Audrey Hepburn's Neck

by Alan Brown

Book Overview

Offering a unique perspective and unusual insight into modern Japan and its wartime past, Audrey Hepburn's Neck is also a shrewd study of cross-cultural obsessions, and of erotic, romantic, and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0671526715
• ISBN13: 9780671526719
• Release Date: January 1996
• Publisher: Pocket Books
• Length: 290 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.6" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

Crisp and captivating

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!

Accurate (socially and geographically), gentle, captivating

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

Audrey Hepburn's Neck by Alan Brown-excellent,,fascinating

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.

Enjoyable and intriguing.

I always feel uncomfortable when someone tells me not to buy a book, giving the impression that if I read it and have the audacity actually to enjoy it, that there's something wrong with me! Given the fact that no one else has reviewed this book in the past six months, I guess other people also react this way. Well, I read Audrey Hepburn's Neck, and I thoroughly enjoyed it! There is a great deal of wry humor in the book, as well as genuine shock and pathos as the main character tries to figure out who he is and who he will become. As for the accusation of stereotyping, I think it is important to recognize that the whole concept of the stereotype evolves from the fact that often there really are certain national or ethnic characteristics observable in a citizen's actions! As someone who has worked daily (and very happily) with Japanese citizens for ten years, I resent stereotyping when it interferes with someone's ability to recognize uniqueness and individuality, but I do recognize, as the author does, that there is a national character involved, too. As the author of this novel lived and worked in Japan for many years, one must conclude that he would not have done so if he had not enjoyed his life there and the friendships he presumably made with many Japanese people. While one need not like the book or even agree with what the author says, I think it is important that reviewers "play fair."

Wonderful insight into Japanese culture

Alan Brown provides a wonderful insight into Japanese/ American relationships. The unravelling of the mystery surrounding the main character is extraordinarily suspenseful, the story itself beautifully told. Even though it is not a mystery book, it's very hard to put down.