? I really like the Pecos Handpainted bracelet in white with the yellow chevron pattern–the mustard color seems to be spot on for the fall season, and it’s really easy to wear!

Thank you so much William and Jessica!

Etsy Monday: Son of a Sailor is a post from: Fantabulously Frugal.

You can download it now completely free of charge. Although if you’re interested you might want to get it quickly because their prices change frequently.

I will admit that I just downloaded this book to my Kindle. I mean, it’s free, and it might make for some cute/slightly embarrassing holiday reading.

Here’s the synopsis:

What do a Blue Angels pilot, a bounty hunter and an ex-NFL football player have in common? The three bad-boy bachelors of Snowdon, Maine have to make a friend’s Christmas Eve wedding on time or die trying! They’re willing to risk anything to make that happen—even dashing through the snow in the goofiest bus on Earth, bright red and filled with a bunch of merry, meddling senior citizens known as the Santa Brigade. All too soon, these men will have met their matches in three special women: a woman from their past, a forest ranger so hot she ought to be declared a fire hazard, and a woman on the run. Ho, ho, OH!

I know, it sounds terrible in a very good way.

Click here to download it for free from Amazon.

FREE Kindle Book: ‘Twas the Night by Sandra Hill is a post from: Fantabulously Frugal.

Here’s the blurb from Amazon:

Kindle owners can now choose from thousands of books to borrow for free, including over 100 current and former New York Times Bestsellers — as frequently as a book a month, with no due dates. No other e-reader or ebook store offers such a service.

For all of my fellow Kindle readers out there, how freaking awesome is this?!

The only catch is that you must have an Amazon Prime Membership in order to access the Kindle Owners Lending Library.  An Amazon Prime Membership costs $79 per year, but comes with many benefits including free two-day shipping, free streaming of movies and TV shows, and now, free book rentals! {I’ve been an Amazon Prime Member since the beginning and I love it.  I’m impatient and love the two day shipping.}

A couple months back Amazon announced they were partnering with libraries to offer library rentals on the Kindle, but if your library is anything like mine, nothing is ever available.  This is a fantastic alternative.

To answer a couple of questions: There are NO due dates for returning the books.  You may keep a book as long as you need to finish it, but keep in mind that you can only borrow one at a time, so you won’t be able to rent another until you return the first.  Also, the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library is only available for people who own a Kindle.  You will not be able to use this service if you downloaded the free Kindle app.

If you’re already a Kindle owner with a Prime Membership, here are the instructions for how to start borrowing books for free.

If you’re not yet a Kindle owner, we told you in September that Amazon now offers a Kindle for as low as $79!

What do you think about this latest news from Amazon?  I am beyond thrilled!

Amazon Announces Launch of Kindle Owners’ Lending Library is a post from: Fantabulously Frugal.

No promo code is necessary to get the discount.  Click here to check out all of the available titles.

I think it goes without saying that I would like to have Paula Deen’s latest cookbook, Paula Deen’s Southern Cooking Bible: The New Classic Guide to Delicious Dishes with More Than 300 Recipes. I wonder how much butter is packed into those 300+ recipes?  This book will definitely be a huge hit this holiday season and today you can snag it for $14.99, down from $29.99.

Middlesex is one of the best books I’ve ever read and I had absolutely no idea that Jeffrey Eugenides had FINALLY written another book. Seriously – Middlesex won the Pulitzer Prize in 2003 and he hasn’t written a single thing since then. The Marriage Plot is immediately boosted to the #1 spot on my list of “Must Read Immediately” books. The hardcover edition of this book is normally $28, but today you can get it for $14.

This Barnes & Noble sale isn’t huge, but obviously there are some great items included in the sale.  Perfect items, in fact, if you’re wishing to begin your holiday shopping today.

Click here to check out the Barnes & Noble Holiday Preview Sale now!!!

Holiday Preview Sale at Barnes & Noble: 50% Off Select Books is a post from: Fantabulously Frugal.

The Kindle Fire is Amazon’s tablet, and it’s now available for pre-order, though it won’t ship until November 15, 2011.

In addition to the Kindle Fire – which is sure to show up under many trees this December – Amazon launched two new traditional Kindles.  Amazon is calling the Kindle Fire a “beautiful full color Kindle for movies, TV shows, music, books, magazines, apps, games, web browsing and more.”

Kindle Fire brings everything we’ve been working on at Amazon for 15 years together into a single, fully-integrated experience for customers – instant access to Amazon’s massive selection of digital content, a vibrant color IPS touchscreen with extra-wide viewing angle, a 14.6 ounce design that’s easy to hold with one hand, a state-of-the-art dual core processor, free storage in the Amazon Cloud, and an ultra-fast mobile browser – Amazon Silk – available exclusively on Kindle Fire.

They have a new $79 Kindle that got rid of the cumbersome keyboard at the bottom, and will include ads.  {Guess that refurbished Kindle deal we told you about earlier this week isn’t such a good deal after all!}  Amazon also introduced the Kindle Touch {$99} and Kindle Touch 3G {$149}, which are apparently more like the Barnes & Noble Nook in that it’s a touch-screen format.

Check out this article from The Wall Street Journal about today’s launch of these new products.

Amazon Introduces Kindle Fire Today – Their Answer to the iPad is a post from: Fantabulously Frugal.

Before we went on vacation this summer, however, I offered to buy a kindle for my fiance because every time we travel he lugs like 5 huge books around with him.  I told him it was my treat, and since I was treating I bought him the cheapest Kindle possible, which is the one with the deals.  Truthfully – it’s a GREAT option.  The deals only appear in the screensaver, which is what appears on the screen when you’re not using it.  We’ve seen lots of ads for Amazon, and even car ads.  There was even a $10 off an Amazon purchase coupon that popped up.

Truthfully – I think the ads are more interesting than what I get on my non-sponsored Kindle, which are pictures of authors.

If you’re considering snagging a Kindle, I highly recommend taking the cheaper route and getting the sponsored version.  And now that you can get it for even less? Go for it!

Click here to check out this deal on Amazon now!

If you are wary of refurbished items, I have purchased many in my time with great success.  A lemon could always sneak in there, but the same could be said about new products.  Generally speaking, you’re never going to know that you’ve received a refurb product.

ALSO – huge news was released this week that Kindle users are going to love: You can now borrow Kindle books from your library!  This is HUGE news.  The only downside?  I live in a big city and it seems as though our public library currently has every e-book rented already and the waitlist is huge.  Also strange?  The number of Harlequin Romance Novels on the list.  But who knows – maybe you’ll have better luck with your library!

Thanks to SwagGrabber for the heads up on this deal!

Snag a Refurbished Kindle for Just $84.99! is a post from: Fantabulously Frugal.