My Thoughts:
The first thing that intrigued me about this book was the cover. Isn’t it striking? I know we’re not supposed to judge books by their covers but how could I not? This one is gorgeous.
I was looking forward to reading The Translator for a few reasons. The premise sounded fab. Can you imagine what it would be like to lose the ability to speak your native language? Also, I enjoy reading about Asian cultures. I was eager to learn more about Japan and about Noh theater.
While I looked forward to all of those things what really drew me was the main character Hanne. She is such an interesting and realistic person. She knows best for the people in her life. So much so that her daughter hasn’t spoken to her in years and the author whose work she translated basically calls her a hack. In public.
Hanne’s first language is gone. Her career is in deep trouble. Her family is broken. She struggles, as many of us do, to find the meaning of it all. Where did she go wrong? What could she have done differently? Hanne takes a journey seeking answers and redemption.
It was a journey that I was glad to take with her.
Nina Schuyler‘s first novel, The Painting, (Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2004), was a finalist for the Northern California Book Awards. It was also selected by the San Francisco Chronicle as one of the Best Books of 2004, and dubbed a “fearless debut” by MSNBC and a “great debut” by the Rocky Mountain News. It’s been translated into Chinese, Portuguese, and Serbian.
She attended Stanford University for her undergraduate degree, earned a law degree at Hastings College of the Law and an MFA in fiction with an emphasis on poetry at San Francisco State University. She currently teaches creative writing at the University of San Francisco.
The Relentless Reader 
Sounds like a great book, though losing your native language is not that common, so I'm a little critical about that part of the book. But the story sounds nice
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I almost requested this one on NetGalley or Edelweiss yesterday because the premise sounded great. And, well, that cover! I'm glad this one worked for ya. I need to clear up a few more reading obligations before I snatch up anything else.
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Well first, total YES to that cover…beautiful!! The description of this novel is so intriguing to me. Seems like the author has managed to bring together a lot of different themes in a pretty seamless way…not easy to do!
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So glad I found your review for this one as I hadn't even heard of it! That gorgeous cover is a must own. And the story sounds well worth the read.
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WOAH! Losing my first language? That would be especially problematic for me, as I only speak English fluently. I'd be left with declarative sentences in Spanish and hand gestures to get me through life…
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I imagine I'd really enjoy this book. I study languages and also like reading about Asian culture, so I'll have to add it to my reading list! I'm glad that the characterisation seems to be done well too.
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This sounds fascinating. Consider me convinced!
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Ohhhh I LOVE LANGUAGES so this sounds really cool.
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Definitely and interesting premise. I watched a documentary about those who have this happen to them (very rare); one woman even lost her American accent, I think it was, and could only speak as though she were British. Weird how the mind works, makes you wonder what else we have tick-tocking up in there that scientists have uncovered yet…
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What? That sounds like a crazy but also super interesting premise. It seems to sad, like amnesia but only of the language you know. . . what if she hadn't known more than one language?????
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I've heard some great things! I'll have to check it out.
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I agree- the cover of this one is amazing. I think the premise is interesting too, I studied neurobiology at uni and brain injuries are fascinating as the pattern of loss is never the same for two people.
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Yes, great book and great review!
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This sounds like such a unique premise and something I could totally get into.
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You know, I thought the same thing about the language thing. But as I was reading this it totally made sense to me 😉
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Yup, I got this from NetGalley. I know what you mean! I have no business bringing ANY NEW BOOKS INTO THIS HOUSE, lol.
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Thanks for your great review. This sounds like an interesting story.
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Sounds like a book my mom would love. She likes books set in Asian countries and her first language is not English (she's from Germany). Her birthday is next month–perfect! Thanks!
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Correct! There are quite a few elements to this and they all worked very well together 🙂
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Hooray! Isn't it the best? LOVE this cover so much 🙂
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Ha ha, same here! I know a few words/phrases of German. I don't know how that would get me through life. I can ask someone what time it is. That's about it, lol.
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Oh, then you would probably REALLY like this one! 😀
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Sweet! 😀 I hope you find time for this one Lindsey.
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This would be right up your alley Monika!
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I remember hearing about that woman who talked with a British accent! Amazing isn't it? I'd love to be around 200 years from now just to see what else has been figured about out our brains.
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She was lucky that she had another language to fall back on! I'd be screwed, lol.
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I hope you do! 🙂
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There's a never ending spectrum when it comes to our brains. It's so fascinating!
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Thanks so much 😀
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It sounds almost bizarre, right? But while I was reading this it all seemed like something that could totally happen. It didn't seem far-fetched at all 🙂
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Hi Pat, thanks so much! I'm glad you visiting and commented here today 🙂
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It sounds like this was written for your mom!! So cool 🙂
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Such an interesting cover! I think I'd read this just to learn more about the Noh theatre.
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That a good enough reason 🙂 I'd like to see Noh in person, it sounds beautiful!
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Before I even read your review, I thought \”Nice cover!\”. I think it's one of those books I'd pick up for the cover alone. Interesting topic… loosing the ability to speak your first language. Sometimes, because i work in an English environment, I find myself forgetting the correct words to use when I do speak my first language 😀 Funny! This book sounds interesting, since reading The Third Son, I'm also quite interested in wanting to read more about Asian cultures.
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Gorgeous isn't it?? LOL, oh no! English is taking over your brain 😉 I really enjoyed The Third Son too! I adore learning about other cultures!
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Wow, what a unique premise! Since I only know one language, I'd be in trouble…
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I'd be in big trouble too Diana! 😉
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Well this sounds like a good one. And that cover is amazing! Although, I'm not sure how I'd feel if I fell asleep with it next to me and woke up with that mask in my face…Obviously one must think about these things 😉
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You're right, the cover is gorgeous and makes me want to dive right into the book to see what it's about. An interesting premise and I love books set in other countries. Japan isn't a country I have visited for my Around the World challenge yet, maybe this is a good one. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, you always read such interesting and different books!
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That wouldn't be a pleasant way to wake up would it?? Ahhhh! 😉
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This would be a great book for the Around the World challenge Tanya! Thanks so much 😀
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Hello Jennifer, Maybe it´s a silly question but it's all written in English, right? 🙂 tks!Zoe
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Yes, it's all in English 😀
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