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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
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.
A sweet, stirring lovestory about two young people entangled in the cobweb of Japan-Chino strife in ethnic enclaves of Seattle during World War II. I particularly enjoyed parts of this book because several times, I couldn't figure out where it was going. Not a typical "internment" tale.
This was an enjoyable read- but the editing was deplorable.
Poor Henry, I know he had a tough life but the author made him out to be so old acting when he was really in his late 50's. 56 to be exact.
Beyond that it was an interesting story and my first encounter with the Japanese internment in the United States. I highly recommend the audio book.
Beyond that it was an interesting story and my first encounter with the Japanese internment in the United States. I highly recommend the audio book.
I enjoyed this intriguing historical novel. The period details made the book's setting—Seattle's Chinatown and Japantown in the 1940s—come alive for me. The various conflicts the characters struggled with throughout the book also kept me interested. While I can't say HOTEL ON THE CORNER OF BITTER AND SWEET totally knocked my socks off, I definitely enjoyed this sweet, second chance romance.
This book lives up to it's name in that it tells a tale that is bittersweet. It's a lovely little story about a young romance between a Chinese American boy and a Japanese American girl during WWII, intermixed with the sad tale of how the Japanese Americans are treated as prisoners in their own country.It is a story that touches your heart and leaves its mark.