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claire_hell's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
missyjohnson's review
2.0
book club 2.0 book, looking forward to the discussion because I did not like the book so much. I often find more to like when we discuss. I was not a fan of the writing style of the author. I found the use of the same phrase to start so many sentences to be monotonous. It may have been a good way to demonstrate the wide variety of choices or options but I found that I wanted to skip a lot of what was being written. I know that the style seemed to emphasis the diversity of people and also the anonymity. That was likely the point and I am just slow. The U.S. history during WWII with the Japanese-Americans is a shameful time. another reminder of how fear is allowed to dictate decisions concerning those of another culture that does not match our own.
elemmire's review against another edition
3.0
interesting take on Japanese immigrants. It is taken from the prospective of the women brought over as brides. I like that it was not one story, but the story of the whole group. It got a bit tedious with all the listing of this person and that. Many unnamed people's lives rattled off at each important moment of life (marriage, moving, child birth, the eventual round up). I would say it was unfocused, but I think that was the point.
utahmomreads's review against another edition
4.0
This review originally posted on my blog : http://utahmomslife.blogspot.com/2011/10/buddah-in-attic-book-review.html
I discovered this spare, little novel in my mailbox the other afternoon. I started reading it while I sat on my front steps watching my children ride their bikes and scooters down the sidewalks (I'm loving this warm, fall weather).
The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka is compulsively readable. I really couldn't put it down, in spite of its unique and daring writing style. Otsuka doesn't just tell the story of one Japanese woman arriving on a boat to America as a mail-order bride. She simultaneously tells the stories of all the Japanese women arriving in America in the decades leading up to World War II. It is an interesting and mostly effective technique.
Most novels focus on a single or small group of characters. The reader comes to know and usually empathize with the characters. Novels are a powerful way to change perspective and thought processes. Perhaps they influence the reader to be more understanding of a certain group of people. They touch our hearts and open our minds--think beloved recent novels like The Help or A Thousand Splendid Suns. I don't believe someone can read a novel like this and not question their own perceptions and ideas at least a little.
In The Buddha in the Attic, Otsuka uses a very different style. She never focuses on a single woman. She doesn't give them names. They are like many of us see them--an immigrant group, indistinguishable from one another. Yet, at the same time, she tells their individual stories in America and then their common fate as the country rounds them up and sends them to internment camps during the war.
Spend an afternoon with The Buddha in the Attic. Let your heart be touched and your mind be opened.
I discovered this spare, little novel in my mailbox the other afternoon. I started reading it while I sat on my front steps watching my children ride their bikes and scooters down the sidewalks (I'm loving this warm, fall weather).
The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka is compulsively readable. I really couldn't put it down, in spite of its unique and daring writing style. Otsuka doesn't just tell the story of one Japanese woman arriving on a boat to America as a mail-order bride. She simultaneously tells the stories of all the Japanese women arriving in America in the decades leading up to World War II. It is an interesting and mostly effective technique.
Most novels focus on a single or small group of characters. The reader comes to know and usually empathize with the characters. Novels are a powerful way to change perspective and thought processes. Perhaps they influence the reader to be more understanding of a certain group of people. They touch our hearts and open our minds--think beloved recent novels like The Help or A Thousand Splendid Suns. I don't believe someone can read a novel like this and not question their own perceptions and ideas at least a little.
In The Buddha in the Attic, Otsuka uses a very different style. She never focuses on a single woman. She doesn't give them names. They are like many of us see them--an immigrant group, indistinguishable from one another. Yet, at the same time, she tells their individual stories in America and then their common fate as the country rounds them up and sends them to internment camps during the war.
Spend an afternoon with The Buddha in the Attic. Let your heart be touched and your mind be opened.
sogeum's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
emily_madcharo's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
helloclarisse's review against another edition
4.0
this book had some really interesting parts and some really dull parts. overall, i would say this was a good book but it took me a little bit of time to get used to the writing style.
i've never really been interested in history, but i found this to be a really educational and engaging read. really sad. i had no idea this was how people were treated and as the daughter of an immigrant (although not Japanese or a mail-order bride), i couldn't help but imagine my mom in this situation and it made me really really sad. it's horrible that we treat each other so poorly just for being different.
i'd recommend this if you are interested in learning about the treatment of Japanese immigrants in the 1900's. it was a relatively quick read, time-wise, but i found myself putting it down and picking it back up over the span of my rental.
i've never really been interested in history, but i found this to be a really educational and engaging read. really sad. i had no idea this was how people were treated and as the daughter of an immigrant (although not Japanese or a mail-order bride), i couldn't help but imagine my mom in this situation and it made me really really sad. it's horrible that we treat each other so poorly just for being different.
i'd recommend this if you are interested in learning about the treatment of Japanese immigrants in the 1900's. it was a relatively quick read, time-wise, but i found myself putting it down and picking it back up over the span of my rental.
giulia_hikari's review against another edition
5.0
[ASCOLTATO SU STORYTEL]
Mi è piaciuto moltissimo questo libro.
L'argomento è molto interessante e affine ai miei gusti: sono protagoniste ragazze giapponesi emigrate negli Stati Uniti con la speranza di sposare un brav'uomo e trovare un radioso futuro, ma devono presto fare i conti con la realtà, la brutalità dei mariti, del lavoro nei campi, della discriminazione e delle condizioni di vita. Il tutto fino ad arrivare al periodo della II Guerra Mondiale, dove la discriminazione aumenta e la condizione di vita peggiora.
Ho anche apprezzato lo stile di scrittura. Ogni capitolo intanto si focalizza su una "fase" del viaggio, dall'inizio in mare, che dà il titolo all'opera, al matrimonio, il sesso, le malattie, gravidanze, figli...
e poi è tutto raccontato con la prima persona plurale.
È la prima volta che mi capita e, forse, leggendo mi avrebbe dato fastidio, ma come audiolibro è stato molto piacevole e apprezzato. Non c'è una vera protagonista, c'è solo un "noi" che mette insieme tutte quelle ragazze costrette a lasciare il proprio Paese, la propria famiglia, che si sono ritrovate comunque intrappolate.
Mi è piaciuto moltissimo questo libro.
L'argomento è molto interessante e affine ai miei gusti: sono protagoniste ragazze giapponesi emigrate negli Stati Uniti con la speranza di sposare un brav'uomo e trovare un radioso futuro, ma devono presto fare i conti con la realtà, la brutalità dei mariti, del lavoro nei campi, della discriminazione e delle condizioni di vita. Il tutto fino ad arrivare al periodo della II Guerra Mondiale, dove la discriminazione aumenta e la condizione di vita peggiora.
Ho anche apprezzato lo stile di scrittura. Ogni capitolo intanto si focalizza su una "fase" del viaggio, dall'inizio in mare, che dà il titolo all'opera, al matrimonio, il sesso, le malattie, gravidanze, figli...
e poi è tutto raccontato con la prima persona plurale.
È la prima volta che mi capita e, forse, leggendo mi avrebbe dato fastidio, ma come audiolibro è stato molto piacevole e apprezzato. Non c'è una vera protagonista, c'è solo un "noi" che mette insieme tutte quelle ragazze costrette a lasciare il proprio Paese, la propria famiglia, che si sono ritrovate comunque intrappolate.
giorgioamani's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0