A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers (edit title)

• Rated 4 stars

“Strong but also moving, features really intense characters. The cultural contrasts are very well represented and are interesting to read about. ”

• Rated 4 stars

“This is the story of Chinese Zhuang, 23 years old, who has come to live in London for a year to study English. Written in broken English, her troubles are easy to relate to, and yet the differences between East and West are always present. At first she feels very alone, and then she meets an interesting Englishman...
I thought the broken English might become irritating after a while, but it did not, it really became the voice of Zhuang for me - and of course, as she becomes better at it, it gets easier to follow too.
The plot could easily be one for a chick-lit book, but the juxtaposition of the values and expectations of what life should/could be, of Chinese Zhuang and her English lover make it a lot more interesting than that.
I liked it.”

• Rated 3 stars

“A funny, depressing story of a Chinese woman who stuggles with culture shock and feels rejected by her British lover. While the plot seems a bit forced at times, the main character manages to retain her innocence and charm in circumstances that would make most of us become resentful and/or bitter. Along for the ride, we get a taste of what it's like to live/love in a foreign country.”

• Rated 4 stars

“the funniest bk iv read recently ! its a story abt a young girl growing up while she went exploring outside the 'unknown' world more than 'improving in English'”

• Rated 4 stars

“Zhuang , or Z, is a young woman that has come from China to London for a year to learn English. Z is twenty-three and meets a man twenty years her senior. The account is more of a diary from Z’s perspective at the beginning Z’s English is not good and it is harder to understand her meaning. As the book progresses so does her English. I liked Z’s character. I thought she trusted people much too quickly and it annoyed me. I’m sure though if you don’t grasp the language extremely well and don’t know all the customs you would trust people that are nice to you, but still it bugged me. I liked the way she persevered and learned more about the western world.”

• Rated 0 stars

“Your own understanding of english is heightened during this read. As her syntax and grammar improve, you find yourself questioning if our language affects our emotions or the other way around. ”

• Rated 3 stars

“A fast read for a cross-country airplane ride. Good if you can be distracted by turbulence, loud babies, and $5 cocktails.

The young Chinese narrator's romance with an aging, disenchanted British vegan would be tedious if Guo hadn't written the story in Chinglish. As her English develops and becomes more fluent and nuanced, the narrator becomes more aware of some of the problems of her beau. Her growing fluency also allows her to become more knowable to readers, through the words/concepts that flummox her, and the people that attract her.

I think this is a good book about cultural negotiations, especially by immigrants. I recently read a short story in _Foreign Brides_ by Elena Lappin, called "Noa and Noah," which explores similar issues -- an Israeli woman marries a British man, moves to England, slowly learns the language and culture, and discovers that the man that was so attractive, or at least "different" and mysterious, when she knew little English, becomes tedious and silly when she finally understands him.”

• Rated 4 stars

“What a delightful, fun novel, starts of with the lead character speaking broken English and as her linguistic skills improve so does the diction and dialogue. The story line winds around her love affair with an Englishman as she comes into her own.”

• Rated 5 stars

“If you have to choose one book to take on holiday THIS IS THE ONE! Absolutely hilarious and worth every laugh.”

• Rated 5 stars

“"A Concise Chinese English dictionary for lovers" is a story about love between two cultures.

A Chinese girl, "Z". She studied English in London and fell in love with an English man. Their love wasn't perfect and life was full of conflict. Misunderstanding constantly happen among languages, but the needs, the emptiness, all of these made their love more emotional and locked two of them even tighter.

Who says love has to be beautiful and pure?

I was a foreigner in a strange land. I have fallen in love with the white men. I have been there. When I read this book. I had to stop myself few times. The story struck me so hard. I could see myself hurting my love and he and I grew in pain.

At the end of the story, "Z" felt like she has left part of herself in London. Even through I am living in western land now. I still feel that I have left part of myself in the past with my love and the sadness is always in my heart.

I recommend this book to all the people who have been in an interracial relationship before. Maybe you will also find that missing piece of yourself from the book.”