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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was a great read while recovering from surgery after carting around my copy for years. I appreciate Ford highlighting this horrible time in our history, and yes, it gets a bit sappy, but I was there for it.
Such a good book! It really opened my eyes to a part of history that I was woefully ignorant about. I loved moving back and forth between history and more present day, and watching the story unfold.
I didn't think that I would enjoy this as much as I did. The story took a little for me to get into but I honestly loved watching how Henry grew up and how his story migrated through time.
This book will stick with me for a very long time. Probably in my top five favorites. Ever.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I started reading this book a couple of months ago and had to put it down. It was a not-right-now book at the time. It worked perfectly for me this time around. Occasionally saccharine, but always heartful, earnest, and tender. Very much enjoyed.
I wished I hadn't put off reading this book. I read it in one day. We switch from present day to the past (The 1940's) in the life of Henry Lee. Present day Henry has a grown son and a wife who has passed away. Young Henry is growing up in Seattle. He has a scholarship to an exclusive school that is mostly White. He is bullied everyday. His father is obsessed with the war in China. He would also like his son to assimilate as much as possible. Henry's dad, and to a lesser degree his mother, cannot tolerate the Japanese. So, when Henry befriends (and later shares an innocent love with) a Japanese girl named Keiko it leads to inevitable problems. Keiko and her family are taken to an interment camp. Henry is basically disowned by his father. Little by little you learn what happened. The fact that Henry never told Keiko how he felt about her... Then she was lost to him. The catalyst for Henry searching for Keiko later in life is finding a parasol in the Panama Hotel. The hotel Keiko lived in. It is touching, and sad, but hopeful.
Overall I really enjoyed this book. I hadn't previously read any books set during World War II that dealt with the internment of Japanese Americans. Jamie Ford was able to tell the story of Henry Lee in a way that articulated the many conflicts within him as a boy who is living between opposing cultures and loyalties in a time of war and suspicion. Seeing it through the eyes of an innocent young adult puts the sorrow and hope that runs through the story on a human scale. Having the juxtaposition of the present in the past also lends perspective on how much has changed as well as the things that will always remain important.
I have a few issues with the story, but for the most part, I could overlook these and take in the bigger themes about family, sacrifice, and love.
I have a few issues with the story, but for the most part, I could overlook these and take in the bigger themes about family, sacrifice, and love.
I'm not crying, you're crying. This was just a marvelous read. One that brought me out of a reading slump into so many used tissues, I owe kleenex a call. The love, the betrayal, the complete humanity that this book represents will not leave me from quite some time. Please, read this. Especially if you need some hope.