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The Girl with Two Names
Rock chick Yayoi has it all: fame, fortune, and a movie-star husband. But the glamor only masks a reality she cannot allow herself to face. Until the day she does and events turn deadly.
Yayoi faces an abusive husband, an oppressive recording contract with J-BIG Corp, controlled by her husband's family, and a haunting past catastrophe. After her husband viciously assaults her in New Zealand where she is doing a film shoot, Yayoi flees with the aid of Bill a young corporate attorney. Yayoi's husband is furious and pursues the pair through the wilds of the East coast.
Unaware of the nature of the treachery and the threat they face, the two fugitives quickly form a bond that develops into a heated and desperate romance. While Bill finds himself embroiled in her battle, Yayoi must come to terms with her past or else be destroyed by it.
Yayoi faces an abusive husband, an oppressive recording contract with J-BIG Corp, controlled by her husband's family, and a haunting past catastrophe. After her husband viciously assaults her in New Zealand where she is doing a film shoot, Yayoi flees with the aid of Bill a young corporate attorney. Yayoi's husband is furious and pursues the pair through the wilds of the East coast.
Unaware of the nature of the treachery and the threat they face, the two fugitives quickly form a bond that develops into a heated and desperate romance. While Bill finds himself embroiled in her battle, Yayoi must come to terms with her past or else be destroyed by it.
422 pages, Paperback
First published June 19, 2015
7 people are currently reading
532 people want to read
About the author
G.M. O'Neill
4 books25 followersG.M. O’Neill was born and raised in New Zealand. He now lives across the great ditch in Sydney, Australia. Which may explain the odd sense of dislocation that drives him to write science fiction thrillers.
Also found here: https://www.facebook.com/GMONeillAuthor
Also found here: https://www.facebook.com/GMONeillAuthor
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
October 6, 2015
When the author contacted me and asked if I would like to read this in exchange for my honest and open review. I looked at the blurb and it enticed me in.
We have a young women here, she is in a marriage that becomes abusive, frightening, she decided to flee, to escape. Get right away from him as far as she can.
However, is this going to be as easy as that? You bet not. Men like that do not just let that happen, so he pursues her and she is on the run.
She meets Bill in New Zealand. She has a a shoot there which involves her work.
Sometimes I found this quite confusing
The first half of the book too me to places in my mind wondering what I was reading. I have to be honest in that it failed to take my attention until the second half of the book. I would have put this down but for my stubborn attitude to finish this. I won't give up without a fight.
I adore the cover. I loved the plot, but not unlike some similar ones I have read, just tweaked a bit.
Its got some real room for scope and a bit of tweaking, but.......
that is only MY opinion and you the reader has to decide.
Its not a WOW book for me, but its an OK book once I got into the 2nd half.
May 7, 2016
I received this book in return for a review.
With a title like this, I want to know what the two names are and why they are necessary. This is explained between page 1 and page 7 of the Kindle edition. After that, the title is irrelevant and ignored.
This book has 55 chapters. This is a very, very slow developing story. After an early portrayal of violence connected to spousal abuse, nothing even remotely interesting happens until Chapter 29 when two strangers, Tama and Noel, appear at a cabin where Paul, Bill, and Yayoi occupy a base cabin while on a hunt for wild boar. Everything previous is Yayoi’s reflections on discomfort with her stage life, her past life as a child in Japan, and her discomfort with having married the wrong guy. Bill runs around reflecting on his troubled career as a lawyer, his inability to secure a stable economic future, his dysfunctional relationship with an uncle, and his speculation as to who Yayoi might be. Other characters weigh in with lesser reflections of how they got to where they are; they are minor characters. There is a lot of descriptions of scenery.
Nori, husband of Yayoi, is a multifaceted character. Wealthy beyond belief due to his family, he wants to remain married to Yayoi. His ways of showing his concern or love for Yayoi are deficient and include spousal rape. Once he appears in the wild to find Yayoi, in chapter 33, the action picks up, but the road to get there has been long.
Nori messes up and accidentally (maybe) is a party to a criminal conspiracy that will frame Bill for shooting Paul. We don’t begin to know whether this is accidental or not until almost the end of the book. Again, very slow.
The ending surprised me. If I had an overall xray of the book before I read it, I would have passed. The journey from A to B was just too long to justify the effort.
With a title like this, I want to know what the two names are and why they are necessary. This is explained between page 1 and page 7 of the Kindle edition. After that, the title is irrelevant and ignored.
This book has 55 chapters. This is a very, very slow developing story. After an early portrayal of violence connected to spousal abuse, nothing even remotely interesting happens until Chapter 29 when two strangers, Tama and Noel, appear at a cabin where Paul, Bill, and Yayoi occupy a base cabin while on a hunt for wild boar. Everything previous is Yayoi’s reflections on discomfort with her stage life, her past life as a child in Japan, and her discomfort with having married the wrong guy. Bill runs around reflecting on his troubled career as a lawyer, his inability to secure a stable economic future, his dysfunctional relationship with an uncle, and his speculation as to who Yayoi might be. Other characters weigh in with lesser reflections of how they got to where they are; they are minor characters. There is a lot of descriptions of scenery.
Nori, husband of Yayoi, is a multifaceted character. Wealthy beyond belief due to his family, he wants to remain married to Yayoi. His ways of showing his concern or love for Yayoi are deficient and include spousal rape. Once he appears in the wild to find Yayoi, in chapter 33, the action picks up, but the road to get there has been long.
Nori messes up and accidentally (maybe) is a party to a criminal conspiracy that will frame Bill for shooting Paul. We don’t begin to know whether this is accidental or not until almost the end of the book. Again, very slow.
The ending surprised me. If I had an overall xray of the book before I read it, I would have passed. The journey from A to B was just too long to justify the effort.
September 11, 2016
###Contains a spoiler##
Yayoi Shimano hates both her life and herself. A top rock star in Japan, her artistic creatively has been hijacked by the recording company making her little more than a cardboard character making noise rather than music. And that's the good part of her life. Stuck in a loveless marriage with an over-the-hill womanizing actor, she wants to escape. Nori her husband owns her career, his family's corporation has made her and can destroy her. After a beating, she runs away, and is pursued by her husband. She hides in the hills of New Zealand with a man she meets and they are hunted by mercenaries hired by her ruthless husband.
This was an interesting book, the highlights the toxic relationship between Yayoi and her husband rather than the budding romance between her and Bill. Nori is despicable, and Yayoi's appears to be selfish, a victim of the old adage "be careful of what you wish for." # spoiler alert# It's hard to feel sorry for her until the end and I think that's where the name of the novel comes into it's relevance. While some readers may think it is because she has two names, her pop star image and her real name- I think it is due to the fact that the real Yayoi and her sense of duty is revealed only in the end.
This was well-written, full of action, and interesting read about the clash of modern and ancient social codes of Japan. There is more than the duality of her name and O'Neill does a great job illustrating Yayoi's conflict when she must choose between duty and love.
I received a copy of this book for an honest review.
Yayoi Shimano hates both her life and herself. A top rock star in Japan, her artistic creatively has been hijacked by the recording company making her little more than a cardboard character making noise rather than music. And that's the good part of her life. Stuck in a loveless marriage with an over-the-hill womanizing actor, she wants to escape. Nori her husband owns her career, his family's corporation has made her and can destroy her. After a beating, she runs away, and is pursued by her husband. She hides in the hills of New Zealand with a man she meets and they are hunted by mercenaries hired by her ruthless husband.
This was an interesting book, the highlights the toxic relationship between Yayoi and her husband rather than the budding romance between her and Bill. Nori is despicable, and Yayoi's appears to be selfish, a victim of the old adage "be careful of what you wish for." # spoiler alert# It's hard to feel sorry for her until the end and I think that's where the name of the novel comes into it's relevance. While some readers may think it is because she has two names, her pop star image and her real name- I think it is due to the fact that the real Yayoi and her sense of duty is revealed only in the end.
This was well-written, full of action, and interesting read about the clash of modern and ancient social codes of Japan. There is more than the duality of her name and O'Neill does a great job illustrating Yayoi's conflict when she must choose between duty and love.
I received a copy of this book for an honest review.
October 9, 2015
The Girl with Two Names by Gerard O'Neill was an interesting read. The first half of the book was a tad slow for my liking, but still impressed me by the amount of background detail revealed on each of the main characters, who came across like real people, and not cardboard characters that populate so much fiction these days. The second half of the book had enough suspense and action that I found it hard to put down. The book also gives provides an interesting comparison of Japanese and Western society and values. For example, Yayoi keeping quiet about crimes committed against her person due to the embarrassment and stigma associated with it. We also saw breath taking glimpse of the New Zealand countryside. One thing that did not gel so well with me was the Japanese/English spoken by her husband. I think it would have sufficed to say that he spoke English poorly, rather than putting a 'u' at the end of most words he spoke. (Even though Japanese often do put vowels at the end of English words, eg, street-o, since almost all their words end in vowels.) Note - I was given a copy of this book from LibraryThing in return for an honest review. 3.5 stars.
August 28, 2020
*I received a copy of this book from LibraryThing's Member Giveaway program in exchange for an unbiased review. Be warned, plot spoilers will follow.*
The Girl with Two Names is a psychological thriller that introduces us to Yaya/Yayoi. Yaya is a Japanese pop singer at the height of her fame but has since become disillusioned with the life, including her successful actor husband and his industry connections. Yayoi is the poor farm girl who Yaya abandoned in order to succeed in the Japanese music industry. Yayoi decides she has had enough of being Yaya, and uses a work trip to New Zealand to make her escape, with the help of a local New Zealand man she meets at the airport. Yaya's husband has no intention of letting her go, and will do whatever it takes to get her back to him.
When I first requested this book from Member Giveaway, I was really intrigued by the blurb for the book. The little blurb I just included also sounds interesting. One of my larger issues is that the book never quite lived up to the excitement of its summary. For all the potential that the summary contained, the book fell flat for me. None of the main characters felt fully fleshed out, I did notice a few editing errors but the inconsistencies in the plot and the lack of emotional/mental pull are probably my biggest complaints. Bits of dialogue that should have held more emotion held none, like most of the conversations between Yaya/Yayoi and her husband. For someone as manipulative and controlling as he was, I wish there'd been more than what felt like casual conversations about his behavior. Even after inarguably the worst event in the book, Yayoi meets him and they have an...amicable? discussion about what has taken place and what he will do next. I couldn't wrap my mind around that. Yayoi as a character felt bland. I didn't understand her personality, as she showed it in inconsistent flashes. I did, however, find her to be intolerably selfish and inconsiderate of the people she saddled to help her get away from her life, and this almost single-handedly ruined the book for me. If anything, her behavior revealed her to be more like her husband than she intended-- manipulative, inconsiderate of those around her, and dishonest. I don't know if she got her comeuppance in the end--on the one hand, she escaped an abusive, controlling, manipulative husband that she was obviously better off without. I sympathized with her on that level. But on the other hand, in order to get away from him, she roped a bunch of unaware, innocent people into it, without telling them who she was or what she was fleeing from, putting them into imminent danger and ruining their lives, with no real personal consequence to her life in the end. I could go on about the level of dislike I had for this character as the book progressed, but I feel like I'm being too harsh already.
I wanted to like this book, I really did. I understood the intention and direction of the plot, and I still maintain it had a ton of potential. In execution, though, it got bungled a bit for me.
The Girl with Two Names is a psychological thriller that introduces us to Yaya/Yayoi. Yaya is a Japanese pop singer at the height of her fame but has since become disillusioned with the life, including her successful actor husband and his industry connections. Yayoi is the poor farm girl who Yaya abandoned in order to succeed in the Japanese music industry. Yayoi decides she has had enough of being Yaya, and uses a work trip to New Zealand to make her escape, with the help of a local New Zealand man she meets at the airport. Yaya's husband has no intention of letting her go, and will do whatever it takes to get her back to him.
When I first requested this book from Member Giveaway, I was really intrigued by the blurb for the book. The little blurb I just included also sounds interesting. One of my larger issues is that the book never quite lived up to the excitement of its summary. For all the potential that the summary contained, the book fell flat for me. None of the main characters felt fully fleshed out, I did notice a few editing errors but the inconsistencies in the plot and the lack of emotional/mental pull are probably my biggest complaints. Bits of dialogue that should have held more emotion held none, like most of the conversations between Yaya/Yayoi and her husband. For someone as manipulative and controlling as he was, I wish there'd been more than what felt like casual conversations about his behavior. Even after inarguably the worst event in the book, Yayoi meets him and they have an...amicable? discussion about what has taken place and what he will do next. I couldn't wrap my mind around that. Yayoi as a character felt bland. I didn't understand her personality, as she showed it in inconsistent flashes. I did, however, find her to be intolerably selfish and inconsiderate of the people she saddled to help her get away from her life, and this almost single-handedly ruined the book for me. If anything, her behavior revealed her to be more like her husband than she intended-- manipulative, inconsiderate of those around her, and dishonest. I don't know if she got her comeuppance in the end--on the one hand, she escaped an abusive, controlling, manipulative husband that she was obviously better off without. I sympathized with her on that level. But on the other hand, in order to get away from him, she roped a bunch of unaware, innocent people into it, without telling them who she was or what she was fleeing from, putting them into imminent danger and ruining their lives, with no real personal consequence to her life in the end. I could go on about the level of dislike I had for this character as the book progressed, but I feel like I'm being too harsh already.
I wanted to like this book, I really did. I understood the intention and direction of the plot, and I still maintain it had a ton of potential. In execution, though, it got bungled a bit for me.
September 22, 2020
Bringing together two worlds - Japan and New Zealand, the glitz and glamour of celebrity and the trials of the average person, city life and the outback - there is a lot to like about this novel.
The book has a solid opening and never loses its way as the author deftly leads the reader through to a climactic finish with confidence and good pacing. Solid world building and interactions between a fairly large cast of characters are cleverly interspersed with moments of action and drama, and the author's knowledge of both Japan and New Zealand is evident throughout. Each culture and its practices is explored and described with just enough detail and explanation so as to not leave the reader feeling like they are being lectured - the reader is never left feeling like the author has done a lot of research and wants to cram all their knowledge into the book. In fact, I was left wanting more of these glimpses into two ancient and fascinating cultures, and a glossary at the back of the book only partially satiated this need.
I was also left more in terms of characterisation - the characters don't quite feel three dimensional: one character loses his job and is worried about it, but this information doesn't appear to have any other bearing on the story than to be briefly discussed with his family; a dramatic physical assault doesn't have the deep emotional impact on the survivor that one would expect, nor does it appear to influence her subsequent interactions with the perpetrator. The reader can certainly plug these gaps through their own lived experience, however just a little bit more information or slightly deeper interactions would have fleshed out these intriguing portraits into fully realised characters.
Having said that, it should be noted that I am nit-picking and this is a very minor criticism that should not dissuade readers. The author does a good job in telling an interesting story and painting a living and expansive world, and I was left wanting more.
Summary
A great slice-of-life book with a good story, this book is for lovers of Japanese culture and celebrity, New Zealand, the outback and rural life, Tim Winton, and culture clashes.
The book has a solid opening and never loses its way as the author deftly leads the reader through to a climactic finish with confidence and good pacing. Solid world building and interactions between a fairly large cast of characters are cleverly interspersed with moments of action and drama, and the author's knowledge of both Japan and New Zealand is evident throughout. Each culture and its practices is explored and described with just enough detail and explanation so as to not leave the reader feeling like they are being lectured - the reader is never left feeling like the author has done a lot of research and wants to cram all their knowledge into the book. In fact, I was left wanting more of these glimpses into two ancient and fascinating cultures, and a glossary at the back of the book only partially satiated this need.
I was also left more in terms of characterisation - the characters don't quite feel three dimensional: one character loses his job and is worried about it, but this information doesn't appear to have any other bearing on the story than to be briefly discussed with his family; a dramatic physical assault doesn't have the deep emotional impact on the survivor that one would expect, nor does it appear to influence her subsequent interactions with the perpetrator. The reader can certainly plug these gaps through their own lived experience, however just a little bit more information or slightly deeper interactions would have fleshed out these intriguing portraits into fully realised characters.
Having said that, it should be noted that I am nit-picking and this is a very minor criticism that should not dissuade readers. The author does a good job in telling an interesting story and painting a living and expansive world, and I was left wanting more.
Summary
A great slice-of-life book with a good story, this book is for lovers of Japanese culture and celebrity, New Zealand, the outback and rural life, Tim Winton, and culture clashes.
June 3, 2017
I received this e-arc for an honest review, thank you!
This is a place where I admit my fault of delayed review. I was given the book more than a year ago, I think it's nearly 2 years now. Not really acceptable, I am really apologizing. I had issues with opening the file at first and postponing the reading for later and so it was just residing in the folder.So, when I finally did pick up the book and actually started reading it took me a month, oh, yes, I did manage to read other books on the side.
I found The Girl with Two Names suiting the genre as brutal elements filled thriller quite accurate, although it is a slow read. I am not sure I understand the author's idea behind the book, whats underneath. One is clear the main character is suffering quietly in abusive marriage , she is also pretending to be someone else, losing her own identity. She is doing what the fake celebrity/ person is expect to do. I believe it very much suit the Korean, Chinese, Japanese one time fame role - where the person has to place their own life and likes on hold just to achieve the fame of the famous person - fulfilling the contract terms, more over when the one is her husband, taking up another name and life she is supposed to be living.
She does escapes and again is hunted down by her "toxic" abusive husband.
This is a place where I admit my fault of delayed review. I was given the book more than a year ago, I think it's nearly 2 years now. Not really acceptable, I am really apologizing. I had issues with opening the file at first and postponing the reading for later and so it was just residing in the folder.So, when I finally did pick up the book and actually started reading it took me a month, oh, yes, I did manage to read other books on the side.
I found The Girl with Two Names suiting the genre as brutal elements filled thriller quite accurate, although it is a slow read. I am not sure I understand the author's idea behind the book, whats underneath. One is clear the main character is suffering quietly in abusive marriage , she is also pretending to be someone else, losing her own identity. She is doing what the fake celebrity/ person is expect to do. I believe it very much suit the Korean, Chinese, Japanese one time fame role - where the person has to place their own life and likes on hold just to achieve the fame of the famous person - fulfilling the contract terms, more over when the one is her husband, taking up another name and life she is supposed to be living.
She does escapes and again is hunted down by her "toxic" abusive husband.
December 10, 2017
The Girl With Two Names is okay but needs to be edited again. There are number of typos and errors in it.
I really wanted to like the main character Yayoi but really found her to be a selfish primadonna. She knows what her husband is like and yet involves a number of innocent people in her plan because it is what she wants. She lies and manipulates them into helping her eventually causing her own “tsunami” to destroy lives just as one did in her past.
The first scene of the book really has no part in the story as it never happens. I kept waiting for it but it never materialized. I also found it very unbelievable even for a fictional story that the local authorities would take the word of a foreigner and weigh it so heavily against anyone else’s account.
I found the ending a little thin. What did they decide to do? It is not very clear. For all of her lying and trouble, I find it hard to believe that so many people just forgive her and welcome her back into their lives. Even her husband for all of his faults and demands bends to her wishes.
I voluntarily wrote this review after receiving a free ARC copy of the book.
I really wanted to like the main character Yayoi but really found her to be a selfish primadonna. She knows what her husband is like and yet involves a number of innocent people in her plan because it is what she wants. She lies and manipulates them into helping her eventually causing her own “tsunami” to destroy lives just as one did in her past.
The first scene of the book really has no part in the story as it never happens. I kept waiting for it but it never materialized. I also found it very unbelievable even for a fictional story that the local authorities would take the word of a foreigner and weigh it so heavily against anyone else’s account.
I found the ending a little thin. What did they decide to do? It is not very clear. For all of her lying and trouble, I find it hard to believe that so many people just forgive her and welcome her back into their lives. Even her husband for all of his faults and demands bends to her wishes.
I voluntarily wrote this review after receiving a free ARC copy of the book.
December 16, 2017
“The Woman with Two Names” is a story of a Popstar, Yaya, who is the public image of a young Japanese woman with an inner turmoil. Yayoi is the young woman behind Yaya. She has grown to hate her persona and her life. She is looking to escape an abusive marriage and feels like she can do so on her visit to New Zealand for a video shoot. She manages to escape in New Zealand with a man named Bill. He begrudgingly takes her in. Yayoi’s husband Nori will stop at nothing to get her and take her back to Tokyo with him.
I wanted to love this book after I read the synopsis. I went in with my expectations too high. I was able to read the book but it feels like in some places that the author loses point of view. The characters are much more relatable near the end of the book. The conclusion could have been a little longer. There were numerous words in the book that were of a different language. The author included a glossary in the back of the book with a meaning of the words in English. I think the glossary is a little bit of a waste because I did not flip to the back of the book.
I received an egalley of this book from Hidden Gems in exchange for an honest review.
I wanted to love this book after I read the synopsis. I went in with my expectations too high. I was able to read the book but it feels like in some places that the author loses point of view. The characters are much more relatable near the end of the book. The conclusion could have been a little longer. There were numerous words in the book that were of a different language. The author included a glossary in the back of the book with a meaning of the words in English. I think the glossary is a little bit of a waste because I did not flip to the back of the book.
I received an egalley of this book from Hidden Gems in exchange for an honest review.
February 10, 2017
I received this book in exchange for my honest review.
This book caught me by surprise. The plotline and characters were impressive. The beginning of the book took awhile to get me intrigued. but after a few chapters, i couldn't put it down.
This story follows Yayoi, a young married woman stuck in the horrible marriage that becomes abusive. Yayoi decides its time to get out of this marriage. she leaves but like any abusive husband he wasn't gonna have it so he continues to try to pursue her. This book was a great read and kept me interested in finding what happens to Yokoi.
This book caught me by surprise. The plotline and characters were impressive. The beginning of the book took awhile to get me intrigued. but after a few chapters, i couldn't put it down.
This story follows Yayoi, a young married woman stuck in the horrible marriage that becomes abusive. Yayoi decides its time to get out of this marriage. she leaves but like any abusive husband he wasn't gonna have it so he continues to try to pursue her. This book was a great read and kept me interested in finding what happens to Yokoi.
September 6, 2020
I received this book in exchange for an honest review. The story of a young singer known to everyone by her stage name and in an ugly marriage. The beginning of the book took me awhile to get into and found that the second half of the book was much better to read. But after a few chapters, I couldn't put it down. I read this story in one sitting. Great characters and story line. But a title like this, I wanted to know what the two names are and why they are necessary. This is only explained between page 1 and page 7 of the book. After that, the title is irrelevant and ignored.
January 10, 2018
Slow but good plot
This was a different type of book. It started slow but it was a very unique twist and plot. This is a book that normally I would not read, but I was given a free copy and I'm doing a voluntary review from ARC. It was a very well-written suspense with characters that were relatable and a plot that kept you guessing. I would definitely look forward to reading more from this author
This was a different type of book. It started slow but it was a very unique twist and plot. This is a book that normally I would not read, but I was given a free copy and I'm doing a voluntary review from ARC. It was a very well-written suspense with characters that were relatable and a plot that kept you guessing. I would definitely look forward to reading more from this author
December 27, 2017
What can I say about this book? After reading the blurb, I was looking forward to reading this book. Boy was I disappointed. The plot fell flat. The story-line was slow and choppy. I struggled to read this one and it took me a while to finish it. It didn't hold my interest and I was extremely disappointed in the ending.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book...
I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book...
July 20, 2017
This was a suspenseful book about a woman trying to escape her abusive husband. It was definitely an unusual read. I liked that the story was unpredictable and the end wasn’t what you’d expect. I liked all the information at the end, too, about Japanese culture.
December 12, 2017
I volunteered to read an ARC copy of this book. I was not very into this book, it took too long to get to the story. The characters are well written, as is the book, I just didn't like how slow moving it was.
January 3, 2020
I received this book in return for my honest review. This book is a bit different than what I typically read but I honestly liked it. It was a nice change, the characters were interesting along with the plot. I would definitely consider looking into more books by Gerard O’Niell.
December 9, 2017
this book was really hard to follow. it was to much all over the place. it was about a woman who needed to get away from her husband he was mean. so she went into hiding. it was just to long sorry!
March 8, 2017
I received a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway. Yayoi, or Yaya as she is known to her fans, is a Japanese Pop music artist caught in a horribly abusive marriage to her very wealthy husband, Nori. While in New Zealand for work she decides to flee from her husband and marriage. Nori is ruthless in his pursuit of Yaya in New Zealand and violence ensues. Others are drawn into the intense drama that results.
It took me awhile to get drawn into this story. The beginning starts off slowly. While it does provide a lot of background into Yaya and Nori, it certainly could have been condensed. The story did pick up though with suspense that had me turning pages with a twist at the end that I wasn't expecting.
It took me awhile to get drawn into this story. The beginning starts off slowly. While it does provide a lot of background into Yaya and Nori, it certainly could have been condensed. The story did pick up though with suspense that had me turning pages with a twist at the end that I wasn't expecting.
October 6, 2015
“The Girl with Two Names is an interesting book with a different storyline that wavers between strongly appealing and disconcertingly amateurish. There’s no doubt that the author, Gerard O’Neill, is talented but he needs to pay more attention to little details such as creating more realistic dialogue and doing a better job of editing.
I received a gratis copy of the book from the author and because it’s marked 2nd edition I’m assuming it’s not a pre-publication proof. That allows me to be critical of the editing that is less than professional and that disturbed my reading cadence. Just as I was starting to marvel at some great scene setting, along would come double wording, bad grammar, atrocious punctuation, and gaps in the typography that definitely affected my rating of the book.
A Japanese rock star, either Yayoi or Yaya, depending on your preference, struggles with an unhappy marriage and the professional demands on her time. She makes a break for it, escaping to New Zealand, where she gets involved with Bill and other New Zealanders who like their outdoor adventures accented with scraggly life. She attempts to fit into the environment, struggling with the inconveniences, until her husband finds her and begins a campaign of intimidation and violence as he attempts to win her back. The later pages of the book are filled with beatings and shootings and shenanigans that threaten her and those unfortunate enough to be around her. It gets a bit complicated.
I didn’t much care for Yayoi, finding her to be weak willed and self absorbed. The author attempted to present her as an endearing and sweet waif who was searching for her big-girl persona but it didn’t work for me. I finished the book mostly out of curiosity created by the author’s story. But, in reality, I didn’t much care about how Yayoi fared in her big adventure.
One thing I took from the book was O’Neill’s love for writing. It was a well-intentioned attempt at getting his words into a book and I applaud that. Hopefully I don’t discourage his continued efforts at becoming a first-rate author that I’m sure will happen with more experience.
February 10, 2016
I was provided with a recently revised copy of this book by the author for my honest opinion.
This is a cross between a Psychological and Romantic Suspense novel.
Yayoi is a twenty-something Japanese Pop music artist known to her fans as Yaya. In her own words, she describes her descent into a life she no longer wishes to live. The love she once felt for her husband has waned as his abusiveness increases. She wants to be free and endeavors to escape yet the tyrannical man finds ways to thwart her. One of her efforts includes the aid of a young man who despite wishing otherwise becomes embroiled in her battle. Yayoi's husband sees him as a rival for her affections and lashes out.
Because the story is written in first person, the reader is privy not only to her thoughts and actions but also to how she sees the world around her. I learned many things about not only Japanese culture but also that of the Maori of New Zealand. Mr. O'Neill provides a glossary of words from each. While I agree with some that the story starts off slow, the background helps the reader to understand the stressors that bring Yayoi to where she winds up.
Warning: This book is for Mature Audiences due to Violence, Adult Language, and Sexual Situations.
This is a cross between a Psychological and Romantic Suspense novel.
Yayoi is a twenty-something Japanese Pop music artist known to her fans as Yaya. In her own words, she describes her descent into a life she no longer wishes to live. The love she once felt for her husband has waned as his abusiveness increases. She wants to be free and endeavors to escape yet the tyrannical man finds ways to thwart her. One of her efforts includes the aid of a young man who despite wishing otherwise becomes embroiled in her battle. Yayoi's husband sees him as a rival for her affections and lashes out.
Because the story is written in first person, the reader is privy not only to her thoughts and actions but also to how she sees the world around her. I learned many things about not only Japanese culture but also that of the Maori of New Zealand. Mr. O'Neill provides a glossary of words from each. While I agree with some that the story starts off slow, the background helps the reader to understand the stressors that bring Yayoi to where she winds up.
Warning: This book is for Mature Audiences due to Violence, Adult Language, and Sexual Situations.
June 20, 2016
Yaya the famous singer in Japan is getting burnt out of her rockstar life and her equally famous movie star husband adds to that feeling. Then she has a great idea to get the quiet she has been craving while in New Zealand filming for her most recent movie. Except things do not go according to plan and her estranged husband shows up and things go completely sideways. "Silently sifting through unstated declarations and conflicting notions". Well written, great insight to the N-Zed and Japanese culture. I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
September 14, 2015
I received this book as an ARC. I started reading this book without really knowing what to expect of it. We get to now YaYoi who is stuck in a loveless and abusive marriage. When she decides to run away from her marriage it's the start of an actionfilled flight. Her husband just went Mad. The story needed some time to fully captivate me, but after a 100 pages I was fully intrigued by the book. I couldn't put it down. This is a book I loved reading
September 16, 2015
I enjoyed this book about a Japanese girl trying to escape a bad marriage, although her self absorption annoyed me at times. It is basically a love story with quite a bit of action woven into and around it. Descriptions of the New Zealand bush were interesting. The characters were well rounded and mostly likeable.
September 10, 2015
I received this book in exchange for an honest review. The story of a young performer known to all by her stage name, in an ugly marriage and her coming to terms with who she is and the choices she makes. Great characters and story line.
March 29, 2016
This book reminded my of the movie with Jennifer Lopez "Enough". A women getting abused and trying to leave. I enjoyed the book and I am glad she left! I think this book kept me on my toes. * I received this book from LibraryThing in a giveaway in exchange for an honest review*
April 4, 2017
I received this book in exchange for an honest review on librarything.com
This book is a fantastic thriller suspense revolving around a "girl with two names".
I found the book extremely well written with a great storyline. The only issue I had was that it was just too long. Also, Japanese jargons with a bit hard to understand. Otherwise it was a good read!
This book is a fantastic thriller suspense revolving around a "girl with two names".
I found the book extremely well written with a great storyline. The only issue I had was that it was just too long. Also, Japanese jargons with a bit hard to understand. Otherwise it was a good read!
May 3, 2017
I received this book in a giveaway for my honest review of the book. I have to say it is very slow going, I almost gave up reading it, but decided to give it a fair shot. The second half of the book is far better than the first. The characters are also very likeable and we'll rounded. If the first half was as good as the second I would have given it 5 stars.
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