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| Customer Reviews: | | Average Customer Review: ( 10 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
A Drama in a book! Jul 03, 2008
By Shante L.
"Shopaholic"
I adored this book! It is hard to know what to expect when it comes to an author's debut novel, as there are no previous works to compare it to. But there is nothing to worry about. Adrienne Leslie masterfully pulls off creating characters that the reader can easily relate to, whether it was uncertainties in decisions they made or situations they had to deal with, easily making Wendy and Jae's world seem as our own.
This book is a page turner. Like one of the many well done Korean dramas on TV these days, "Bird and Fish" manages to keep the reader on the edge of their seat as they nervously wonder what will happen next with the seemingly fragile yet complex relationship between the main characters. Truly, a drama in book form!
8 of 10 found the following review helpful:
Bird and Fish: a tale of love in NYC May 23, 2008
By James Fitzpatrick
This is Adrienne Leslie's first novel, and she's to be congratulated for weaving an emotionally complex tale on the framework of a simple, but fast paced storyline of inter-racial love in New York City. In doing so, she refreshingly avoids the politically correct pitfalls many authors (and Hollywood screen writers) have often fallen into: the significance of racial difference among people in love. Indeed, as the author stresses throughout, by the natural interaction of her characters, racial difference is hardly an issue at all for two people truly in love.
Jae Won is an artist from Korea, now living with his younger brother's family in NYC. His wife, in a fit of severe depression, has recently committed suicide. As a result, Jae Won retreats into himself, unable to erase a feeling of guilt, coupled with what he perceives to be a failure in his familial responsibilities. He has giving up his art and is content to live out his self-imposed exile, working as a clerk in his brother's paint store. Enter Wendy.
Wendy is a middle school teacher in the NYC public school system. Her abusive first husband has died, leaving her with a daughter who suffers from Crohn's Disease. Her second husband is a good man, but their relationship lacks the passion Wendy so desires. Indeed, for her, the marriage seems to have been more of a matter of convenience than of love. Wendy plods through life, surviving, rather than living, beset by her own health problems, and enduring the daily battle for her students and against the administrative apparatus of her school. Her only relief seems to be her friendship with her colleague, Libby, and her love for Korean dramas shown on television. Enter Jae Won.
Adrienne Leslie's own experiences as a teacher, along with her knowledge of Korea (and her own love for Korean dramas), lend an air of realism to this work. Bird and Fish is an easy read and, since it's written from a woman's perspective, will, most likely, be especially appealing to the female reading audience.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Bird and Fish is Superb Jun 04, 2008
By Miriam Chabarek
I received my gift copy of Adrienne Leslie's Bird and Fish - What a page
turner..I couldn't put it down..my favorite scene was the first meeting
Jae and Wendy - the lovers don't know their fate yet as they argue over
a paint sale..Leslie manages to share the spark between them ..
Most surprising was Yu Jin the successful Korean American, whose life
at closer inspection is falling apart..Seeing him drinking to forget his
complicated love life in his mistress' stairwell was gut wrenching.
Bird and Fish is a fast paced well written story that will appeal to
both men and women..I enjoyed reading it tremendously and highly
recommend it ...
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Not to be missed! Mar 18, 2010
By M. Landis
I often describe this book as a Korean Drama written by an American for an American audience. I don't know how to describe my feelings beyond saying that I have the same feelings when a really good Korean Drama ends - contentment, sadness, yearning for more, etc....
From page 1 I was wrapped up in Wendy's life. I had to force myself to put the book down when other responsibilities beckoned. When I read, I typically skim over details and concentrate on dialog. By about page 100 or so, I realized I was taking in every word.
If you are a drama fan, don't miss this book or its sequel "Sea & Sky".
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Bird and Fish is a true treasure Feb 19, 2010
By Myung Oak Kim
I love fiction novels and especially ones that offer glimpses into Asian cultures. Bird and Fish is the first of a trilogy. Sea and Sky is the second of the series - which I also adored. And Wetlands is scheduled for publication this year. I love Bird and Fish because it is truly unique. This books is a testament to the impact that Korean culture has had on the United States. It shows the impact through the lives of fascinating characters. While you are engrossed with the story, you don't realize that you are learning about Korean culture and its intersection with New York City in a more effective way than most textbooks. Like the sequel Sea and Sky, I thoroughly enjoyed every word and didn't want the story to end.
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