Lost in Translation

By: Nicole Mones

Narrated by: Angela Lin

A novel of searing intelligence and startling originality, Lost in Translation heralds the debut of a unique new voice on the literary landscape. Nicole Mones creates an unforgettable story of love and desire, of family ties and human conflict, and of one woman's struggle to lose herself in a foreign land - only to discover her home, her heart, herself.

At dawn in Beijing, Alice Mannegan pedals a bicycle through the deserted streets. An American by birth, a translator by profession, she spends her nights in Beijing's smoke-filled bars, and the Chinese men she so desires never misunderstand her intentions. All around her rushes the air of China, the scent of history and change, of a world where she has come to escape her father's love and her own pain. It is a world in which, each night as she slips from her hotel, she hopes to lose herself forever.

For Alice, it began with a phone call from an American archaeologist seeking a translator. And it ended in an intoxicating journey of the heart - one that would plunge her into a nation's past, and into some of the most rarely glimpsed regions of China. Hired by an archaeologist searching for the bones of Peking Man, Alice joins an expedition that penetrates a vast, uncharted land and brings Professor Lin Shiyang into her life. As they draw closer to unearthing the secret of Peking Man, as the group's every move is followed, their every whisper recorded, Alice and Lin find shelter in each other, slowly putting to rest the ghosts of their pasts. What happens between them becomes one of the most breathtakingly erotic love stories in recent fiction.

Indeed, 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. It's powerful impact confirms the extraordinary gifts of a master storyteller, Nicole Mones.

©1999 Nicole Mones (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"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. Lost in Translation is a fine first novel, the first salvo of a promising literary career." (Amazon.com review)

Amazing experience!

This was an amazingly good listening experience! Great story, really thought provoing, engrossing, interesting characters who you come to care about. The insight into China was a revelation to me; I generally have very negative views of modern Chinese priorities and practices but this novel did a wonderful job of separating the outer constructs from the human heart, and letting the reader appreciate what is special and beautiful in the culture and history of China. The narrator did a wonderful job, and her pronunciation of the Chinese terms added so much that would have been lost in print. Really good read!!!

For the love of all that’s Chinese..

A good hearty fiction read, LOST IN TRANSLATION is beautifully told with an abundance of interesting facts about modern day Chinese culture, ancient customs, language, geography and history. Funny enough I didn’t particularly like the protagonist Alice Mannegan (daughter to a raciest U.S. Congressman); but I found myself taken in by the impassioned story telling of Nicole Mones, through the eyes of the unmarried 30 something American woman who resides in Beijing and works as a translator.

With so many fascinating details, it is clear Mones put some effort and serious time into researching the Chinese people and their traditions. Written almost as if a love letter to China; LOST IN TRANSLATION is mysterious, political, sexy and romantic.
Angela Lin's narration, in both English and Chinese, truly and skillfully brings Alice’s voice to life.

Romantic and Historically Enlightening

Would you listen to Lost in Translation again? Why?

No, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and hope there will be a sequel.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Dr. Lin -- well-developed, complex character wrestling with conflicting emotions in matters of the heart and social culture.

Which character – as performed by Angela Lin – was your favorite?

Dr. Lin and any number of the Chinese speaking characters. Her presentation of the different dialects had a ring of authenticity, although her English was impeccable as well.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Indeed, it was. I completed it in fewer than 24 hours--an extraordinary accomplishment for me. Sometimes I have trouble focusing, but such was not the case with *Lost in Translation."

Any additional comments?

There is a Bill Murray film with this same title, but the book and the film in no way spring from the same source. Two completely different stories. I wish they didn't share the same title because the film was borderline awful, and a reader might see the title of this book and incorrectly associate one with the other. Don't be misled, as I almost was. I have this novel in book form but had delayed reading it. I decided one day to download it from Audible. What a good decision on my part. With the Chinese interspersed throughout the story, the narrator delivered a depth to the novel that I don't think I could've possibly realized had I simply been reading the words in my own mind. I give the narrator 5 stars.

Wonderful story

I loved everything about this book except the main character's relationship with her father. (If she hated being associated with him so much, all she had to do was change her surname. ) Other than that, I though this was a fascinating story, multilayered which is something I always enjoy. I learned about Chinese history and culture, archeology, Teilhard De Chardin, and got to enjoy a good tale about how messy, difficult, and challenging life is, yet with hope.

Good if you are interested in Chinese Culture

This is perhaps the first novel written about the post cultural rev period focusing on Chinese men from an American womens perspective. Much ring true in my experience, I was over there in 1996 hanging with my wifes old boy friends, this is the first novel I have read that
looks at certain aspects of China unknown to most Americans. The story was engaging also, not bad from a lady that specializes in cook books.

love affair between East and West -- with a twist

A few years ago, I lived in Beijing for 4 months with my Chinese American husband. Having studied a little Chinese myself, and having experienced a bit of the life of an ex-pat woman in China, I was drawn to this book because I have rarely read about a similar topic.

I liked this book on a lot of levels, but there were also things that could have been better. First, the good: It is a simply marvelous depiction of modern China and the cultural clashes between old and new, East and West, that continue to play themselves out, even more than ten years since the book was written. The author obviously knows a LOT about China. In addition, the fact that the narrator had flawless Mandarin tones made the listening experience so very satisfying too, as I was able to pick up words here and there. I always like love stories, especially cross-cultural ones, and the love story here did not fail to please. It was satisfying, too, that the main characters were not perfect individuals but were both very damaged in their own ways. One of the final scenes, in which Lin confronts Alice about her many love affairs with Chinese men, is a searing indictment of the America sexual fetish for Asians, but with a gender bender: the person who chases after Chinese lovers is a woman, not a man.

I am only giving this book 4 stars because I felt that some parts of the plot were unrealistic or far-fetched and some of the characters (Spencer, especially), were underdeveloped. But as this is primarily a sketch of place, not of character, I'd still recommend the book for anyone who wants to learn more about modern China and the place of Wai Guo Ren (foreigners) in the Middle Kingdom.

Different Than The Movie

it was OK. struggled to get going and middle with it. I preferred the setting of the movie.

Wonderful!

We loved the story, the true depiction of how people's experiences color their choices in life, the complex human emotions, AND, most especially, the language. Beautifully written, the book allows English-speakers to get a glimpse of Chinese culture and Chinese soul through the incredible translations. ("Given" in translation, not "lost.")
The reading by Angela Lin is exceptional and nuanced.

Chinese Male

After reading The Last Chinese Chef, I was interested at reading more from this author. Nicole Mones does a good job at explaining the Chinese culture and bringing up the complexity of interracial relationships that is common in the western world.

Instead of writing about mindless romantic fluff, "Lost in Translation" is about an American woman going to work in China and having a relationship with a native man while she is there. The Chinese man has a different expectation from the American woman and vice versa. The culture differences in their relationship is not obvious for the reader, but one can feel the tension as you get into the story more.

This author brings up issues with mix relationships especially in the Asian culture, but she writes in a way where the relationship's issue shadows the plot of the story. Maybe too subtle at times for the audience to get the message, but if you are from an Asian descent you will recognize the diversity in the relationships.

A book with sustenance!

I thought it was a beautiful love story. I have never read a novel involving an American woman and a Chinese man. Very deep and appropriately sensual. A novel that you can sink your teeth into. Ms Mones clearly did Her homework.