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My Year of Meats

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My Year of Meats

By: Ruth Ozeki
Narrated by: Anna Fields
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Jane, a struggling filmmaker in New York, is given her big break, a chance to travel through the United States to produce a Japanese television program sponsored by American meat exporters. Meanwhile, Akiko, a painfully thin Japanese woman struggling with bulimia, is being pressured by her child-craving husband to put some meat on her bones, literally.

How Jane's and Akiko's lives intersect in wacky crosscultural collisions provides romance, humor, intrigue, and even a muckraking message about questionable meat and the Wal-Martification of America.

Ruth Ozeki is an award-winning novelist and filmmaker. She is also the author of My Year of Meats and, most recently, longlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2013 for A Tale for the Time Being. Ozeki was born and raised in Connecticut, by an American father and Japanese mother. In June 2010 she was ordained as a Zen Buddhist priest. She divides her time between British Columbia and New York.

©1998 Ruth Ozeki (P)2013 Audible Ltd Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Witty New York Marriage
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Critic reviews

"A well-crafted, often comic story of the personal and political" (Observer)
"A nice blend of humour and strangely affecting optimism. Ozeki has written a book where dread and hope coexist. Neither is given short shrift or magicked away" (New York Times)
All stars
Most relevant

Where does My Year of Meats rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This book rates among the few top audiobooks I've listened to so far. I especially liked the way Ruth Ozeki wove fact and fiction seamlessly into the story.

What was one of the most memorable moments of My Year of Meats?

The scene in the slaughterhouse was well written both in content and description.

What about Anna Fields’s performance did you like?

Anna Field reading Japanese with ease, and her ability to change her voice effortlessly to portray the characters, added so much to the story.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The book made me rethink my attitude towards buying and eating meat, and challenged my complacency with regard to the subject.

Any additional comments?

I think the book is a must read for everyone!

Powerful and thought provoking

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I wasn’t sure about it at first, but after 20 minutes I was hooked. A remarkable book, a clever and intertwining tale, that was a rollercoaster of a ride. It had it all, pathos, romance, hope, and laugh out loud moments. I particularly enjoyed the sarcastic barbs from Jane to John in her faxes. Cannot wait to start another by the author. The narrator was also fantastic. Perfectly delivered, I even enjoyed the male voices! Brilliant.

Possibly the best book I have ever read!

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My second Ruth Ozeki book and what a relief to have a good narrator. Loved the story and was completely drawn in to the morality and the ethics and the humanity of the story. Heartily recommended.

Loved it

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I’m not normally one to issue trigger warnings and tend to take books at face value, however this one could stand to have a few.
The first thing I’ll say is that if you’re vegetarian or vegan, or in any way squeamish about livestock farming, this might be a book to take a pass on.
The story is brilliantly written, drawing you in through the perspective of two very different women. It challenges our ideas of relationships, marriage, babies and of course the consumption of meat.
If you liked A Tale for the Time Being you will enjoy the narrative. However, mid to 2/3s through the book the story really focuses in on detailed descriptions of factory farming and takes it to the extreme in terms of describing the physical impact on a young girl. There’s also a description of adult sexual assault. I found it tough going to finish but well worth it.
All in all, I would recommend it but be aware of what you’re getting into if the topics described above might upset you.

Takes an unexpected turn (trigger warnings in review)

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my second ruth ozeki book (first was a tale for the time being) and again it was excellent and well narrated - I'll have to take a breather before taking on the next one but almost can't wait

excellent

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