"Midori by Moonlight" by Wendy Tokunaga

I read about Midori by Moonlight by Wendy Tokunaga on S. Krishna's Books (who, by the way, might be the most prolilfic reader I have ever come across in my life - my god!). Sounds like a fun book. From Amazon:

Aspiring Cinderella Midori Saito does not heed her mother's warning-"Running off with a foreigner will bring you nothing but trouble"-in Tokunaga's delectably frothy debut. Trouble is exactly what Midori finds after following English teacher Kevin Newbury from her native Japan to San Francisco, where Prince Charming quickly becomes Prince Alarming after a nightmarish engagement party. After Kevin dumps her to return to his ex-girlfriend, Midori doesn't want to tell her parents or return to Japan, although with little savings, no green card and only a temporary visa, she may have to. Fortunately, Kevin's old friend Shinji Nishimura, who met Midori at the ill-fated party, offers Midori refuge while she figures out her next moves-she's a talented baker-and Shinji ponders his.

From S. Krishna's review:

I can definitely say that this slim chick lit novel is the most fun I've had in recent memory while reading a book....  Midori is a feisty heroine whom the reader can't help but root for. She struggles with her English - while her knowledge of the language is passable, it's the idioms she has trouble with. Her misuse of colloquial phrases is an endless source of amusement in the novel. Midori is also determined and a very strong character, though she doesn't realize it. It takes courage to leave everything you know behind and forge a new life in a foreign country, and even more courage to stay there when all the circumstance change. Everything and everyone is telling Midori to return to Japan, but she refuses; her strength shines through.

I also loved the multicultural aspects of this novel. It was interesting to learn more about Japanese culture, especially with regard to how they look at young women. It seemed to be similar to Indian culture in that respect. While I think culture is important, I admired Midori for standing up to convention and forging her own path. ... It's a great book that I can't recommend highly enough, even for those who don't usually enjoy chick lit.

S Krishna is also giving away a copy of Midori by Moonlight - enter here before the drawing on February 8th.

Also, here is an interview with author Wendy Tokunaga from Brenda's Blog.

Comments

[Mary]

Thanks for telling us about this book. Sounds like a good one!

[S. Krishna]

Thanks for sharing the post and for the compliments! I do appreciate it! :-)