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A review by chelsaat
Sansei and Sensibility by Karen Tei Yamashita
4.0
"Odd how that Darcy kid even speaks Japanese in a monotone."
The Gist: The first half is a collection of short stories and personal essays by Yamashita about what life is like as a sansei (a third-generation Japanese American). The second half is short adaptations of Jane Austen’s novels set amongst the Japanese-American community in the 60s and 70s.
My Thoughts: I really loved both halves of this book! The personal stories were quite lovely, and there was only one I didn’t fully grasp. “Bombay Gin” was my favorite - the melancholy mixed with humor was a perfect balance.
The Jane Austen stories were just super fun. They’re a bit heavier on the social commentary than the romance, which was a bit of a bummer for this romance Austen fan, but overall I thought the adaptation choices were really clever.
The Gist: The first half is a collection of short stories and personal essays by Yamashita about what life is like as a sansei (a third-generation Japanese American). The second half is short adaptations of Jane Austen’s novels set amongst the Japanese-American community in the 60s and 70s.
My Thoughts: I really loved both halves of this book! The personal stories were quite lovely, and there was only one I didn’t fully grasp. “Bombay Gin” was my favorite - the melancholy mixed with humor was a perfect balance.
The Jane Austen stories were just super fun. They’re a bit heavier on the social commentary than the romance, which was a bit of a bummer for this romance Austen fan, but overall I thought the adaptation choices were really clever.