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jenlynne26's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
pamelajfs's review against another edition
4.0
Couldn't put this down - got so wrapped up in the people and "war-era" Seattle.
mtngirl4's review against another edition
2.0
I wasn't a huge fan of this book. It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't really too remarkable either. I think my biggest complaint is that it did not seem to be very well researched and for the time in which this story is set, I think extensive research is necessary to make the story credible. Since starting the book, I have done some of my own research on the topic and it turns out that much of what Ford has written does line up with the historical truth, but his story is so fluffy, and at some points, sloppy, that I still don't really believe it. Were they actually holding sock hops at a Japanese internment camp (p. 252)? I really find that hard to believe. I also don't believe that a 12 year old Chinese boy would be allowed to serve food in a Japanese camp in 1942. And on a personal level, there is no way that a 12 year old would risk his life and the safety of his family because he is "in love". Really? I've been 12 and I am currently raising teenagers, and no 12 year old has any idea what in the world is going on with their emotions. It just doesn't seem plausible. Another Goodreads reviewer said that this is "historical fiction for the Nicholas Sparks set" and I agree.
As for the main characters, Henry and Keiko, I did not feel their relationship was developed enough. I don't know if it is their age or their circumstances, but I just didn't buy into their love story. I didn't feel they had chemistry. Maybe it is because the story goes back and forth between time periods, starting in 1986, when I already knew that Henry is married to Ethel, that made me just dismiss his "first love". Perhaps if it had been written chronologically I would have been more invested.
I found the minor characters more interesting, especially Sheldon and Ms. Beatty, but their stories are left incomplete which I feel is an oversight of the author's. Ms. Beatty is Henry's hero for a whole summer and then all of a sudden we don't hear about her again. And Sheldon, the homeless drifting sax player in 1942, has a wife, kids, and grandchildren in 1986. Where did they all come from? Those characters were too much a part of Henry's life not to wrap things up a little tighter. I don't like loose ends.
Part of the book takes place and then ends in 1986, and some of the technological references I feel are too advanced for the time. Marty sat on his computer for a few hours and finds a person that has been missing for over 40 years (p.280). I was 15 years old in 1986 and I know that the internet was around by then, but I also know that the average family did not own a computer, nor even knew the internet existed let alone how to use it. And I doubt that a couple of hours on 1986's internet would have come up with much of anything for Marty's research. It is fragments like this that makes me doubt the plausibility of Ford's 1942 research. Maybe I am just being too critical.
All in all, I don't think I wasted my time reading this book, but I do wish it could have been more believable and engaging. It seems to be more young adult literature, rather than advanced adult. If anything, it has me listening to podcasts and reading articles about the Japanese plight in America during WWII, so in the spirit of furthering my education, that is good. I also want to reread "Snow Falling on Cedars" which is also a love story in the same setting, and which I read so long ago that I don't remember the details, I just have the nagging feeling it was better than this book. Stay tuned for that review in weeks to come!
As for the main characters, Henry and Keiko, I did not feel their relationship was developed enough. I don't know if it is their age or their circumstances, but I just didn't buy into their love story. I didn't feel they had chemistry. Maybe it is because the story goes back and forth between time periods, starting in 1986, when I already knew that Henry is married to Ethel, that made me just dismiss his "first love". Perhaps if it had been written chronologically I would have been more invested.
I found the minor characters more interesting, especially Sheldon and Ms. Beatty, but their stories are left incomplete which I feel is an oversight of the author's. Ms. Beatty is Henry's hero for a whole summer and then all of a sudden we don't hear about her again. And Sheldon, the homeless drifting sax player in 1942, has a wife, kids, and grandchildren in 1986. Where did they all come from? Those characters were too much a part of Henry's life not to wrap things up a little tighter. I don't like loose ends.
Part of the book takes place and then ends in 1986, and some of the technological references I feel are too advanced for the time. Marty sat on his computer for a few hours and finds a person that has been missing for over 40 years (p.280). I was 15 years old in 1986 and I know that the internet was around by then, but I also know that the average family did not own a computer, nor even knew the internet existed let alone how to use it. And I doubt that a couple of hours on 1986's internet would have come up with much of anything for Marty's research. It is fragments like this that makes me doubt the plausibility of Ford's 1942 research. Maybe I am just being too critical.
All in all, I don't think I wasted my time reading this book, but I do wish it could have been more believable and engaging. It seems to be more young adult literature, rather than advanced adult. If anything, it has me listening to podcasts and reading articles about the Japanese plight in America during WWII, so in the spirit of furthering my education, that is good. I also want to reread "Snow Falling on Cedars" which is also a love story in the same setting, and which I read so long ago that I don't remember the details, I just have the nagging feeling it was better than this book. Stay tuned for that review in weeks to come!
kellygreenhicks's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
lgray99's review against another edition
4.0
Loved this book! Definitely up there as one of my faves!
cobbiereads's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked this book. I just felt like the secondary characters were tools to move the story along. I wish there was more depth to them.
jch_3's review against another edition
4.0
This one had been on my to-read list for at least a year. Finally got around to it and couldn't put it down. You know it's a great read when you're crying on a public beach reading it and you don't even care. (What can I say? I'm a sucker for history, love stories, jazz music and heartbreak)
kaynieset's review against another edition
3.0
A story of the Japanese Internment during WWII, shown through the eyes of both the young and old Henry. The young Henry struggles to understand why they are taking away his beloved Keiko. The older Henry struggles to come to terms with how he let her get away and how his father shaped and continues to shape his life, as well as his own relationship to his son. This book had a predictable ending and would have benfitted by the author taking a strong stance either for or against the internment. The book reads a little wishy-washy at times as far as what the author is trying to say about the internment. Logically, I knew he was against it, but the book doesn't give the true grittiness of the situation to make the reader really feel it.