Customer Reviews

J-Pop Love Song

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Shiree McCarver brings readers a very interesting story of romance in J-Pop Love Song. Charlene Alfred is about to embark on a new career. She is already a successful songwriter and best-selling romance author. Her first book, Blu's Diary, is being made into a motion picture and she is in the middle of screening actors for the lead male role. However, the financial backers have already decided who would have the role, Japanese pop star, Kane. Kane is young, sexy and perfect for the role. But Charlene believes he is too young and inexperienced to portray Blu's true character.

Kane has been performing on the stage since the age of 12. Eager to get from under the thumb of his manager/mentor, Takusa, Kane would do almost anything to be a part of this film. There is also something about Charlene that has been haunting him since he was 16 years old and he read her book. After convincing Charlene to come to Japan to meet him in person, Kane realizes that he is in love with her and he sets out to win her heart.

Set in Tokyo, McCarver introduces readers to Japanese culture. This story is about an African American woman and Japanese Man. It is about an older woman and a younger man. It is about western cultures mixing with eastern cultures. It is about forbidden love. It is about secrets and traditions and so much more. McCarver packed a lot in 280 pages but it was well worth reading. I cheered and cried with Charlene and Kane as they discovered their love for each other and struggled with secrets that tried to keep them apart. McCarver did an excellent job of explaining the culture and language for readers. This book is recommended for book clubs that are looking for a different type of romance that will spark plenty of discussion.

Reviewed by: Priscilla C. Johnson
APOOO BookClub

I apologize for the error filled copy of this book that continues to haunt me. The final proofed copy of this book was not the one that was published. I told them that from the beginning after get two boxes of error filled books that are still in my closet. You can download a free better edited e-copy of this book from a link on my website. The publisher refuses to do anything about this so I had someone to reproof it. If you didn't like the story in general there is no reason to bother because the story itself has not changed. If you have a problem with the use of simplified Japanese because you're more adverse in the language don't bother, because though I am learning I am flawed. If you demand complete perfection in your read, you will not find it here because I can't afford the editing staff that publishers have. If you don't like my style of writing or long dialog reads, don't bother that will not ever change either. Also I can't do anything about replacing the paperback copies. That's on the publisher who I've been trying to get to rectify this problem for going on 3 years. I can do nothing but acknowlege your dissapointment and apologize from the bottom of my heart for this is a story that I was and still am very proud to be the author of.

Sincerly,
Shiree McCarver

First, I have to say that as I'm writing this, I am not currently finished with this book. Perhaps once I am, I can write a more fully-rounded review of the story itself. That said, and before anyone criticizes me for reviewing this on what seems to be a premature note, I am frankly wondering if anyone edited this book before it went to press. I am having a difficult time enjoying the nuances of the plot, simply because of the poor grammar, tense usage and punctuation issues that continually riddle this book as I'm reading it, which is why I'm writing this review now. I'm sorry to sound as if this overshadows anything else about this book, but it's annoying to have to reread a sentence simply because punctuation placed where it doesn't belong, or not placed where it does, renders it senseless.

That said, as a writer myself, as well as being a nearly forty year old Japanese-American who's very much a fangirl of Gackt and Hyde (two of the influences Ms. McCarver cited in her dedication at the beginning of the book), I can definitely relate to aspects of this plotline. I first saw this book advertised in an issue of Romantic Times magazine, and was intrigued because I've long searched high and low for contemporary romance among Asian people, and more specifically, Japanese people. I agree with the male love interest, Japanese pop star Kane, who says that Japanese men are horribly steriotyped. (For more on Asian steriotyping, check out The Asian Mystique: Dragon Ladies, Geisha Girls, & Our Fantasies of the Exotic Orient) I'm hoping as I go along that Ms. McCarver manages to banish said steriotypes and creates what promises to be a wonderful love story.

That is, however, if I can attempt to ignore the glaringly obvious lack of editing. Thank you, though, to Ms. McCarver, for writing an entire novel in which my culture and my people are prominent.

I agree with the reviewer who stated that the editing in the book was poor. I would go one step further and say unacceptable! I am an elementary school teacher and I have seen better editing on my students' papers. Just a friend reading this would have caught the frequent mistakes (and when I say frequent I mean on average 1 per page!) in grammar, and at times even spelling. My advise is to try to ignore what is on the page and edit the words in your head as you know they should sound so that you are not bogged down or annoyed by the obvious flaws in language. The story is quite intriguing; it is a shame that it is overshadowed by elementary errors.

I was torn between giving this book five stars or one. Finally. A book that tackles the Asian male/Black female relationship from a realistic point of view, all without compromising a real world view into the world of celebrity. A budding relationship between an older woman and younger man just adds to the twist. The storyline is great and the pacing pretty okay. BUT BE FOREWARNED - THIS IS NOT A SMOOTH READ BY ANY MEANS. Before purchasing this book, I read through most of the reviews, many of which complained about the poor editing. I thought, surely, it can't be that bad. And unless you're an English scholar, who cares? I was wrong. The book is filled with a train wreck of sentences with no punctuation and, worse yet, sentences that abruptly stop midway through, leaving thoughts completely unfinished. And I shudder thinking about the slew of words so badly misspelled, I could hardly figure out what they could actually be! It slowed my reading tremendously. It's nuts! Did the author submit it this way? Does she not have an editor? And what about the publisher? A good publisher would be ashamed to put their stamp on it. I sense that this book's obviously pre-mature release was due to greed - a quick attempt of all parties involved to capitalize on such a rare subject matter. The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 1 is because I enjoyed the story itself. For the author's sake and genuine success, I only wish it could be reprinted AFTER a hard edit job. I will keep an eye open for her future works.

Overall, the story was very good and I liked the characters and the dialogue. The book was poorly edited.

Charlene Alfred, a 41 year old African American novelist and composer, is having her best selling novel being turned into a miniseries. Her problem is the backers of the movie want 24 year old Japanese pop sensation Kane to play the lead role. Charlene is sure that Kane is not the one meant to play the jaded lead of her story; Kane is out to shed his pop star image and break free of his current management and win Charlene's heart in the process.

Romance between two people from different cultures is a good plot for a novel. Add the taboo of older woman/younger man and it makes for the phenomenal story that is J-Pop Love Song. Rich in Japanese culture, the author uses Kane to dispel the stereotype of the cold, calculating Japanese men. Tokyo becomes a character in itself, with descriptions that place you in the city throughout. The culture and use of language are rich and their use is explained, educating you as you turn each page.

The tragedy shadowing the suicide of Charlene's rocker husband's and the sinister actions of Kane's manager takes you on a rollercoaster ride of emotions. Using elements from the leads troubled past, which binds their lives in a way they would never have imagined, makes this a page turner from start to finish. Full of raw emotion this international love story is sure to please readers. I recommend this to readers who enjoy interracial romance. The various underlying themes in the story also make for great groups discussions and this could easily serve as a great book club selection.

Review by Lasonda Silver for www.RomanceInColor.com

I'm sorry, but this book was absolutely awful. As mentioned before the editing was very poorly done. I've never read a book with so many obvious grammatical and spelling errors. "Here" spelled as "hear", improper verb usages, characters names and professions changing the list goes on. There were also several plot holes in the story and many scenes were poorly developed and rushed. I applaud the author for "attempting" to write a story that breaks the stereotypical romantic pairings of most novels. But this book leaves much to be desired.

Charlene, an African American writer, has written a movie script and Kane, a Japanese pop star, will play the lead role. Charlene is consumed with trepidation over Kane playing the lead role. Kane decides that he wants the lead role in the movie and in Charlene's life.

The story was ok. I did not love it or hate it. The story held my attention until the very end.

There is a LOT of dialogue in the story. I don't think I've read a book this size with so much dialogue between 2 characters before. Each individual reader will decide if the extended dialogue help or hinder the story. I thought it was refreshing while some may not. Also the dialogue was corny at time.

The biggest problem I had with this book is that it appears that it was written in two sections. The dialogue in the second half of the book is more aggressive than the first half. As a result, the two sections are disjointed. It's like the author wrote the first half of the book took a long break to write another stroy and decided to write the second half of this book. This becomes evident when the author changes Charlene's name to Etta and then back to Charlene. Yes there are numerous typos.

Would I recommend this to a friend? No! Sorry.

Didn't like the print.
Some of the Japanese was off
Boring
Cheesy
Awkward dialogue
Not realistic, NOT because of the pairing, but because of how the storyline takes place.