Rating: 
Summary: Haunting picture of immigrant striving
Review: The book shows the high psychic costs of "getting ahead" in America on three Korean Americans--the narrator (Henry) who is paid to engage in surveillance used against other Asian-Americans, his father who was trained as an engineer in Korea and built up produce stores in America, and the charismatic council member from Queens on wh Henry is spying. There is much affecting and effective observation of immigrant stoicism (not least that of the literally nameless housekeeper Henry's father hires) and some very beautifully supple prose. A little editing should have pared some passages that contribute nothing and should have established a time perspective (either remembered or ongoing). Still, the stories of these three intersecting lives are vivid and haunting and this first novel is a major achievment.
Rating: 
Summary: Total waste of time
Review: What a story this is. Never in my life have i read a book that is so static and dull from start to finish.
Rating: 
Summary: Elegant Difficulties
Review: A smooth, evenly paced view of one Korean-American's life, "Native Speaker" is a page turner with substance. You can read it on many different levels - a portrait of Korean-American culture, the semi-tragic story of one man's search for happiness, a love story, a subtle indictment of racism in modern America, a treatise on dominant culture and "otherness." Don't get me wrong - this is no pomo essay. Despite an overall lack of explosions, the novel's low-grade spy conceit makes it a fun read. But unlike your garden-variety spy novel, the conceit serves as a metaphor for the tension between communities, fitting in while maintaining identity, and the Korean-American experience. All in all, touching, alienating, beautiful.
Rating:
Summary: A motherlode of poetic ore, deeply touching and exacting
Review: 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 book
Rating: 
Summary: Perhaps I am over critical...
Review: Certainly "Native Speaker" is a page turner and shows Korean immigrant life realistically, but is this a well written book? I never felt like I got into Henry. He seemed so passive to the problems in his life, and this lack of emotion made Henry unbelievable. Chang-rae brings a Korean-American viewpoint that is well described in this story, but turns it into 'The Firm' at the end. I am uncertain of what the author was trying to do, and do not feel this to be a well written book. As a Korean-American I find myself disturbed by the accolades being heaped on him. I am worried that maybe Mr. Lee is a token, a "breath of ethnic fresh air" that I see as terribly patronizing. The question that comes to my mind is did he get press because 'Native Speaker' is a good book, or because the author is Korean?
Rating:
Summary: 8 out of 10
Review: I don't give many 10's, but this is close! I really enjoyed this book. I felt it was a good read, that got increasingly intense as the chapters wore on. The ending seemed a little "hollywood" but . . . it leaves an opening for a sequal. The cultural references throughout the book were touching and being Korean myself, I understood and could relate to the relationships and behaviors of the Koreans. I've read only a few books which depict the asian-american experience -- this book gives a wonderful insight into the many considerations (i.e., his observations of the many differences between he and his wife, his co-workers, his mostly-white neighborhood growing up), and difficult struggles (his yearning to fit in, but his uncertainty on "where" exactly he should fit in). It is difficult to convey what an asian-american goes through because of their race, but Mr. Lee brings many different aspects into view with grace, and without an overload of self-pity. Wonderful detail - I could see AND SMELL his NY neighborhoods
Rating: 
Summary: dull
Review: self-satisfied and smarmy, the prose style and artistic vision in no way deserves the attention this book has receive
Rating:
Summary: A huge contribution to 'American Letters'
Review: Having read only one-third of _Native Speaker_, I shouldwait to say more, but THIS is a new voice for which I havewaited too long to be coy or even complete. Chang-rae Lee is simply wonderful. His beautiful if anguished vision of what it is to live in two worlds and belong to neither is reminiscent of many, immigrant tales but unlike any other. As an adoptive parent of Korean-born children, I am elated to discover him, for he speaks not in political correctness but in a language universal, the only one that counts. Definitely a major new talent.
Rating:
Summary: Jack of all trades, master of none. This is Henry Park.
Review: I really enjoyed the first half of this book. It seemed like the author was building questions about the main character, Henry Park in the mind of the reader. How disappointed to find that not to be the case entirely. I wanted to know, for example, why their son was named Mitt. The perspective regarding American and Korean views of interracial marriage was interesting. Park seemed almost too willing to try to be all things to all people. I enjoyed the way his childhood memories are sprinkled among present day activities. The dichotomy of his two worlds threaten to ruin his life
Rating:
Summary: Uplifting A+ study of life
Review: First off, I am not a critic, nor do I wish to become one.
I want to make this clear because critics to me, especially professional critics, seem bitter or just down-right condescending. Not that I don't think critiques are helpful..
they are..from the optimistic, the writers, not full-time critics.
Okay, okay- here's what I thought of "Native Speaker:"
Simply awesome. Like the lead, I am an immigrant. I live in Southern Cal, where there is an influx of immigrants, just like in
New York, the predominant setting in this book. Without treading
on critics' terminalogy, I just felt like it was me in that story. I was, I am
Henry Park. Just simply wonderful. Yet, I really don't think
you have to be Asian and/or an immigrant to love this book. This book is
very specific, but like any GREAT work, the details or plot don't carry
the story; it's the universal understanding of human nature. Lee's understanding,
and his ability to express it through his pen (or PC). There is so much false "understanding" of our diversity- it's more like separatism than anything.
This book tries to stay away from this..and that's what I admire most. To sum it up,
go read the first chapter, or any chapter, and you'll see what
I mean. Very, very inspirational stuff.
Alan Chiem
|
