A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers - Hardcover

Guo, Xiaolu

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0385520298 ISBN 13: 9780385520294

Publisher: Nan a Talese, 2007

Synopsis

A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers heralds the American debut of a remarkably gifted young writer.

Twenty-three-year-old Zhuang, the daughter of shoe factory owners in rural China, has come to London to study English. She calls herself Z because English people can’t pronounce her name, but she’s no better at their language. Set loose to find her way through a confusion of cultural gaffes and grammatical mishaps, she winds up lodging with a Chinese family and thinks she might as well not have left home. But then she meets an English man who changes everything. From the moment he smiles at her, she enters a new world of sex, freedom, and self-discovery. But she also realizes that, in the West, “love” does not always mean the same as in China, and that you can learn all the words in the English language and still not understand your lover.

Drawing on her diaries from when she first arrived in the UK, Xiaolu Guo winningly writes the story in steadily improving English grammar and vocabulary. Freshly humorous, sexy, and poignant, A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers is an utterly original novel about language, identity, and the cultural divide.

About this title

Review:

" Xiaolu Guo is a fabulous writer, fresh, witty and intelligent. She handles language in an astonishing way. I don't think I have enjoyed a book as much in the last twelve months."
-- Joanne Harris

Praise for "A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers
""Funny and charming . . . more than a love story; its psychology is politically acute, and things noted lightly in it linger in the mind." --"The Guardian "(London)
""A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers "cleverly courts our assumptions about the chasm between Chinese and Western cultures, only to upend them. It is an utterly captivating, and disorientating, journey both through language and through love." --"The Independent "(London)
"It is impossible not to be charmed by Xiaolu Guo's matter-of-factness. As "A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers "grows in complexity with [the main character's] growing vocabulary--the narration acquires fluency and tenses almost imperceptibly--it is equally hard not to be impressed by Guo's vivacious talent." --"Sunday Times "(London)
"Xiaolu Guo is a fabulous writer, fresh, witty, and intelligent. She handles language in an astonishing way. I don't think I have enjoyed a book as much in the last twelve months." --Joanne Harris

"Funny, childlike and wise all at once."
--"Los Angeles Times"
"What makes this novel winsome is hearing the authentic voice of a young woman -- bewildered, self-deprecating, funny, wise -- as she navigates the world on her own."
--"USA Today"
"Endearing. . . . "Concise "takes us into a new territory, all the more exciting for its virginity."
--"Chicago Sun-Times"
"A fast, breezy read, don't be so easily entertained as to miss the many nuances-beyond the most obvious definitions are deeper, more satisfying meanings."
--"San Francisco Chronicle"

"Funny, childlike and wise all at once." --"Los Angeles Times""What makes this novel winsome is hearing the authentic voice of a young woman -- bewildered, self-deprecating, funny, wise -- as she navigates the world on her own." --"USA Today""Endearing. . . . "Concise "takes us into a new territory, all the more exciting for its virginity." --"Chicago Sun-Times""A fast, breezy read, don't be so easily entertained as to miss the many nuances-beyond the most obvious definitions are deeper, more satisfying meanings." --"San Francisco Chronicle"

"Funny, childlike and wise all at once." "Los Angeles Times" What makes this novel winsome is hearing the authentic voice of a young woman bewildered, self-deprecating, funny, wise as she navigates the world on her own. "USA Today" Endearing. . . . "Concise "takes us into a new territory, all the more exciting for its virginity. "Chicago Sun-Times" A fast, breezy read, don't be so easily entertained as to miss the many nuances-beyond the most obvious definitions are deeper, more satisfying meanings. "San Francisco Chronicle""

"Funny, childlike and wise all at once." Los Angeles Times What makes this novel winsome is hearing the authentic voice of a young woman bewildered, self-deprecating, funny, wise as she navigates the world on her own. USA Today Endearing. . . . Concise takes us into a new territory, all the more exciting for its virginity. Chicago Sun-Times A fast, breezy read, don't be so easily entertained as to miss the many nuances-beyond the most obvious definitions are deeper, more satisfying meanings. San Francisco Chronicle"

"Funny, childlike and wise all at once."

--Los Angeles Times

"What makes this novel winsome is hearing the authentic voice of a young woman -- bewildered, self-deprecating, funny, wise -- as she navigates the world on her own."

--USA Today

"Endearing. . . . Concise takes us into a new territory, all the more exciting for its virginity."

--Chicago Sun-Times

"A fast, breezy read, don't be so easily entertained as to miss the many nuances-beyond the most obvious definitions are deeper, more satisfying meanings."

--San Francisco Chronicle

-Funny, childlike and wise all at once.-

--Los Angeles Times

-What makes this novel winsome is hearing the authentic voice of a young woman -- bewildered, self-deprecating, funny, wise -- as she navigates the world on her own.-

--USA Today

-Endearing. . . . Concise takes us into a new territory, all the more exciting for its virginity.-

--Chicago Sun-Times

-A fast, breezy read, don't be so easily entertained as to miss the many nuances-beyond the most obvious definitions are deeper, more satisfying meanings.-

--San Francisco Chronicle

Book Description:

What happens when a Chinese girl adrift in Britain falls for an Englishman adrift in life: a funny, sexy, romantic novel that has the potential to be the word-of-mouth success of 2007

About this edition

• Publisher: Nan a Talese
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0385520298
• ISBN 13: 9780385520294
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 283