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jessielzimmer's review against another edition
2.0
*I Got Mad, The Two Main Men in This Book Are Prideful Morons*
I am so disappointed by the book. It's marketed as a historical romance, with the inside summary leading you to believe it's about a young white woman (Maddie) and young Japanese man (Lane / Tomo / Takeshi?) falling in love and marrying just before Pearl Harbor. The book (in my opinion) leads you to believe it's a love saga about the two of them struggling with issues while living together in an internment camp.
It's not. The core of the book is actually a bromance between Lane and Maddie's asshole, self-pitying, manipulative brother, TJ. Can you tell I don't like TJ? I don't, he's a piece of shit. Everything that happens to him is 99% of the time brought on by his own stupid actions, but it's always everyone else's fault.
Lane, at a certain point, isn't much better. Abandoning his family, his wife and his daughter *that he hasn't even met yet* to go serve in a war, because muh pride. He even puts his need to prove he's not the enemy above his own family. So much for Japanese honor and shit. The way white people look at him is more important than living long enough to raise his own daughter. Don't even get me started on his "need" to rescue TJ, who spends much of the book being a racist cunt.
I can't decide if the author secretly wanted to write a gay novel or a war novel, but I wish she'd done either of those. Because the book that was advertised was *not* the book I got. Maddie, especially had very little purpose besides being pushed around, ordered and damn near bullied by the men in her life. First by her father's expectations, then by her brother being an asshole, and then by Lane - the man she sacrifices everything for.
There's so many pointless plot threads that I feel like the book needed a meaner editor. The car accident + mute Dad plot that was resolved by Baby Ex Machina, the romance between Jo and TJ that had very little basis and was a clear case of "rules for thee but not for me" with TJ. And Lane just being an idiot. His daughter NEVER gets to met him because of his fucking pride and his hard on for TJ. TJ a man whose problems are 99% his own doing! He was an angry, vengeful, cunt to his so-called "brother". Also the whole violin career side-trail is just fluff honestly. By the end it felt like a cheap add-on.
I'm just so frustrated because I thought this was going to be an interracial love story about overcoming odds. But it's not. The author says the inspiration was two brothers fighting on different sides of a war, and it shows. I wish the author had the balls (ovaries?) to write just that, rather than shoe-horn in almost non-existent romances where the one who sacrifices the most besides Maddie (meaning Lane), gets the shitty ending. While the guy who's an asshole throughout most of the book gets to live happily ever after.
Lane's death didn't add depth to the book. It just made me mad.
Won't be reading this author again. Really glad I got this one from the library.
I am so disappointed by the book. It's marketed as a historical romance, with the inside summary leading you to believe it's about a young white woman (Maddie) and young Japanese man (Lane / Tomo / Takeshi?) falling in love and marrying just before Pearl Harbor. The book (in my opinion) leads you to believe it's a love saga about the two of them struggling with issues while living together in an internment camp.
It's not. The core of the book is actually a bromance between Lane and Maddie's asshole, self-pitying, manipulative brother, TJ. Can you tell I don't like TJ? I don't, he's a piece of shit. Everything that happens to him is 99% of the time brought on by his own stupid actions, but it's always everyone else's fault.
Lane, at a certain point, isn't much better. Abandoning his family, his wife and his daughter *that he hasn't even met yet* to go serve in a war, because muh pride. He even puts his need to prove he's not the enemy above his own family. So much for Japanese honor and shit. The way white people look at him is more important than living long enough to raise his own daughter. Don't even get me started on his "need" to rescue TJ, who spends much of the book being a racist cunt.
I can't decide if the author secretly wanted to write a gay novel or a war novel, but I wish she'd done either of those. Because the book that was advertised was *not* the book I got. Maddie, especially had very little purpose besides being pushed around, ordered and damn near bullied by the men in her life. First by her father's expectations, then by her brother being an asshole, and then by Lane - the man she sacrifices everything for.
There's so many pointless plot threads that I feel like the book needed a meaner editor. The car accident + mute Dad plot that was resolved by Baby Ex Machina, the romance between Jo and TJ that had very little basis and was a clear case of "rules for thee but not for me" with TJ. And Lane just being an idiot. His daughter NEVER gets to met him because of his fucking pride and his hard on for TJ. TJ a man whose problems are 99% his own doing! He was an angry, vengeful, cunt to his so-called "brother". Also the whole violin career side-trail is just fluff honestly. By the end it felt like a cheap add-on.
I'm just so frustrated because I thought this was going to be an interracial love story about overcoming odds. But it's not. The author says the inspiration was two brothers fighting on different sides of a war, and it shows. I wish the author had the balls (ovaries?) to write just that, rather than shoe-horn in almost non-existent romances where the one who sacrifices the most besides Maddie (meaning Lane), gets the shitty ending. While the guy who's an asshole throughout most of the book gets to live happily ever after.
Lane's death didn't add depth to the book. It just made me mad.
Won't be reading this author again. Really glad I got this one from the library.
vpjto's review against another edition
2.0
A book that merely skims the surface of what could have been a really engaging story. Shallow, over wrought writing.
kelseyjobrien's review against another edition
4.0
I had never read anything by Kristina McMorris before, so when I saw this book at my local Dollar Store and decided to buy it strictly because it was set during WWII, I had no expectations. After finishing the book, and crying my eyes out, I can say now that McMorris is a true talent. Though Bridge over Scarlet Leaves isn't a literary classic, I believe it should be, because McMorris was able to craft a story told time and again, but make it new, refreshing, happy, and heartbreaking. I went in reading this, expecting something totally different than what the story was actually comprised of, but I was exceptionally grateful that I was proved wrong. I thought it was just going to be another romance story, if I’m being honest, but there were so many intricate little details, plots, and emotions, that I can say this book is now one of my favorites I have ever read.
Just a quick disclaimer: I haven’t put in any spoilers, so while this review doesn’t cover the entire basis of the story, nothing integral to the plot will be revealed, either. Also, if you're looking for my actual thoughts on the story, scroll down a bit, because the next few paragraphs are just rehashing the plot points.
The story starts in California, 1941, a few months before the events at Pearl Harbor. It centers on Maddie, a 17 year old girl who’s in love with Lane, her brother TJ’s best friend, a Japanese American. Maddie’s best friend, Jo, knows about the romance, but they’ve all decided to keep it a secret from TJ, who tends to be overprotective and, at points, overbearing. TJ has his own demons to deal with, namely the tragedy his family has suffered, and the impending loss of his scholarship from college, where he’s trying to make it into the big leagues as a pitcher. Above all of this though, he’s trying to protect his sister, and doesn’t realize that he’s actually alienating her away. He also refuses to visit his father, and that sits heavily on his conscious, though he tries to forget about it.
After the events at Pearl Harbor, TJ joins the army, wanting to get away from life at home, and Lane and his family are forced to move to an internment camp. His father, Nobu, has been taken into custody, and he tells Lane that Lane is now responsible for his family, which includes his mother, Kumiko, and his little sister, Emma. After the departure, Maddie learns of an opportunity to go volunteer at the internment camps, and eventually moves into Manzanar, the camp Lane’s family is staying at, effectively ending her career she could have had at Juilliard. Though Emma loves Maddie like a sister, Kumiko is distant and cold, and Maddie tries her hardest to win the respect from Lane’s mother.
Months pass, and Lane signs up for the army, to interpret Japanese maps, letters, and codes for the Allies. Certain circumstances back at Manzanar force Maddie, Emma, and Kumiko to move yet again, this time to a farm, where they live for the rest of the war. TJ, on the other hand, after his B-17 bomber falls in the ocean, becomes a POW at a Japanese camp set up on an island in the Philippines. During his time before, he had struck up a relationship with Jo, and it’s thoughts of her that keep him going as a POW.
When Lane learns of an attempt towards the end of the war to free the POWs and take back control of the island, he jumps at the chance to help save TJ, and bring them both home. On the island, both men come to terms with what it means to live, survive, and become an enemy, not to another country, but to themselves.
The war ends, and everyone tries to return to life as normal. Japanese Americans can move back to their homes, though most of them are destroyed, and try to assimilate back in a world that’s not exactly too keen on having them there. They try to make sense of war, why things happen, and each character grows and matures, and see’s that life has a funny way of teaching you lessons. Everyone must accept what has happened in each of their lives, and they must move on from the past, so they can live for the future.
As I’ve said previously, I thought that this was just going to be another romance novel, and even though I don’t usually like romance novels, I picked this up because it was set in WWII, my favorite time period. I was so, so wrong. This book is everything and more. It has romance, yes, but it has love, both familial and romantic, acceptance, life lessons, family, tragedy, and heartbreak, and all those great things that make up life. I was blown away by just how much McMorris was able to fit in this book (though it is over 400 pages long) and yet, it wasn’t a long read at all.
Perhaps my favorite thing about this novel though was the characterization of everyone, especially Maddie and Jo. Maddie is the typical 1940’s girl. She wears her hair in waves, wears nice dresses and stockings and heels. Her best friend Jo, on the other hand, wears no makeup, wears hand me down clothes from her brothers, and almost always has a baseball cap on. She’s sarcastic and hilarious, and that was really refreshing, because girls aren’t cookie cutters. They’re individuals, and you really get a sense of that with these characters.
The dialogue was also great, too, because McMorris uses slang terms and speech patterns from the 1940’s, so you could really get a feel for the time period. One of my biggest pet peeves is a novel set in a certain time period, with today’s style of conversation.
The best thing about this novel, though, was the use of symbolism and foreshadowing. At least for me, it was weaved so effortlessly into the story, that when something happened, I would think to myself, oh, geez, that’s why that balloon was there, that’s what a swallow bird means. It would make me think back to previous events in the book, instead of looking forward, and I loved that, because it really connected the entire story, brought everything together. McMorris has a wonderful way of writing that shows that every single thing, from a lost balloon, to a picture of Bach, means something to the story, and everything ties together, although you may not see it at first.
McMorris is an extraordinary writer, who at the same time, can rip your heart out and make you smile with the sentences she crafts together. I loved this novel. Definitely don’t pass this up.
Just a quick disclaimer: I haven’t put in any spoilers, so while this review doesn’t cover the entire basis of the story, nothing integral to the plot will be revealed, either. Also, if you're looking for my actual thoughts on the story, scroll down a bit, because the next few paragraphs are just rehashing the plot points.
The story starts in California, 1941, a few months before the events at Pearl Harbor. It centers on Maddie, a 17 year old girl who’s in love with Lane, her brother TJ’s best friend, a Japanese American. Maddie’s best friend, Jo, knows about the romance, but they’ve all decided to keep it a secret from TJ, who tends to be overprotective and, at points, overbearing. TJ has his own demons to deal with, namely the tragedy his family has suffered, and the impending loss of his scholarship from college, where he’s trying to make it into the big leagues as a pitcher. Above all of this though, he’s trying to protect his sister, and doesn’t realize that he’s actually alienating her away. He also refuses to visit his father, and that sits heavily on his conscious, though he tries to forget about it.
After the events at Pearl Harbor, TJ joins the army, wanting to get away from life at home, and Lane and his family are forced to move to an internment camp. His father, Nobu, has been taken into custody, and he tells Lane that Lane is now responsible for his family, which includes his mother, Kumiko, and his little sister, Emma. After the departure, Maddie learns of an opportunity to go volunteer at the internment camps, and eventually moves into Manzanar, the camp Lane’s family is staying at, effectively ending her career she could have had at Juilliard. Though Emma loves Maddie like a sister, Kumiko is distant and cold, and Maddie tries her hardest to win the respect from Lane’s mother.
Months pass, and Lane signs up for the army, to interpret Japanese maps, letters, and codes for the Allies. Certain circumstances back at Manzanar force Maddie, Emma, and Kumiko to move yet again, this time to a farm, where they live for the rest of the war. TJ, on the other hand, after his B-17 bomber falls in the ocean, becomes a POW at a Japanese camp set up on an island in the Philippines. During his time before, he had struck up a relationship with Jo, and it’s thoughts of her that keep him going as a POW.
When Lane learns of an attempt towards the end of the war to free the POWs and take back control of the island, he jumps at the chance to help save TJ, and bring them both home. On the island, both men come to terms with what it means to live, survive, and become an enemy, not to another country, but to themselves.
The war ends, and everyone tries to return to life as normal. Japanese Americans can move back to their homes, though most of them are destroyed, and try to assimilate back in a world that’s not exactly too keen on having them there. They try to make sense of war, why things happen, and each character grows and matures, and see’s that life has a funny way of teaching you lessons. Everyone must accept what has happened in each of their lives, and they must move on from the past, so they can live for the future.
As I’ve said previously, I thought that this was just going to be another romance novel, and even though I don’t usually like romance novels, I picked this up because it was set in WWII, my favorite time period. I was so, so wrong. This book is everything and more. It has romance, yes, but it has love, both familial and romantic, acceptance, life lessons, family, tragedy, and heartbreak, and all those great things that make up life. I was blown away by just how much McMorris was able to fit in this book (though it is over 400 pages long) and yet, it wasn’t a long read at all.
Perhaps my favorite thing about this novel though was the characterization of everyone, especially Maddie and Jo. Maddie is the typical 1940’s girl. She wears her hair in waves, wears nice dresses and stockings and heels. Her best friend Jo, on the other hand, wears no makeup, wears hand me down clothes from her brothers, and almost always has a baseball cap on. She’s sarcastic and hilarious, and that was really refreshing, because girls aren’t cookie cutters. They’re individuals, and you really get a sense of that with these characters.
The dialogue was also great, too, because McMorris uses slang terms and speech patterns from the 1940’s, so you could really get a feel for the time period. One of my biggest pet peeves is a novel set in a certain time period, with today’s style of conversation.
The best thing about this novel, though, was the use of symbolism and foreshadowing. At least for me, it was weaved so effortlessly into the story, that when something happened, I would think to myself, oh, geez, that’s why that balloon was there, that’s what a swallow bird means. It would make me think back to previous events in the book, instead of looking forward, and I loved that, because it really connected the entire story, brought everything together. McMorris has a wonderful way of writing that shows that every single thing, from a lost balloon, to a picture of Bach, means something to the story, and everything ties together, although you may not see it at first.
McMorris is an extraordinary writer, who at the same time, can rip your heart out and make you smile with the sentences she crafts together. I loved this novel. Definitely don’t pass this up.
birdielemon's review against another edition
4.0
4 stars!
This book is historical fiction and adult which are two genres that are very foreign to me and quite frankly historical fiction is my least favorite genre of all. But my friend was reading the Bridge of Scarlet Leaves in class one day and kept raving about it and how I had to read it too. So once she was done she lent it to me to read, and I'm so glad I gave this book a chance!
This book is driven by the character's journey in dealing with the war and family issues of their own. the historical aspect of the book doesn't over power the story and just paves the path that the characters take, which I really appreciated.The Bride of Scarlet Leaves is a roller coaster of emotions. Once you think the situations the characters are going through cant get any worse, they do. McMorris did a wonderful job portraying each characters individual emotion when faced with these situations. Also, To speak of her writing, the book is told in 3rd person but switches focus in each chapter. For instance, if the chapter was more focused on Lane, in the next it might be more focused on another important character like TJ. I wasn't use to this style right away but I quickly got use to it and it became an aspect of the book I really enjoyed. Also, McMorris' picturesque writing style paints a really vivid picture in your mind of the time period and day to day life of these characters. This book was so realistic. The characters were no where close to being perfect and made some stupid choices, but that all comes with being human and made the book that much more believable.
The main emotion portrayed in this book would be loyalty and how important it is to a relationship either with family, friends, or that special someone. To read about the great lengths these characters went through for their loved ones was breath taking. It makes me rethink the way I act towards my friends and family; the characters were truly inspiring.
Your probably wondering why I didn't give it all 5 stars then. Well, even though I thought this book was very well written and the characters were developed beautifully, there were various slow parts in the book that made me not what to read. Those sections didn't last long but they still had an effect on my over all view of the book.
I highly recommend this book to people looking for a WWII story with a different perspective, or people who are looking for a highly complicated romance. I really glad my friend lent me this book and who knows maybe I will pick up even more historical fiction in the future.
This book is historical fiction and adult which are two genres that are very foreign to me and quite frankly historical fiction is my least favorite genre of all. But my friend was reading the Bridge of Scarlet Leaves in class one day and kept raving about it and how I had to read it too. So once she was done she lent it to me to read, and I'm so glad I gave this book a chance!
This book is driven by the character's journey in dealing with the war and family issues of their own. the historical aspect of the book doesn't over power the story and just paves the path that the characters take, which I really appreciated.The Bride of Scarlet Leaves is a roller coaster of emotions. Once you think the situations the characters are going through cant get any worse, they do. McMorris did a wonderful job portraying each characters individual emotion when faced with these situations. Also, To speak of her writing, the book is told in 3rd person but switches focus in each chapter. For instance, if the chapter was more focused on Lane, in the next it might be more focused on another important character like TJ. I wasn't use to this style right away but I quickly got use to it and it became an aspect of the book I really enjoyed. Also, McMorris' picturesque writing style paints a really vivid picture in your mind of the time period and day to day life of these characters. This book was so realistic. The characters were no where close to being perfect and made some stupid choices, but that all comes with being human and made the book that much more believable.
The main emotion portrayed in this book would be loyalty and how important it is to a relationship either with family, friends, or that special someone. To read about the great lengths these characters went through for their loved ones was breath taking. It makes me rethink the way I act towards my friends and family; the characters were truly inspiring.
Your probably wondering why I didn't give it all 5 stars then. Well, even though I thought this book was very well written and the characters were developed beautifully, there were various slow parts in the book that made me not what to read. Those sections didn't last long but they still had an effect on my over all view of the book.
I highly recommend this book to people looking for a WWII story with a different perspective, or people who are looking for a highly complicated romance. I really glad my friend lent me this book and who knows maybe I will pick up even more historical fiction in the future.
luaucow's review
3.0
A historical fiction romance about a caucasian girl who falls in love with a Japanese guy shortly before the Japanese Internment of WWII. Even though it was completely predictable and had the heightened emotions requisite in a romance novel, it was still satisfying.
whatsheread's review
Bridge of Scarlet Leaves by Kristina McMorris is worth reading not for the fictional elements, which however delightful are stereotypical and therefore predictable, but for the historical elements which shine a bright spotlight on heretofore unknown or little-known facts of World War II. Ms. McMorris' diligent research and unique personal understanding of the Nisei make history come alive again.
4kids4me's review against another edition
2.0
I should have stopped early on when I first laughed at the cheesy descriptions of affection between the two main characters. I knew then that the book was probably not going to be that appealing, but it was an easy enough read so I continued on. I realize I'm one of the few here to dislike the book and am truly surprised so many give it five stars, but I reserve five stars for truly incredible books, and this falls way short. For one, the characters as well as the relationships between them are never really developed. The father of two of the characters is in some sort of nursing home at the beginning of the book and though it is explained how he ended up there, you never know what is actually wrong with him! There were several other things that bothered me, but in the end, if I were going to recommend a novel that deals with how Japanese-Americans were treated during WWII, read Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford. That's an excellent novel.
victoria_loves_books's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this book a lot, once I got really into the story. After reading the acknowledgments, I was surprised at how many parts of the story were based on factual events. Though everyone's story was entertaining, I really loved hearing the Moritomo side of things, about why Kumiko was the way she was, and how she grew as a character. Definitely recommend (:
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