Reviews

White Chrysanthemum by Mary Lynn Bracht

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akiha's review

4.0

Très belle histoire, très intéressante et instructive. C'est dur, c'est même à briser le cœur, mais bon, c'est arrivé à des vrais gens. Je ne connais rien sur l'histoire coréenne si ce n'est un peu lors de l'occupation japonaise qui était assez similaire avec celle en Chine et bien sûr les problèmes en Mandchourie, mais ça s'arrête là. Les traditions et même "les clichés" Coréens, je n'en connais pas trop. En tout cas la double époque était sympa même si j'aurais voulu creuser un peu plus du côté d'Emiko.

cathyleigh1's review

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5.0

Stunning, heartbreaking, beautifully written, White Chrysanthemum tells the story of two sisters, Hana and Emi. 1943, in Japanese-occupied Korea, 16-year-old Hana is a diving woman - Haenyeo. One day she is taken by a Japanese soldier while protecting Emi from him. The soldier takes her to Manchuria where she becomes a "comfort woman" - imprisoned in a brothel where countless Japanese soldiers rape her daily. In 2011, Emi has grown up without her sister and also has become a Haenyeo. She spent her life in a loveless marriage and lives with the guilt and shame of her sister's abduction. A powerful novel.

heyjanae's review

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4.0

A very quick yet painful read, this book refused to let me put it down until the stories of Hana and her sister Emi came to their beautiful yet bittersweet conclusions. The scenes depicting the atrocities committed by countless soldiers during World War II against the captured women are handled with care, and the story unfolds into something so much more than a victim's ballad. A call for reflection and a challenge to face the difficulties of the subject matter head on lie within these pages and all together bring forth a harrowing tale of the power these women were forced to employ even in the exhausting pits of despair.

Although I found myself skipping sentences when I felt descriptions lasted a bit long, it was only because I was so hungry for the next part of the story. As someone who recently learned about the depths to which many soldiers sank to engage in the capturing and usage of these women like "materials" necessary for "health" during the war, this book still shocked me with the simultaneous care and callousness used to describe not just the instances of rape, but other injustices of war. Highly recommended.

cherjbb_55's review

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5.0

What did I know about Korean history before reading this book? Absolutely nothing. So this was a very 'eye opening' experience. Teen aged Hana is a haenyeo, one of the famed female divers of beautiful Jeju Island. The year is 1943 and Korea is occupied by the Japanese army. Females disappear regularly, pressed into service as 'comfort women' for the soldiers. This is Hana's fate, sacrificing herself to save her younger sister Emi. Hana's story is truly difficult to read.
Jump to 2011 and we learn Emi's story. Emi has never told her children of the difficulties faced by her family during the Second World War (they never even knew that they had an aunt), or of the horrors of the Korean War. Now in her old age, Emi is trying to make peace with her past and is searching for the sister who sacrificed all for her.
This is an amazing story about a chapter in history about which we know so little.

lilou_pilou's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

susanh13's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

suvata's review against another edition

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4.0

• TBR since August 10, 2019

#StoryGraph: fiction historical challenging emotional sad fast-paced
320 pages | first published 2018

Suspenseful, hopeful, and ultimately redemptive, White Chrysanthemum tells a story of two sisters whose love for each other is strong enough to triumph over the grim evils of war.

Korea 1943: Hana, a Korean sea diver, has lived her entire life under Japanese occupation, enjoying an independence that few other Koreans can claim. But when she saves her little sister from a Japanese soldier, she is transported to Manchuria and forced to become a “comfort woman”.

South Korea 2011: Emi has spent more than sixty years trying to forget the sacrifice her sister made, but she must confront the past to discover peace.