Customer Reviews

Audrey Hepburn's Neck

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This is a very nice, different novel that is difficult to put down and in its course illustrates some of modern Japan. There are two parallel stories going on, all centered around a young man finding his place in society. One of the stories shows the manner in which young Japanese, reared still in a very traditional manner, adjust and adapt their lives to a Global modernity, and particularly an American-influenced world. The other story shows how despite the long shadow of WWII the Japanese are slowly coping and dealing with their past, their losses, and their own prejudices. So our hero stands in fact at a turning point. He and his generation by extension are the link between these two worlds.

The world of Toshi, our hero, an exceedingly creative guy, is the source for much amazement to the Western reader, from the loneliness of the mega city, to the megaphone messages in the subway. Pets and coffee houses are also the source for much wonder.

The book deals overtly and covertly on prejudices. Prejudices the Japanese have about Americans and those that Americans have about the Japanese. Prejudices against homosexuals, against Koreans. But all of it is done deftly, with amazing humor.

Alan Brown's observations on how others can perceive Americans, in Japan or out are very keen, funny and true. But he is a master in finding quirky juxtapositions, and more than that in making all his characters three-dimensional and believable.

This is certainly a novel worth reading. If you have a weekend coming up and would like something offbeat, occasionally hilarious, and fascinating to read, give this one a try, you will not regret it.

I took a gamble when this intriguing title caught my eye since I had not read any review or heard any recommendations from friends. I found myself drawn into this book, captivated by its magic which compelled me to finish it in a 24 hour period.This American author looks at the westernization of Japanese culture and shows us American characters from a Japanese viewpoint. His writing style provides a witty perspective, imbued with subtle and ironic humor. The nuances of human emotional interactions and interrelationships are not lost, even with characters so far fetched they border on the absurd. They are astonishing and unusual,a strange and motley mix. They transport the reader to fascinating and unexpected places and times. The plot intertwines past and present.The intriguing title is appropriate,linking geographically separate settings and times with a unifying theme , the Japanese fascination with the West.

Depressing as it is to agree with the Kirkus Review, I do. This is an elegant take on an uncomplicated, emotional story. A young man learns to forgive his parents their frailities and, in the process, understands his attraction to white chicks. A gutsy move for the author, since according to the jacket photo, he himself is a white guy, choosing to write from the point-of-view of a young Japanese artist with a troubled family history. Nonetheless, Alan Brown uses humor and beautiful descriptive sentences to make it work. Does he stereotype the Japanese? I think a more important question is: Do we care about Toshi or do we put the book down? I did... and I didn't. Plus, the "Epilogue" is perfect. (But then, I'm white and own my own copy of "Breakfast at Tiffanys".)

It all started when Toshi's mother took him to see "Roman Holiday," starring Audrey Hepburn and commented "Oh her neck...isn't it lovely?" From that point on, Toshi was forever hooked on western girls and culture, sometimes much to his disappointment and bewilderment.

Toshi is a young Japanese man with a fixation on the West and like many of his young, Japanese contemporaries he struggles to find his identity while sometimes completely baffling his parents. After reaching adulthood, he leaves the fishing village he was raised in and moves to Tokyo where he is sometimes overwhelmed by the city and is constantly exposed to the influences of American culture.

Brown draws us into Toshi's world as Toshi deals not only with his adjustment to life on his own but also to the separation of his parents, a separation which eventually leads Toshi to a family secret that had never even been hinted about to him.

This is a highly unique look into the life of a young man struggling with his culture and the influences of other cultures. And it is highly recommended. Brown does an incredible job of bringing all the characters in this novel to life. If you are looking for something different and even a little quirky to read, pick up a copy of "Audrey Hepburn's Neck," you won't be disappointed.

This positively breathtaking novel explores foreign cultures (specifically American) through the eyes of the Japanese. Toshi grew up in a remote area of Hokkaido in a silent and tense household. Captivated by Audrey Hepburn in the movie "Roman Holiday", he begins a lifelong love affair with American women. He moves to Tokyo to live with his friend Paul, a gay American. Toshi doesn't always understand his American friends, and sometimes feels out of place in his relationships, and it is only through the revelation of his parents' tragic past that he is able to climb out of his stifled history and embrace unencumbered joy. Alan Brown's style is quite magical, and eloquently expresses Toshi's story. Such a wonderfully beautiful book!

Audrey Hepburn's Neck tells the story of young Toshi and his personal growth, and his discovery of his family history. Scenes from youth are interlinked with the present to form believable characters, a good plot, and a convincing picture of Japan (at least to a foreigner who has never visited, but who has some modern Japenese fiction). I have only one criticism, and that is the grammatical `quirks' (read `problems' if you like) which I kept finding. The story itself made me overlook that. Alan Brown is someone to watch; he's got talent. All in all, it is a charming story that appeals in a similar way to that of Haruki Murakami's fiction. GET IT - IT'S GOOD!

This is a terrific book. Although I enjoyed the story, the crisp prose, the wry comments on sexual politics, and the deft portrait of contemporary Japan, I most liked the book for its depiction of Americans as seen by Japanese -- it beautifully captured how peculiar and inexplicable the Western style is to someone from outside its orbit. I was also impressed by the author's bravery in moving into subjects, such as the treatment of Koreans during the Second World War, that the Japanese deal with either by denial or in the most glancing, oblique way possible. My only complaint is that it seemed to me that by making the Japanese protagonist someone from such an isolated, rural chunk of Hokkaido the writer tinted the book with the kind of nostalgic "Japanoiserie" (if that's a word) that he otherwise so smartly avoided. Being American, I can't say if this book captures the Japanese mind, but as someone who has visited the country a number of times I can say that the book _feels_ right -- and, more important, is great fun to read.

A really good read with a good story. Having just moved back from living in Japan a few months ago, the book prompted a rush of memories -- visual, ofactorial, and auditory. I've walked the streets Brown writes about.

What Brown does pretty accurately is capture the essence of Japanese mindset. Detractors overlook this aspect, however, the thoughts of Toshi have been mine at various times of my childhood. The way families communicate, the personalities, the interactions between mother and father, and, later, mother and Taro play real.

Detractors just don't get it or are expecting a mere "geography recitation." Don't go here if you merely want descrption of places Japanes (though Brown proves adept) or you want a neat book where protagonists (and others) think American.

But *do* get this book if you want a glimpse into the Japanese psyche *plus* the bonus of a virtual tour of Tokyo during the days of the bubble economy.

Lyle Ishida Tysons Corner, VA

Alan Brown's story is a comical yet emotional tale of a Japanese man obsessed with American women, after viewing his first Audrey Hepburn film at the age of nine. Jane, a flamboyant American English teacher, seduces Toshi, a twenty-three- year-old manga cartoonist living in Tokyo. As Toshi tries to carve a life for himself, he discovers the complexities associated with sexuality and American women, especially Jane. Throughout the book, Brown beautifully captures how atypical and baffling the Western style can be to someone from outside the culture. Not only does Toshi struggle in his relations with American women throughout the novel, but also with a troubled childhood and a family secret that is slowly exposed to the reader. Brown's witty lines and dry humor make the book entertaining while still supplying an accurate depiction of many national characteristics through the character's actions.

I like it when a book surprises me. I like it better when a book turns out to be surprisingly good. "Audrey Hepburn's Neck" certainly accomplishes both.

Toshi is the main character who grows up in rural Japan then moves to Tokyo where he dates American women and thus learns about the big city and about American women - particularly the cultural differences between Japanese and Americans. At first, author Alan Brown illustrates this in an elegant, entertaining and almost whimsical manner. But what starts as something seemingly superficial turns much deeper as Toshi discovers much more about himself and what it means to be truly Japanese.

"Audrey Hepburn's Neck" is a quick, enjoyable read that will "surprise" you with its powerful and intelligent theme.