1.14k reviews for:

Himawari House

Harmony Becker

4.43 AVERAGE


Such a beautiful story about friendship, family, and culture. Well worth the read.

r_bran's review

5.0
adventurous challenging emotional informative medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Diverse cast of characters: Yes

I love the artwork and the mix of Manga emotion throughout.  So much enjoyed the mix of Asian cultures that we saw and learned about.

4☆

Я редко читаю аннотации и, если честно, по обложке думала, что это будет семейная история. В каком-то смысле так и есть — главные персонажки находят друг в друге семью, которую оставили за много километров, уехав в Японию. Мне нравится, что каждая из них — особенная, со своими проблемами и недостатками, и в то же время их типажи очень знакомы читателю, а может даже совпадают с кем-то из знакомых.

Здесь нет как таковой центральной персонажки, это истории трех девушек, Нао, Хеджон и Тины, которых объединяет желание сменить привычную среду на жизнь в Японии. Хеджон и Тина — иностранки, Нао — наполовину японка, выросшая в США, поэтому каждая глава рассказывает о том, как они привыкают к японской обыденности и находят самих себя.

В этой книге есть история с началом и концом, но больше всего тут небольших заметок и очерков о влюбленности, чувстве принадлежности к определенному месту, вопросах и ответах о том, кто я на самом деле, дружбе, взрослой жизни и сложных решениях.

Мне были близки не все темы, но все равно эта книга ужасно трогает. Если бы не стиль рисовки, поставила бы пять звездочек, но хуже он эту историю не сделал.

Most graphic novels you pick and sail through and are done in an hour. This is one I read over many days and wanted to reread. This is the story of a Japanese girl who loses her sense of identity when she moves to the US and assimilates to fit in. This is about her taking a gap year in Japan and regaining her cultural and linguistic identity, and coming to terms with what her bicultural identity means. She lives in a home with other students, notably a Korean girl and a girl from Singapore. Told in a series of vignettes that alternate viewpoints and go back and forth in time, there is a lot to keep track of here, especially with the text that is written deliberately to show each accent as each character struggles or doesn’t to speak in a variety of languages to communicate. Ultimately, this book is about seeking connection: to your family, your heritage, to friends, and to lovers.

This will appeal to people seeking character driven books, who like alternating points of view, and who really appreciate a deep look at intercultural connection and the feelings of deep loneliness and not fitting in paired with finding a support network that is by design short term. It will appeal to people interested in language and cultural exchange, and to anyone who has ever felt lost in a mixed identity.
preciousnightmare's profile picture

preciousnightmare's review

5.0
adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted 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: Complicated

ALL THE STARS FOR THIS BOOK!! Lovely art to go with a moving story about identity, community, family, language, and belonging.


a warmhearted and funny novel about friends, cultures, and finding ur own decision for ur life. three cultures collide and roll into one exciting adventure of love and learning.

this graphic novel really feels like home. simple stories but very much relatable to normal people like us the reader. every characters’ backstory was conveyed in a page-turning manner.

i felt so comfortable reading this book. thank u for this one.

This was a really cute slice of life graphic novel. I feel like it captured the feeling of feeling like an outsider so well. As much as I wanted it to end another way, the ending feels very fitting for the journey these characters went on. Very, very sweet and wholesome.
lisa999's profile picture

lisa999's review

5.0
emotional funny reflective sad medium-paced
emotional inspiring sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated