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Yuki Means Happiness
'A mystery, a love story and a fascinating encounter with a different culture, Yuki Means Happiness is an outstanding novel' John Boyne Diana is young and uneasy in a new relationship when she leaves America and moves halfway around the world to Tokyo seeking adventure. In Japan she takes a job as a nanny to two-year-old Yuki Yoshimura and sets about adapting to a routine of English practice, ballet and swimming lessons, and Japanese cooking. But as Diana becomes increasingly attached to Yuki she also becomes aware that everything in the Yoshimura household isn't as it first seemed. Before long, she must ask herself if she is brave enough to put everything on the line for the child under her care, confronting her own demons at every step of the way. Yuki Means Happiness is a rich and powerfully illuminating portrait of the intense relationship between a young woman and her small charge, as well as one woman's journey to discover her true self.
288 pages, Paperback
First published July 27, 2017
About the author
Alison Jean Lester
14 books38 followersAlison Jean Lester was born to a British mother and an American father, who met on an airplane when she was a Pan Am stewardess and he was coming back from participating in the first American expedition to Mount Everest. She has variously studied, worked, and raised children in the US, the UK, China, Italy, Taiwan, Japan and Singapore, and now lives in England with her husband and their miniature schnauzer. Her first novel, Lillian on Life, was published in 2015, and her second, Yuki Means Happiness, came out in July 2017. Her memoir of her mother's amazing approach to the end of her life, Absolutely Delicious: A Chronicle of Extraordinary Dying, was published on 22 October, 2020.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 45 reviews
January 23, 2019
NO SPOILERS.....
This book was everything I hoped it would be. It’s written in first person.....
with wonderful details about the culture in Tokyo....
Plus the author has a natural way of making us feel we are part of these characters lives - as if we are in the same room with them.
Diana had just finished her nursing degree in Boston. She takes a ‘month’ job caring for a newborn. Naoki is the father. Emi is the mother. Emi is about to give birth. Naoki and Emi came to the United States - Boston- a month before Emi was about to give birth to *Yuki*....so that their baby would be An American citizen.
After Diana took care of the newborn - for a month - the Japanese family moved back to Tokyo. Diana never expected to see them again.
Here’s how the book begins:
“When Naoki Yoshimura walked into Au Bon Pain on 14 July 1996, it led to the worst thing that has ever happened in my life. And also the best. At the time, I merely found it strange to see him again. It had been two and a half years. Still fine-featured and clean-cut, he had aged more than I expected”.
Diana was young - having gotten a nursing job in Boston after taking care of Yuki for a month. Naoki flew back to Boston to find Diana to offer her an overseas job of care-taking Yuki. The benefits - salary - kept going up the more she hesitated.
Diana was also in a new relationship with Porter. When Diana broke the news to Porter that she was going to take a caretakers job in Tokyo, he said to her: “We’re Not Done”.
Diana says:
“Those three words rang in my ears as I prepared to move to Tokyo, and depending on my mood they were either threatening or thrilling. It was both a wrench, and a relief, to leave him”.
Diana’s FUTURE .....time spent in Tokyo....will turn out to be a combination of both ‘thrilling and threatening’....both!
Diana doesn’t speak the language..... but Naoki wants Yuki to speak English. Emi, Yuki’s mother is no longer living with Naoki or Yuki.
Emi doesn’t come to the house to see her child. Apparently there is no joint custody in Japan.
Nothing is clear - it’s a puzzle as to why the couple separated - and why the father has custody. Naoki’s parents live next door - and are a part of Yuki’s life....
adding intrigue to the story.
At the heart of this novel, is the relationship between Diana and Yuki.....but all in the context of being somewhat mysterious. We can’t assume anything as readers. Demons are growing. As the story unfolds - things become more clear...but we are on the edge filled with curiosity.
This is a great character study of a young women in a Foreign country - an exploratory experience of Japan .... with powerful inquiry and insights into protecting a child as a nanny ..... figuring out the boundaries a Nanny has within the family dynamics- and her responsibilities within an unsettling environment.
“You don’t know when a parent is going to snap. They may crackle and pop a bit, but you don’t expect them to snap and suddenly think that something insane is appropriate”.
It’s a TERRIFIC novel.
I agree FULLY with this quote found on the back of my paperback copy:
“Funny, warm, scary, and thoroughly recommended”....The Daily Mail.
This book was everything I hoped it would be. It’s written in first person.....
with wonderful details about the culture in Tokyo....
Plus the author has a natural way of making us feel we are part of these characters lives - as if we are in the same room with them.
Diana had just finished her nursing degree in Boston. She takes a ‘month’ job caring for a newborn. Naoki is the father. Emi is the mother. Emi is about to give birth. Naoki and Emi came to the United States - Boston- a month before Emi was about to give birth to *Yuki*....so that their baby would be An American citizen.
After Diana took care of the newborn - for a month - the Japanese family moved back to Tokyo. Diana never expected to see them again.
Here’s how the book begins:
“When Naoki Yoshimura walked into Au Bon Pain on 14 July 1996, it led to the worst thing that has ever happened in my life. And also the best. At the time, I merely found it strange to see him again. It had been two and a half years. Still fine-featured and clean-cut, he had aged more than I expected”.
Diana was young - having gotten a nursing job in Boston after taking care of Yuki for a month. Naoki flew back to Boston to find Diana to offer her an overseas job of care-taking Yuki. The benefits - salary - kept going up the more she hesitated.
Diana was also in a new relationship with Porter. When Diana broke the news to Porter that she was going to take a caretakers job in Tokyo, he said to her: “We’re Not Done”.
Diana says:
“Those three words rang in my ears as I prepared to move to Tokyo, and depending on my mood they were either threatening or thrilling. It was both a wrench, and a relief, to leave him”.
Diana’s FUTURE .....time spent in Tokyo....will turn out to be a combination of both ‘thrilling and threatening’....both!
Diana doesn’t speak the language..... but Naoki wants Yuki to speak English. Emi, Yuki’s mother is no longer living with Naoki or Yuki.
Emi doesn’t come to the house to see her child. Apparently there is no joint custody in Japan.
Nothing is clear - it’s a puzzle as to why the couple separated - and why the father has custody. Naoki’s parents live next door - and are a part of Yuki’s life....
adding intrigue to the story.
At the heart of this novel, is the relationship between Diana and Yuki.....but all in the context of being somewhat mysterious. We can’t assume anything as readers. Demons are growing. As the story unfolds - things become more clear...but we are on the edge filled with curiosity.
This is a great character study of a young women in a Foreign country - an exploratory experience of Japan .... with powerful inquiry and insights into protecting a child as a nanny ..... figuring out the boundaries a Nanny has within the family dynamics- and her responsibilities within an unsettling environment.
“You don’t know when a parent is going to snap. They may crackle and pop a bit, but you don’t expect them to snap and suddenly think that something insane is appropriate”.
It’s a TERRIFIC novel.
I agree FULLY with this quote found on the back of my paperback copy:
“Funny, warm, scary, and thoroughly recommended”....The Daily Mail.
October 29, 2018
It's odd when you come across a book that you really enjoy, that you've never heard of before. How many other books like this are there out there? Thousands and thousands. I had the good fortune to be interviewed by Alison Jean Lester at the Salisbury Literary Festival and she gave me a copy of her novel Yuki Means Happiness. (But despite that, this is an honest review.)
Diana, a young American woman, goes to Japan in 1996 to be nanny to a 3 year old Japanese girl, Yuki. The voice in this novel is so disarming and genuine, Diana was so completely real to me. We see Japan through her eyes as she finds her way around, and we feel the love she has for Yuki, and for her new boyfriend she's left behind. It almost reads like a memoir. But then the novel takes a darker turn and there's a puzzle for Diana to sort out, and a rescue.
Highly recommended.
Diana, a young American woman, goes to Japan in 1996 to be nanny to a 3 year old Japanese girl, Yuki. The voice in this novel is so disarming and genuine, Diana was so completely real to me. We see Japan through her eyes as she finds her way around, and we feel the love she has for Yuki, and for her new boyfriend she's left behind. It almost reads like a memoir. But then the novel takes a darker turn and there's a puzzle for Diana to sort out, and a rescue.
Highly recommended.
February 16, 2018
Having enjoyed Alison Jean Lester’s debut, Lillian on Life, I was eager to see where the author would take her readers in this, her second novel. Lillian was a woman of a certain age looking back over decades lived. This latest work is again told as a recollection, this time of a much younger woman looking back to a pivotal few months when she was in her early twenties. From the first sentence of Yuki Means Happiness the reader is aware that the adventure will not end well.
The story opens in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1996. Diana, a trained nurse, is meeting Naoki Yoshimura, the father of two year Yuki. Naoki had employed Diana as a maternity nurse when his wife, Emi, travelled to Boston to give birth. Now he informs her that Emi has left him. He offers Diana a generous salary to work in Tokyo as Yuki’s nanny. Diana is in a relationship but unsure of the commitment she is willing to offer. She regards this job as a chance for adventure and also escape. Key events in her life to date have made her wary of men and their intentions. Her boyfriend is ignorant of this personal history and declares his willingness to wait.
Diana travels to Tokyo unable to speak any Japanese. Naoki’s home is next door to that of his wealthy parents – it was built in their garden. Naoki’s mother is polite but distant. She helps with Yuki when requested and keeps a watchful eye on her son’s interests.
The sense of place evoked as Diana settles into her new role is beautifully rendered. As a young and inexperienced woman Diana finds herself irritated but compliant with the demands made on her time by her employer. She grows to adore Yuki and relishes the insights she is gaining into the culture and expectations of the Japanese.
Life within the Yoshimura household begins to shift when Naoki brings home a new girlfriend. Meanwhile, Diana has started meeting up with Naoki’s ex-wife, discovering that their marital breakup was not everything Diana had been led to believe. When she is accused of leaving Yuki in the care of a man, Naoki displays an anger that frightens the young nanny. His subsequent actions suggest Yuki could also be in danger.
The unfolding tale is nuanced and layered, presented with a subtlety that belies its depth. The emotional threads of the novel may be complex, but the writing remains accessible and engaging. Japan is portrayed with warmth and honesty, while its customs, however alluring, are shown to provide a means to exert dominance.
The understated intricacy of the story development is impressive, and the setting, plot and structure are deftly painted. There is much to reflect on after turning the final page.
The story opens in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1996. Diana, a trained nurse, is meeting Naoki Yoshimura, the father of two year Yuki. Naoki had employed Diana as a maternity nurse when his wife, Emi, travelled to Boston to give birth. Now he informs her that Emi has left him. He offers Diana a generous salary to work in Tokyo as Yuki’s nanny. Diana is in a relationship but unsure of the commitment she is willing to offer. She regards this job as a chance for adventure and also escape. Key events in her life to date have made her wary of men and their intentions. Her boyfriend is ignorant of this personal history and declares his willingness to wait.
Diana travels to Tokyo unable to speak any Japanese. Naoki’s home is next door to that of his wealthy parents – it was built in their garden. Naoki’s mother is polite but distant. She helps with Yuki when requested and keeps a watchful eye on her son’s interests.
The sense of place evoked as Diana settles into her new role is beautifully rendered. As a young and inexperienced woman Diana finds herself irritated but compliant with the demands made on her time by her employer. She grows to adore Yuki and relishes the insights she is gaining into the culture and expectations of the Japanese.
Life within the Yoshimura household begins to shift when Naoki brings home a new girlfriend. Meanwhile, Diana has started meeting up with Naoki’s ex-wife, discovering that their marital breakup was not everything Diana had been led to believe. When she is accused of leaving Yuki in the care of a man, Naoki displays an anger that frightens the young nanny. His subsequent actions suggest Yuki could also be in danger.
The unfolding tale is nuanced and layered, presented with a subtlety that belies its depth. The emotional threads of the novel may be complex, but the writing remains accessible and engaging. Japan is portrayed with warmth and honesty, while its customs, however alluring, are shown to provide a means to exert dominance.
The understated intricacy of the story development is impressive, and the setting, plot and structure are deftly painted. There is much to reflect on after turning the final page.
November 9, 2017
Yuki Means Happiness is such a beautiful book to read. This book explores Japanese culture, a differing culture, and is an interwoven mystery with two central love stories, that for a child, and for the young man Porter who is waiting patiently for Diana to come home to America. I adored this book for so many reasons and devoured it in a few days.
The book revolves around Diana, an American nurse who many years before helped Emi, a Japanese woman, who had given birth to Yuki Yoshimura. Diana helped her attend to the baby in the month following the birth. It is then two years later that she meets the husband, Naoki, once again, and agrees to become a nanny to Yuki following the couple's separation, as it appears that Emi has left Yuki to start a new life. But to begin with Diana only hears Naoki's point of view.
So I instantly found myself thrust into Japanese life, as did Diana, and I absolutely loved the colourful descriptions, the Japanese language and characters that we stumbled upon. I have always wanted to go to Japan, and in particular Tokyo, (I love the film Lost in Translation) so I gobbled up all the Japanese culture, food and general way of life.
The bones of this book is about the relationship between Yuki and Diana, and I particularly enjoyed the passages of the book that featured only the two of them, that helped to show me as a reader their special bond. Here is a young woman, a nurse, who takes on the role of mother and protector, and I admired her for this.
We also have the evolving relationship between Diana and Porter (oh I loved Porter) and of how Diana gained perspective on her relationship with him because of the distance between them. This really is a story about how this young woman finds out who she is and where her life should be heading. It is also about her dealing with issues from her past that then help to shape her future.
Yuki Means Happiness is a deceptively clever read, as nothing is as it first seems, and the cracks within the Yoshimura household soon begin to appear. The real joy is in the observing the blossoming relationship between Diana and Yuki, how Diana grows in strength and how she begins to find her place in the world. Part romance, part mystery (as to why Emi left her daughter) this really is a most beautiful and enjoyable novel that is deliciously slow paced. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
With thanks to the publisher and Bookbridgr for providing a hardback copy of the book for review purposes.
The book revolves around Diana, an American nurse who many years before helped Emi, a Japanese woman, who had given birth to Yuki Yoshimura. Diana helped her attend to the baby in the month following the birth. It is then two years later that she meets the husband, Naoki, once again, and agrees to become a nanny to Yuki following the couple's separation, as it appears that Emi has left Yuki to start a new life. But to begin with Diana only hears Naoki's point of view.
So I instantly found myself thrust into Japanese life, as did Diana, and I absolutely loved the colourful descriptions, the Japanese language and characters that we stumbled upon. I have always wanted to go to Japan, and in particular Tokyo, (I love the film Lost in Translation) so I gobbled up all the Japanese culture, food and general way of life.
The bones of this book is about the relationship between Yuki and Diana, and I particularly enjoyed the passages of the book that featured only the two of them, that helped to show me as a reader their special bond. Here is a young woman, a nurse, who takes on the role of mother and protector, and I admired her for this.
We also have the evolving relationship between Diana and Porter (oh I loved Porter) and of how Diana gained perspective on her relationship with him because of the distance between them. This really is a story about how this young woman finds out who she is and where her life should be heading. It is also about her dealing with issues from her past that then help to shape her future.
Yuki Means Happiness is a deceptively clever read, as nothing is as it first seems, and the cracks within the Yoshimura household soon begin to appear. The real joy is in the observing the blossoming relationship between Diana and Yuki, how Diana grows in strength and how she begins to find her place in the world. Part romance, part mystery (as to why Emi left her daughter) this really is a most beautiful and enjoyable novel that is deliciously slow paced. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
With thanks to the publisher and Bookbridgr for providing a hardback copy of the book for review purposes.
July 5, 2018
This novel really spoke to me, for a variety of reasons.
When I was young, we had a maid who would help with the housework and look after me and my sister. She was from the Philippines, so she was foreign like Diana is in this novel. And like Diana, Juliana (that was her name) became more like a mother to me than my mother herself. My mother worked a full-time job and a part-time one on the side, so she was rarely around, though she wanted to be. But it was Juliana who knew what foods I liked, who woke me up in the mornings and brushed my hair, who sometimes protected me when my mother was angry at me for one reason or another. Perhaps that's why Diana's perspective, as someone simultaneously inside and outside a family's domestic situation, really appealed to me.
At the same time, as a grown woman (ha) now, I relate to Diana's need for a feeling of safety, as well as her fears: of intimacy (both emotional and physical), of men. I felt close to Diana when she recounted her early brushes with sexuality including . More generally of this novel's portrayal of female sexuality, I really appreciated the openness and acceptance Diana displays with regard to these issues. Coming from a conservative society, it was nice to read her logical, intelligent engagement with topics that are often taboo in my milieu, or conversely represented without an acknowledgement of their thorny, incendiary nature in more liberal contexts.
But above all: this is a novel with so much love in it. Different kinds of love, love with the tricky parts left in, love that makes compromises and sacrifices. I feel obscurely healed, having read it.
When I was young, we had a maid who would help with the housework and look after me and my sister. She was from the Philippines, so she was foreign like Diana is in this novel. And like Diana, Juliana (that was her name) became more like a mother to me than my mother herself. My mother worked a full-time job and a part-time one on the side, so she was rarely around, though she wanted to be. But it was Juliana who knew what foods I liked, who woke me up in the mornings and brushed my hair, who sometimes protected me when my mother was angry at me for one reason or another. Perhaps that's why Diana's perspective, as someone simultaneously inside and outside a family's domestic situation, really appealed to me.
At the same time, as a grown woman (ha) now, I relate to Diana's need for a feeling of safety, as well as her fears: of intimacy (both emotional and physical), of men. I felt close to Diana when she recounted her early brushes with sexuality including . More generally of this novel's portrayal of female sexuality, I really appreciated the openness and acceptance Diana displays with regard to these issues. Coming from a conservative society, it was nice to read her logical, intelligent engagement with topics that are often taboo in my milieu, or conversely represented without an acknowledgement of their thorny, incendiary nature in more liberal contexts.
But above all: this is a novel with so much love in it. Different kinds of love, love with the tricky parts left in, love that makes compromises and sacrifices. I feel obscurely healed, having read it.
September 13, 2017
This book is a surprisingly emotional read, filled with both heartwarming moments and many darker moments too. Diana is a nurse and having previously helped a Japanese couple with their newborn baby when they were staying in America, she jumps at the chance to travel to Japan and become a nanny for the same couple a few years later. But while there, Diana realises that things are no longer as they were with the couple and worries about Yuki, the little girl she's promised to look after.
The story is written in the first person and takes place in the nineties with Diana recounting the story of her time with Yuki. I'll be honest in saying I wasn't sure I'd get into the book at first, although I had high hopes having read the description, but this is definitely a book that gets better the further you read on. Diana's story of her time in Japan appears simple at first. She instantly gets attached to Yuki and loves looking after her while getting to know the Japanese culture. But as time goes on the story starts to take a darker edge and it's at this point that I really began to enjoy this book.
I loved the way the story unfolded, everything seemed fine but then certain circumstances changed all of a sudden and the atmosphere of the story changed too. As Diana learns more about Yuki's family, the darker the story becomes. Along with dealing with looking after Yuki and the issues surrounding the family, the story of Diana's own personal experiences both in the past and in Japan, especially the Japanese culture and the more unpleasant aspects of being a woman in modern Japan take on an interesting edge and influence how she feels about her job as a nanny. At times Diana is brutally honest about her past and it gave her character more depth which was good.
The book has a lot about Japanese culture and I loved reading these parts as it really gave me a sense of what it would be like to go to Japan, something I've wanted to do for years now. A lot of the 'tourist' side of Japan is included but I also loved the more in depth and honest accounts of what Japan is really like in areas where tourists don't go, and what day to day life is like. The book really had me absorbed in the modern culture of Japan and it left me with mixed feelings about the place, particularly when it comes to women and legal issues.
The ending is very satisfying and made me a little emotional, but in a good way. There is very little use of any swearing, but the f and s words have been used. While there is nothing really offensive in the book, no actual sex or anything violent, Diana is honest about things like sexuality and sex and there are other moments that make you feel a little shocked too.
I'd recommend this book, although it took me a bit of time to really enjoy it, I really got into the story towards the end and the honesty around Japanese culture and things Diana goes through with the Yuki's family are a very insightful and interesting read.
-Thanks to Bookbridgr and the publisher for a free copy.
The story is written in the first person and takes place in the nineties with Diana recounting the story of her time with Yuki. I'll be honest in saying I wasn't sure I'd get into the book at first, although I had high hopes having read the description, but this is definitely a book that gets better the further you read on. Diana's story of her time in Japan appears simple at first. She instantly gets attached to Yuki and loves looking after her while getting to know the Japanese culture. But as time goes on the story starts to take a darker edge and it's at this point that I really began to enjoy this book.
I loved the way the story unfolded, everything seemed fine but then certain circumstances changed all of a sudden and the atmosphere of the story changed too. As Diana learns more about Yuki's family, the darker the story becomes. Along with dealing with looking after Yuki and the issues surrounding the family, the story of Diana's own personal experiences both in the past and in Japan, especially the Japanese culture and the more unpleasant aspects of being a woman in modern Japan take on an interesting edge and influence how she feels about her job as a nanny. At times Diana is brutally honest about her past and it gave her character more depth which was good.
The book has a lot about Japanese culture and I loved reading these parts as it really gave me a sense of what it would be like to go to Japan, something I've wanted to do for years now. A lot of the 'tourist' side of Japan is included but I also loved the more in depth and honest accounts of what Japan is really like in areas where tourists don't go, and what day to day life is like. The book really had me absorbed in the modern culture of Japan and it left me with mixed feelings about the place, particularly when it comes to women and legal issues.
The ending is very satisfying and made me a little emotional, but in a good way. There is very little use of any swearing, but the f and s words have been used. While there is nothing really offensive in the book, no actual sex or anything violent, Diana is honest about things like sexuality and sex and there are other moments that make you feel a little shocked too.
I'd recommend this book, although it took me a bit of time to really enjoy it, I really got into the story towards the end and the honesty around Japanese culture and things Diana goes through with the Yuki's family are a very insightful and interesting read.
-Thanks to Bookbridgr and the publisher for a free copy.
February 10, 2019
4.5 stars. A real gem of a book which opens up the difficulties between intercontinental relationships and culture. This story is really very interesting as it made me realise that some issues do not change between nations. eg. parenting issues, fears and family breakdowns. Yes, the legalities are different but not the human cost. This little book will enlighten the reader to the experience of life in Japan. The house, the diet, the shopping etc but it is also a story of love and loss.
September 25, 2017
It was fascinating to read about Tokyo through the eyes of Diana, an American woman who gets a job looking after two year old Yuki . It is not the first time she has seen Yuki. She helped care for her when she was a new born for a short while. Back then she had two parents, Emi and Naoki. However, now it is just Naoki and his young daughter Yuki. Yuki's mother is not even allowed to be mentioned.
Diana has trouble getting close to people because of a few things that have happened in her past and she is not comfortable with physical intimacy. She has a long time boyfriend, Porter who ends up going to Hawaii while she goes off to Japan for her new job opportunity, but things are not ended between them. It is only while Diana is in Japan and grows closer to Yuki that she discovers how she really needs Porter. There is a sense of isolation for Diana too as she lives in Naoki's home but is not really a part of the family. It doesn't take long for Diana to discover that there is something very wrong in the home and it brings back her own past and pushes her to make a plan with Yuki's estranged mother to save her daughter.
I liked the descriptions in the story of Japanese life and customs, as well as the scenery described. The book is a love letter to Japan and explores the differences in cultures. It is about two thirds in when the book picks up a faster pace and leads to new beginnings for all involved
Diana has trouble getting close to people because of a few things that have happened in her past and she is not comfortable with physical intimacy. She has a long time boyfriend, Porter who ends up going to Hawaii while she goes off to Japan for her new job opportunity, but things are not ended between them. It is only while Diana is in Japan and grows closer to Yuki that she discovers how she really needs Porter. There is a sense of isolation for Diana too as she lives in Naoki's home but is not really a part of the family. It doesn't take long for Diana to discover that there is something very wrong in the home and it brings back her own past and pushes her to make a plan with Yuki's estranged mother to save her daughter.
I liked the descriptions in the story of Japanese life and customs, as well as the scenery described. The book is a love letter to Japan and explores the differences in cultures. It is about two thirds in when the book picks up a faster pace and leads to new beginnings for all involved
May 18, 2018
An engaging story of Diane, a young American nurse, who surprises herself by bravely moving to Tokyo as a nanny. What made the book for me was recounting Diane's discovery of some of the unique wonders of Tokyo as it reminded me of my first trip to this amazing city. As Diane falls in love with her charge she has to decide what is best for the child as she navigates her loyalty between the child's separated parents. She also has to confront secrets in her past that have left her wary of relationships. A quick read but satisfying.
March 1, 2019
Spoiler Alert and heads up i
f you are triggered by sexual abuse. Maybe I missed something in a review somewhere about the content of this book but I was happily reading along until out of the blue a very unsettling event takes place. I do not even have this type of horrible experience in my past and it really unnerved me. On the positive side, I did like her writing style and did want to finish the book to see how it ended.
f you are triggered by sexual abuse. Maybe I missed something in a review somewhere about the content of this book but I was happily reading along until out of the blue a very unsettling event takes place. I do not even have this type of horrible experience in my past and it really unnerved me. On the positive side, I did like her writing style and did want to finish the book to see how it ended.
May 11, 2023
A really beautiful book, it ends on such a bittersweet but wholesome note, it made me tear up.
A roller coaster of emotions and feelings.
A roller coaster of emotions and feelings.
March 29, 2020
This is a gripping, compassionate story told from the point of view of a young American woman working as a nanny in Japan who must find her own voice and inner strength to cope with increasingly disturbing and abusive circumstances. Employed by a volatile and amoral single father, Diana must choose between her growing love for the boyfriend she left behind, and her instinctive, deep, protective love for the young girl in her care, the Yuki of the title. The tension mounts to a very satisfying conclusion, and the reader feels that they have been on both a wonderful journey through a fascinating society - and a rollercoaster ride of emotion and danger.
Very highly recommended.
Very highly recommended.
September 25, 2017
Diana, a young nurse with itchy feet and anxieties around sexual intimacy, leaves Boston for Tokyo to work as a nanny to two-year-old Yuki Yoshimura. She instantly falls in love with the toddler, and with the country, despite its strange customs and her lack of facility with the language, but the family with whom she lives is more confusing. Initially, all the father, Naoki, will tell her is that his wife, Emi, has left them. Diana wonders what could have happened for the court to award Naoki sole custody and Emi no visiting rights at all.
In between language practice, ballet and swimming lessons, shopping and cooking and navigating Tokyo’s super-crowded commuter trains, and letters to a man who’d like to be more than a friend back in the USA, Diana unpicks more of the story until it looks as if both she and Yuki might be at risk. A poignant coming-of-age story, Yuki Means Happiness turns out to be more disturbing than I expected from the blurb (leading me to a somewhat truncated review for fear of spoiling the story for others), but in a good way, raising questions about the responsibilities of a surrogate parent in a foreign land. I was keen to read this after enjoying the author’s debut, Lillian on Life. Published by John Murray, who provided my review copy, Yuki Means Happiness is both different and even better.
Two novels and a memoir about caring for babies http://annegoodwin.weebly.com/1/post/...
In between language practice, ballet and swimming lessons, shopping and cooking and navigating Tokyo’s super-crowded commuter trains, and letters to a man who’d like to be more than a friend back in the USA, Diana unpicks more of the story until it looks as if both she and Yuki might be at risk. A poignant coming-of-age story, Yuki Means Happiness turns out to be more disturbing than I expected from the blurb (leading me to a somewhat truncated review for fear of spoiling the story for others), but in a good way, raising questions about the responsibilities of a surrogate parent in a foreign land. I was keen to read this after enjoying the author’s debut, Lillian on Life. Published by John Murray, who provided my review copy, Yuki Means Happiness is both different and even better.
Two novels and a memoir about caring for babies http://annegoodwin.weebly.com/1/post/...
May 12, 2018
"From a corner of the eaves hung a chain, all the way to the ground, and down the chain poured the powerful but obedient rain. Where I came from, rain from a gutter was encased in metal, and the metal was ugly. There, though, the rain did the encasing, and the effect was mesmerisingly lovely..."
This novel is so gripping that I couldn't put it down. Strong characters, an evocative setting and an intense, emotional narrative are crafted and held together with many precise and insightful details like that quoted above. Below the surface too, mystery and darker threads that had me hoping and fearing, fearing and hoping right until the end.
Powerful, moving and beautiful writing.
This novel is so gripping that I couldn't put it down. Strong characters, an evocative setting and an intense, emotional narrative are crafted and held together with many precise and insightful details like that quoted above. Below the surface too, mystery and darker threads that had me hoping and fearing, fearing and hoping right until the end.
Powerful, moving and beautiful writing.
November 1, 2017
I spent some time trying to figure out what the secret engine was in this book. It’s mysterious, but it’s not a mystery. It’s an escape, but no one is a prisoner. It’s a coming-of-age story, but the narrator is already an adult. I wasn’t sure if I was staying up to read more about Diana (a narrator I felt attached to) or if I just wanted to explore her Japan or if I too had come to feel an urge to protect Yuki and her precious happiness. I think it was all three. It’s a novel that feels like a friend confiding her most personal story to you. A great read.
July 19, 2017
I really enjoyed this book and felt that it dealt with what is an awful situation really well. The characters were very believable and the main character and Yuki very easy to like and feel attached too. You felt for Diana as you read the book and worries about the same things she did, distrusting and being uncertain along with her. It made for an enjoyable and engrossing read and I would definitely like to read more by this author. :)
June 1, 2019
An unexpected gem, picked at random off the library shelf. Diana takes a job as live-in nanny to a 2-year-old in a Tokyo family. Reminds me somewhat of Elinor Oliphant is Absolutely Fine - naive and introverted young woman at sea in the world - but the main character is less traumatised and obsessive. Yuki Means Happiness has the extra dimension of cross-cultural complexity. The relationship between woman and girl is poignant and delightful. A lovely, thoughtful read.
July 12, 2019
While it is easy to read and I loved the immersion in Japanese life and customs throughout the book, I was disappointed that the description gave no indication of the sinister side of this book. I felt that the last third changed the entire tone of the book and although this made it more compelling and picked the pace up, it felt a little like an afterthought and a way of just wrapping up the story and getting yuki and diana to their final places.
April 6, 2020
I really tried to like the book but couldn't seem to. Halfway through, I still didn't find anything I particularly like so I had to force myself to finish reading it. I just didn't feel that special connection between Diana and Yuki which supposed to be the core of the story, and there's almost no interesting events happening other than the last quarter of the book..It's almost like I'm reading a mundane journal of a nanny.
October 9, 2020
A simple narrative of young Diana, who packs her bags and lives as a nanny in Japan with the sole purpose of taking care of and teaching English to young Yuki Yoshimura. Readers are thrust into a whole new world as Diana explores and learns about Japanese culture, traditions, food and language. The love Diana showered upon Yuki were heartwarming and the role Diana played as a protector of Yuki is admirable. A book which I thoroughly enjoyed!
May 17, 2018
I enjoyed this. For the most part very much a slice-of-life book where they went about there lives Drama was not portrayed dramatically, it was very subdued and subtle. Which I guess is the Japanese way. Wonderful outcome and wonderful story.. even though we never got the full story about what happened between Emi and Naoki (we only got her side).
June 27, 2018
Diana decides to change her life by becoming a nanny. She meets a Japanese family and helps for a month. Then a few years later she is contacted again by the same family. However this time the family dynamic is different. She stays in Tokyo, falling in love with her charge, Yuki. But there are dark feeling swirling around.
March 6, 2022
Quite enjoyed this and found the exposition of Japanese culture interesting but Diana irritated me - she swung between over-introspection on her sexual hang ups and obsesson with Yuki and I just found her a bit naive. She did mature as the story developed and I was glad she in the end stood up to Naoki. Porter was very patient!
April 25, 2018
Interesting insight into Japanese life and culture as experienced by a young American woman nannying in Japan. What I thought was going to be a gentle pleasant read, turned out to be unsettling with some surprisingly dark themes.
May 24, 2022
I found this book unusual but definitely worth a read. Being set in Japan, the author brought the culture and traditions of Japanese family life alive. The ending was a little sad but overall I thoroughly enjoyed it
November 30, 2022
Well worth reading. From a style point of view and a cultural one. Yuki Means Happiness is a rollercoaster ride that chugs along nicely until it suddenly starts going in reverse.
A story about love, duty and purpose centred around Diana’s cultural relocation.
A story about love, duty and purpose centred around Diana’s cultural relocation.
February 9, 2023
DNFed at about 198 pages. It's slow and uninteresting, unengaging. There is little conflict and the main character is quite annoyingly naive, her comments about Japan and the Japanese are a bit strange. Like she says 'I didn't know the Japanese could have nipples that big.'
July 30, 2023
Really good book!! Enjoyed Diana, Porter and Yuki as characters and their relationship eventuallt Wish they had a warning on SA, Domestic Abuse and r//pe, as it could be triggering. Overall well written ^^
November 28, 2024
A stunning, cleanly written and heart-aching book about family, belonging and love. I loved every sentence and the unflinching exploration into the darkness present in family life, alongside the gorgeous depictions of Japan.
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