Lost in Translation (original 1998; edition 1999)

by Nicole Mones

Members	Reviews	Popularity	Average rating	Mentions
596	14	41,477	(3.56)	38

This book is a well written predecessor to her very excellent "The Last Chinese Chef". China that isn't some sort of Orientalist exotic place, yes! A realistic view and excellent expression of the relationship-based cultural style in relation to Western interpretation/misinterpretations, yes! Chinese men with sexuality, yes!

My biggest issue with the book, however, lies with the main character: a lost woman dealing with the aftermath of her racist politician father and her childhood as an icon for White Supremacists. She tries to atone by fleeing to the other side of the world and throwing herself into scrubbing off her whiteness and becoming... Chinese. The problem is that she's going about it in an incredibly wrongheaded manner, and despite denials to herself that it isn't the case, she is suffering greatly from a case of "Exotic Orientalism". And, as everyone around her continues to tell her, Chinese isn't a state that one can become. It isn't a haircut that one can eventually gain with care and attention. It's just what you happen to be born as, and grew up to be. It's a lifehood of culture. It's blood. Neither of which she has.

She does grow/mature, though. Eventually. Unfortunately, it takes her awhile and I almost lost patience--- I'm glad I stuck with it. I wasn't quite satisfied with the ending, but it worked. A pretty decent story and enjoyable to read. (

)

teawithducks | Dec 1, 2007 |

date ▼ | votes

Showing 14 of 14

Beautifully written. Atmospheric. Interesting.
But bailed at 67%. Just a bit too "sensual" for me. Didn't pass the "recommend" to mom test. The reference to the female lead masturbating finally put me over the edge. Moving on. (

)

Desiree_Reads | Jan 24, 2023 |

An elaborate, yet low-key adventure about history, archaeology and finding a place to truly belong. Although the characters had a lot of potential, I never was able to connect with any of them - I had a hard time liking Alice. Her Daddy issues and borderline fetishism with Chinese culture wasn't endearing or understandable, it was annoying. Why Lin? What was special about him? Or her other, near-fiance? It's never quite clear. And why in the world are we, the reader, treated to a very late romantic interlude only for it to fall apart just pages later for a nonexistent argument?

I couldn't understand Spencer's motivation either - he was dedicated to finding Peking Man in order to return triumphantly to his son but after the initial devastation of realizing it was lost forever he suddenly decides he wants to stay and work on the Monkey God project? Hadn't I gone through chapter after chapter of Spencer lamenting the separation from his son on a physical AND emotional level?

Still, despite what I thought were some major inconsistencies with the characters, I really enjoyed the thought and history behind this novel. The settings were vivid and emotional, I felt transported to China in practically every chapter. Definitely a different read. (

)

MC_Rolon | Jun 15, 2022 |

I made the mistake of thinking this was the basis of the Bill Murray Scarlett Johansson movie because the main character had red hair. Clearly it is not. The scion of a racist American politician loses herself in Chinese culture working as a translator. She is employed by an American archaeologist looking to recover Peking man which he believes was hidden in the wilds of Mongolia by the Jesuit priest de Chardin. Two Chinese ethnologist join the expedition, one of whom is seeking the fate of his wife who disappeared during the chaos. All the while the party is trailed by the PLA. The translator engages in multiple love affairs always overshadowed by her controlling father. The glimpse into Chinese culture as it opened to the west was enjoyable. Unbelievable plot twists left me going, “Nah.” Knowing the finances of academics, the thought that a failed archaeologist, whose funding has been denied, would rush off to China on a wild goose chase funded by maxing out his credit cards all in an effort to impress his son was too unbelievable. If you can ignore a few flaws Lost in Translation is an enjoyable ride. (

)

varielle | Dec 6, 2020 |

I'd like to give this 4 stars but due to the mature themes that may offend some and a couple of unfortunately explicit scenes, I'll stick with 3. Having said that, I do like this author for a lot of reasons. I agree with this quote from the description of the novel:

The key to the novel's success is Mones's in-depth knowledge of China's culture, history, and politics. The question of cultural identity is at the core of her tale, and she skillfully weaves various aspects of Chinese life--from ancestor worship to the Cultural Revolution--into the personal relationships of her characters. By novel's end, readers have discovered a great deal about archeology, China, and most especially about the unmapped territories of memory, desire, and identity. (

)

tkcs | Feb 23, 2019 |

(I have no notes on this book ... but I've since read another book by this author, and really like her work) (

)

BookConcierge | Feb 8, 2016 |

A slowly unfolding, low key story with parallel tales of lost things, including the Chinese wife of an archaeologist who is taken away by the NLA to a work camp for verboten information she included in an academic paper, the lost normalcy of an American woman's life after her father's outspoken views causes a murderous riot in her name, and the lost Peking man. I liked the story, and the setting, but the characters were unsympathetic and not fleshed out enough to appreciate them. Overall a good read though, if you are interested in Chinese customs and language. (

)

kimberwolf | Jan 16, 2016 |

I had a really hard time starting this book. I waas finally able to take interest in a bit of the story and finish the book. I didn't have any sympathy for the main character. It seemed like she was being indulgent and irresponsible. The serch for Peking Man, which is the premise for the book parallel's the main character's life in her search for a feeling of love that is older than Peking Man. ifyou want to learn a bit about Chinese culture, this book is probably an easy and entertaining way to do that.I was interested in the descriptions of the villages and their amenities, or lack of them. The Chaos was also touched upon from a personal point of view and I found it interesting to read about. (

)

jlapac | Aug 14, 2013 |

It was nice to read a book about China, and the archaeological quest was an interesting plot line. However, I found the characters a bit wooden, and the relationships seemed to move ahead in fits and starts. Some of the original parts of the story (like the fact that the American doesn't get his funding) just seemed to fizzle out with no real conclusion: a bit frustrating. I would have liked some feel too of what it means to be a woman in Alice's situation: aside from her foreigner status, she seems to be moving in a very traditional society with almost no effort at all. If China's really like that, a few comments would have been nice, and would have made the novel more three-dimensional for me. (

)

zbrntt | Mar 2, 2009 |

I recall truly enjoying this novel, the quotes from Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, the mystery wrapped within the characters development, along with the moving thru different aspects of China's past and present. This is not a book for everyones tastes, the lead character is not what you'd expect. (

)

Kiri | Jun 24, 2008 |

Lost in Translation is the imaginative and satisfying first novel by Nicole Mones. The protagonist, Alice Mannegan, is an American living in China, working as an interpreter, and striving to be accepted in the culture she has adopted. When hired by a second-rate American anthropologist, the two hook up with his Chinese counterparts and head to Inner Mongolia looking for the lost remains of Peking Man.

Mones does a great job of weaving the histories of the characters into the main story. While the team follows the trail of homo erectus, Alice struggles to understand her relationship with her powerful father; her boss worries about losing his son’s affection and respect; and their Chinese cohort searches on the sly for the wife he cannot abandon although she disappeared to a work camp during the Cultural Revolution. Mones uses the historic relationship between French priest Pierre Teilhard de Chardin and his platonic lover, Lucile Swan, to bring thematic unity to the varied storylines.

Equal parts historical mystery, foreign adventure, and cross-cultural romance, Lost in Translation has a lot to offer. (

)

RoseCityReader | Apr 2, 2008 |

)

teawithducks | Dec 1, 2007 |

This novel had promise, but never really delivered. The main character was ultimately fairly trite, and it was hard to really care about what happened to her, especially since she seemed to invite disaster upon herself. There is an elegance to the prose, and there is a sense of calm about the story that I appreciated. The concept of an American girl, who cannot relate to her father back in the states, making a living as a Chinese-English translator in China is not entirely realistic, but somehow romantic. (

)

shliz | Jun 8, 2006 |

Lost in Translation is a novel about love--between a nation and its past, between a man and a memory, between a father and a daughter. (

)

velvetink | Mar 31, 2013 |

Fathers and daughters > Fiction/Americans > China > Fiction/Archaeologists > Fiction/Legislators > Fiction/Young women > Fiction/Translators > Fiction/Peking man > Fiction/China > Fiction/Adventure stories. gsafd/Bildungsromane. gsafd

Budzul | Jun 1, 2008 |

date ▼ | votes

Showing 14 of 14