Native Speaker by Chang-rae Lee Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Native Speaker
Book Review: A learning experience
Summary: 4 Stars
I picked up a copy of this book after reading rave reviews in England about his second novel, A Gesture Life. I thought I'd read Native Speaker first. I was not disappointed. I know the comparison to Kazuo Ishiguro has been made a thousand times but stylistically it has to be said that they do share a calm, measured prose which gives the reader a strong path through a jungle of emotions, memories and misunderstandings. Also, like the narrators of Ishiguro's first three novels, Lee's narrator here does not seem to see all that we as the reader can see, he does not always read the actions of those around him as we might. The narrator, a Korean-American, has a lot on his plate. He is working as a private detective whilst coming to terms with the death of his child and trying to save his marriage to a white American. I personally learnt a lot about the Korean-American community in New York from this novel. Obviously I cannot say how accurate it is and other reviewers of this book have questioned its accuracy. However, it opened my eyes to a side of the city which no film or book has ever told me about. Again, like Ishiguro's books, you come out at the other end feeling a bit hazy, not quite sure what to make of it. The only reason I gave this four stars instead of five is that I found it quite hard-going at times. The prose does not run quite as smoothly as Ishiguro's. Having said that I will certainly read his second novel and would recommend this to people looking for a new writer with new perspectives.Book Review: A learning experience
Summary: 4 Stars
I picked up a copy of this book after reading rave reviews in England about his second novel, A Gesture Life. I thought I'd read Native Speaker first. I was not disappointed. I know the comparison to Kazuo Ishiguro has been made a thousand times but stylistically it has to be said that they do share a calm, measured prose which gives the reader a strong path through a jungle of emotions, memories and misunderstandings. Also, like the narrators of Ishiguro's first three novels, Lee's narrator here does not seem to see all that we as the reader can see, he does not always read the actions of those around him as we might. The narrator, a Korean-American, has a lot on his plate. He is working as a private detective whilst coming to terms with the death of his child and trying to save his marriage to a white American. I personally learnt a lot about the Korean-American community in New York from this novel. Obviously I cannot say how accurate it is and other reviewers of this book have questioned its accuracy. However, it opened my eyes to a side of the city which no film or book has ever told me about. Again, like Ishiguro's books, you come out at the other end feeling a bit hazy, not quite sure what to make of it. The only reason I gave this four stars instead of five is that I found it quite hard-going at times. The prose does not run quite as smoothly as Ishiguro's. Having said that I will certainly read his second novel and would recommend this to people looking for a new writer with new perspectives.Book Review: A motherlode of poetic ore, deeply touching and exacting
Summary: 5 Stars
Simply put, I love this book for the way it makes clear the spectacular dreams and fierce passion that has fueled ourselves and our ancestor immigrants to make this country into a true melting pot of patriotism and undiscriminating love. Only this language of Lee's flowing prose can effectively capture the essence of what makes this country great, respect and love for all cultures willing to work together for a common end. That is his theme, I think. A wonderful theme for today's environment of separatism and selfishness of which, like mostly everyone else, I am guilty. Yet, it gives all of us hope of our potential to work together and to realize how alike all our different racial groups are alike.
It's about time, someone finally put together a fictional, but surely testimonial, account of how we all want the same thing, regardless of color, race, and religion. Immigrants, although difficult to intrepret and understand, want what you want and your ancestors wanted, respect of their cultures and inclusion into a true community.
Really, this is a wonderful bookBook Review: A poor choice
Summary: 2 Stars
It is unfortunate that "Native Speaker" is the likely choice for New York City's ad hoc citywide reading group, as The New York Times reported Feb. 19. I typically read 25+ novels a year, and last year this novel was the least interesting and most cliched I picked up. I forced myself to finish it. "Native Speaker" is so very similar to Tom Wolfe's "Bonfire of the Vanities" in tone, attitude and description that it offers very little that is original and revealing. Wolfe's novel was deserving of its praise, but it does not follow that a book that apes Wolfe should also be lauded. Occasionally Lee's prose may indeed be "remarkable" as some reviewers have suggested, but more often his writing is flat, predictable and downright boring.
I am not a Korean American, but I live very near Manhattan's Koreatown, spend much time there, and I speak some Korean. I was eager to read this book given my interests, yet no book recently disappointed me as much as "Native Speaker" did.
Book Review: A poor choice
Summary: 2 Stars
It is unfortunate that "Native Speaker" is the likely choice for New York City's ad hoc citywide reading group, as The New York Times reported Feb. 19. I typically read 25+ novels a year, and last year this novel was the least interesting and most cliched I picked up. I forced myself to finish it. "Native Speaker" is so very similar to Tom Wolfe's "Bonfire of the Vanities" in tone, attitude and description that it offers very little that is original and revealing. Wolfe's novel was deserving of its praise, but it does not follow that a book that apes Wolfe should also be lauded. Occasionally Lee's prose may indeed be "remarkable" as some reviewers have suggested, but more often his writing is flat, predictable and downright boring.
I am not a Korean American, but I live very near Manhattan's Koreatown, spend much time there, and I speak some Korean. I was eager to read this book given my interests, yet no book recently disappointed me as much as "Native Speaker" did. If you seek a novel that looks at New York from an Asian resident's view, get Fixer Chao by Han Ong, a far superior novel.