Customer Reviews

Words of the Pitcher (Red Slipper Romance)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Kei Swanson seamlessly weaves Japanese culture and the world of baseball into the romance between Kentaro and Claire. Kentaro is a dark hero who respects his heritage but loves American Claire, and Claire pushes herself out of her comfort zone to help Kentaro learn English and become independent.I love baseball, and I love teacher/student storylines. This book really satisfies!

If you love baseball and the players who adore the game this romance is for you! It is not only acurate in the pure love and flirting between a man and a woman but it also offers the twist of defining each culture's customs and traditions and honor. My only fault in the book is there wasn't enough of it! It left you hanging to imagine your own endng as to where Claire and Kentaro end up. I loved it!

I read this several years ago and I loved it. Romance novels can become extremely run of the mill, from the same old story to the same old lines, so it is always nice to read something original. This was a very original, sweet romance. Kentaro and Claire have great chemistry. It shows the problems that exist when involved in an interracial relationship, but even so than usual since Kentaro is Japanese and has problems just understanding American customs. This is definitely worth a read.

An author is halfway home with me when she sets her story in my hometown and has the characters go to all my favorite local hangouts. This was also a very fresh idea of a Japanese hero, who is a baseball pitcher for our nationally renowned team, and his female interpreter from our local university. I learned a lot about the problems a Japanese person carries around from his heritage regarding picking a spouse. An American does not have the same problems. Nevertheless, this novel is a bit rough around the edges and falls into romantic cliché traps here and there, especially with the overly innocent, virginal heroine. This is a new author, however, trying to open up a whole new area of interracial romance and she succeeds more than she doesn't. I wish there were a 3.5 star category because that is more precisely where this novel ranks with a grade. This would probably make a very popular movie.

The characters were realistically written and very sweet. The male character-Kentako- had a dream to play for the American Major Leagues but he is somewhat shy and self-concious about grasp of English. He is excited about being a player but he is seen as arrogant due to his inability to communicate. Claire is a bookworm studying for her doctorate. She is very innocent and naive of life and clearly is sheltered by her wealthy parents. One drawback is that at times, Claire seems somewhat young and childish.

The relationship between them starts slow and progresses throughout the book. The author does not really portray any difficulties between them as an interracial couple. The difficulties come in when Kentako has to decide to follow his culture or follow his heart and risk alienating his family.

The author gives good details about Japanese culture and the issues that Kentako faces. She also does a great job of developing the romance.

I left off a star because there were parts in the story concerning an old boyfriend that could really have been left out. At first, interraction with and about this man made Claire seem very childish and then this man's parts in the book only detracted from the story. I could have done without him.

I fully plan to read any other book I can find from this author.

Kentaro Ikuta is a Japanese superstar baseball player whose dream of playing in the American league has come true now that he's been signed to start pitching for the Cleveland Chiefs. All the sportswriters want a story but unfortunately, he doesn't speak English! In order to solve this dilemma the ball club looked to the local University and offered the position of translator and English teacher to Claire Ferris, a young woman whose sole focus up to that point was in completing her doctoral dissertation.

While the initial meeting between Claire and Kentaro was less than amicable on the part of the very proud Kentaro, Claire saw more than most, realizing that what others thought of as his `attitude' was nothing more than his frustration at being misinterpreted. Yet, it would be more than the challenge of being able to succeed where others failed, as Claire felt an attraction for the handsome ballplayer that she had never felt before.

Falling in love with Claire, his `words', posed more problems for Kentaro than he'd ever anticipated, including a betrothal that was made years ago in Japan. Torn between trying to free himself from the engagement and remain true to his heritage would cause him to make a choice that would either betray his family or betray the `words' of his heart.

--- I have totally enjoyed this writer's well-written, very intelligent and entertaining stories that reveal the hurdles and prejudices that exist on both sides of intercultural romances. With well-defined protagonists, Claire and Kentaro come to life in both the readers mind and heart and you'll find yourself rooting both for the romance and the game! Written with emotion and heart you should find, as I have, that this is an author to watch and relish for this and future offerings!
[...]

A sweet love story featuring a white woman and an Asian male, Words of the Pitcher showed the struggle between our hero's love of his heart and the love of his family.

It was very believable Kentaro's resistance to certain aspects of his Japanese culture. As a traditional Japanese son, he is torn between the pressure and restriction he feels due to his family's expectations and the freedom he experiences in his new American lifestyle.

I also thought the tug and pull of his attraction to this gaijin, a white woman to whom he at first is cold and inscrutable, was a nice build-up of sexual tension. The author developed Kentaro's personality from stand-offish and reserved to loving and playful as his relationship with Claire grew.

I also loved the Japanese culture as it was presented, the use of language, the explanation of customs, the familial relationship between brother and sister, and the honor status and responsibility of a first son. The author's knowledge and love for Japan and its people was clearly obvious.

I enjoyed this story so much; it was sweet and sexy. I was really cheering for Taro, wanting him to make his stand and tell his family what HE wanted in his life. It's so hard to stand up to your family and their expectations, especially when it concerns the love of someone who is not of your own background or heritage.

I love interracial romances featuring a white woman and an Asian male. They are so hard to find. One other book similar to this one that I can very much recommend is A Brief Moment of Pleasure, an awesome multicultural love story with a Korean and Japanese influence.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. Kei Swanson spins a lovely tale of two people from different countries who come together and fall in love.

I enjoyed it so much I bought another of her books and it was equally as good.

"Words of the Pitcher," by Kei Swanson, is a unique story of love, culture, and acceptance. Ms. Swanson has written a wonderful novel that addresses the mindset of the Japanese and the obstacles they face when entering the United States to live. Her vibrant details of the hero and heroine spark an undeniable attraction that is destined to flame into love.