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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
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.
couldn't decide whether to give this 2/3 stars.. decided to be kind. An easy 'summer holiday' read, but with an interesting theme..&some romance is always nice :)
This story unfolds a little at a time in whic it makes you want to know what happened to interned Japanese citizens. Henry's faithfulness to his wife and son demonstrate the ideas of the Chinese culture and how family is the center of their lives. I absolutely loved this book. My only wish is that we find out what happens later between Henry and Keiko.
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford creates a clash in my mind. What is an easy story to read, due to the author's flowing narrative style, contrasts with its underlying serious subject of a world in conflict. On the one hand, it could be a simple love story, on the other, it's a gut-wrenching view of America in the early 40's. At first I thought, "oh no, not another World War II story!". I'm glad to say that Ford's take on this is fresh, if not entirely new.
"I Am Chinese" proclaims the button Henry's father insists he wear to his predominantly white school which he attends on scholarship, meaning he works in the kitchen for the honor of his education. Here he meets Keiko, an American girl of Japanese heritage, also attending on scholarship. A strong friendship is formed between the two. Simple. If only! Keiko and her family are among the more than 120,000 ethnic Japanese rounded up and interred in war camps. Just as well, Henry's father thinks as he does not approve of Henry's relationship with Keiko. After all, the Japanese are his enemy and America's as well.
Ford's characters paint a thoughtful picture of a father and son at odds, one where cultures, obedience and loyalty collide. Truth, friendship, love, what it means to be American; these themes are drawn with Seattle's jazz scene and the hotel of the title as its backdrop. Bitter...Sweet. You decide.
"I Am Chinese" proclaims the button Henry's father insists he wear to his predominantly white school which he attends on scholarship, meaning he works in the kitchen for the honor of his education. Here he meets Keiko, an American girl of Japanese heritage, also attending on scholarship. A strong friendship is formed between the two. Simple. If only! Keiko and her family are among the more than 120,000 ethnic Japanese rounded up and interred in war camps. Just as well, Henry's father thinks as he does not approve of Henry's relationship with Keiko. After all, the Japanese are his enemy and America's as well.
Ford's characters paint a thoughtful picture of a father and son at odds, one where cultures, obedience and loyalty collide. Truth, friendship, love, what it means to be American; these themes are drawn with Seattle's jazz scene and the hotel of the title as its backdrop. Bitter...Sweet. You decide.
3.5. Ok, first what I liked: a historical fiction novel covering something different than most others out there, giving a picture of what the Pacific NW looked like during the war years, the feelings toward Japanese-Americans as well as Chinese-Americans and all the complexities of living in the US at that time. Bigotry going in many directions and an interesting exploration of how much of that discrimination dissipated over generations from Henry's father to his son. There was a great balance of heart warming and heart wrenching moments and plenty to enjoy if you like a slow burn.
My criticism is only that it didn't ever GRIP me. I felt that if I stopped reading at any time I would have moved on and not been too worried about not knowing the ending. Well written, just not fast- paced or intense or filled with anything that makes it a page turner to me. Which is really wonderful at times, but also doesn't leave me feeling like I can't wait to get back to it. Hence my lower review. Also hence how long it took me to finish it.
My criticism is only that it didn't ever GRIP me. I felt that if I stopped reading at any time I would have moved on and not been too worried about not knowing the ending. Well written, just not fast- paced or intense or filled with anything that makes it a page turner to me. Which is really wonderful at times, but also doesn't leave me feeling like I can't wait to get back to it. Hence my lower review. Also hence how long it took me to finish it.
I enjoyed this book, however there were inconsistencies (set in 1986, yet discussions of Internet and online support groups.). Was more about the love story and less about the political and accuracy of the Japanese internment camps.