Rating: 
Summary: spot on
Review: She has written a well-rounded novel for all. I don't think you need to live in Japan, as I do, to get into it. It is balanced in: plot, charcater, setting and idea. And it has humour. Read it. You will not hurl it into the corner of the room as I did with that Geisha tome.
Rating:
Summary: Required reading for gaijin
Review: There are few technologically advanced cultures in the world that seem as "foreign" to Americans as Japan, which may be why a significant number of Yanks have been fascinated by Japan over the years. In 1908, Davidson and her husband went there, as so many North Americans have, as university English teachers on a one-year contract, though she had a life-long interest in everything Japanese. She learns the language far better than most of us could, though she obviously never feels she's learned enough. She adapts to Japanese ways of doing things, of thinking, of looking at the world, and this process also affects how she sees her own country. She's willing to be a gaijin trying to fit in -- not that she has any choice -- but she's also willing to be critical of such things as Japanese racism and xenophobia. She forms close friendships which will last for two decades. Then a tragedy in her husband's family forces their return to Canada, which seems, for awhile, like a foreign country. Her account of their later visit to Paris is hilarious -- especially the way her mind seems to equate "foreign" with Japanese, pushing French phrases out of her mind and leading her to spout colloquial Japanese to French hotel clerks. And, even though on their subsequent visits to Japan, they consider permanent residence, they finally realize they could never become that adapted -- but they make up for it by building their new home in the North Carolina hills along distinctively Japanese lines. I like Davidson's calm, thoughtful approach to what constitutes "foreignness."
Rating: 
Summary: It Had Its Moments, But...
Review: This book's strength is its depiction of the nuances of Japanese culture. It makes for a fascintating study and demonstrates the author's familiarity with the country. However, it wasn't a book that I couldn't put down. Although the writing style was appropriate to this comic-suspense first novel, there were plot elements which required real suspension of disbelief on my part. Plus, the romance seemed a bit forced; where was the chemistry between them? It seemed more that they were thrown together and since Gaby was alone and Jonathan was lost, why not? This two-lonely-people is a scenario that has been used well in other works ("Lost in Translation", now on DVD), but it just didn't seem to fit the tone of this novel. Truthfully, I'd say check it out of the library first, then decide if this is really something you want to purchase. As for me, I'm saying "sayonara" to my copy.
Rating:
Summary: Read this before working in Japan
Review: This is an excellent taste, encapsulated in an easily digested and entertaining storyline, of what it's like for a foreign woman working in Japan (for a Japanese company). I have lived and worked as an expat in Japan for nine months now and it's clear that Sara Backer did her homework and did it well. The storyline is engaging and believable and the humor works like a charm to bring the reader closer to the culture than any travel log. I can't recommend it more highly for anyone who loves Japanese culture, or who depends on a good story to transport them far away.
Rating: 
Summary: a good entertaining story
Review: This story, if not wildly exaggerated, paints a vivid albeit gloomy picture of japan. Although an entertaining read, I could not help but wonder if the author was slightly overexaggerating some of the reactions of the japanese to gaijin...But all in all, a pleasant read, and definitely worth the time to pick up! plus, you learn some japanese along the way...
Rating:
Summary: "Expect the unexpected."
Review: Those were the words written to Alex Thorn by his son shortly before the young man died in a motorcycle accident. Thorn arrives in Japan hoping to find out why his son's body arrived home without a heart, and also hopes to soothe his own guilt about not being much of a father. All he has to go on is the name of the company that send Cody's body back to the US. Since his letters to them went unanswered, Alex shows up looking for some answers himself. Gone with the Wind (they answer the phone "cone wizzer window") arranges fantasy funerals - a disgusting job in Japan, which is why they've hired American Gaby Stanton. For Gaby, who lost her position as a university English teacher, this is the only employment she could find. Thorn is hoisted off on her to get both of them out of the way. This is a very funny book, and it is refreshing to read an account so free of political correctness. The book's weakenss is Gaby's reason for putting up with all this in the first place. The appeal of the Japanese health care system seems quite unconvincing when Gaby's experience with the Japanese medical establishment is creepy enough to make most of us beg for an HMO. Aren't there other, less hostile places in the world where foreigners can get health care? This is the book's major flaw, especially when Gaby is offered an alternative. The characters are believeable and quirky, and the English names of Japanese products are laugh-out-loud weird. This is a fun read, an enjoyable book that you will look forward to reading. "American Fuji" is also a glimpse into a complex, interesting, and maddening culture that we will probably never understand, and which certainly doesn't want us to.
Rating:
Summary: couldn't get it out of my mind
Review: two years ago i picked this up at *&* (another bookstore) to read while waiting for someone. i got about 1/3 through it then had to go. i wanted to finish it so checked the library - our library system didn't own it, wouldn't buy it, and never could manage to ILL it for me. so i just gave up. but over time, i couldn't get the story out of my head - what happened? of course, each time i went back, i would look for it, but by then i had forgotten both title and author.
last month i couldn't stand not knowing, so i did some searches on amazon and found it after some tedium. finally, i was able to finish it! definitely worth the time to find. i loved the characters - i didn't find any of them truly evil, even the Big Bad Baddie was understandable from his point of view - and some, like Gabi's boss Eguchi, were surprisingly multifaceted. it was a nice balance of mystery and characters and setting.
i LOVED the ending. it was exactly as it should be. no hollywood ending here. i'll be looking for more by this author, set in japan or not.
Rating:
Summary: Great and Unique Story
Review: Very enjoyable, something for everyone: mystery, romance, lots of information about Japanese culture, yakuza (gangsters), and medical drama. Just a super book, written in a simple, non-frilly style.
Rating:
Summary: A Delightful Surprise!
Review: What a treat to find a book with characters so real you want to sit down to dinner (even sushi!) with them. I finished this book yesterday and miss the characters today. I've never been that interested in Japanese culture, but this book changed my mind. "American Fugi" deserves to be a blockbuster - so do your part and read it!
Rating:
Summary: As Enlightening As It Is Entertaining
Review: What a wonderful and fascinating look into the Japanese culture as seen through the eyes of a gaijin. American Alex Thorn travels to Japan searching for answers about the death of his son who was an exchange student there. Along the way he elicits the help of Gaby Stanton, a female American expatriate and former teacher at Shizuyama University. In order to navigate the somewhat mysterious and often quirky Japanese society Thorn must first learn about the intricacies of Japanese customs and the chasm that separates Eastern and Western ways of thinking. A thoroughly enlightening journey it turns out to be. Ultimately, the closure Thorn seeks ends up opening a new sense of self-awareness, a new sense of hope and new sense possibilities in moving his life forward. Author Sara Backer is dead-on the mark as she so wonderfully and cleverly captures the subtle nuances of the Japanese. Herself having spent three years teaching in Japan, Ms Backer is able to add a firsthand flavor to her writing - especially through her female character Gaby Stanton. A fast and delightful read.
|
