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magswts's review against another edition
3.0
Compelling stories but I'm not sure about the writing style. It felt very list like at times, which I guess is kind of fitting as their lives ended up being centred around a list.
karinlib's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting writing, but I am not sure that I liked it. I don't mean the topic, it was a good topic. This book should have been fleshed out with a couple of central characters, then I would have been able to connect with the story.
hannahbisbis's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
A depressingly and horrifyingly beautiful account of one of our country’s many historical abuses and subtle forced assimilation of outsiders.
dkpalmer13's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
vkaz's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this quick read. Written in "we" form, the book sums up fictionally the collective experience of Japanese mail order brides who came to the US in the early 20th century and endured the forced relocations during WW2.
apol27's review against another edition
4.0
The writing style is different than any book I have read- no main character or storyline, but powerful nonetheless
dimples0508's review against another edition
3.0
Always cool to learn things through other perspectives. But I didn't take away as much as I did when I read The Emperor Was Divine.
ronas's review against another edition
emotional
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
somanybookstoread's review against another edition
3.0
I'm interested in checking out other work by Julie Otsuka because I found her prose to be beautiful. However, this book didn't do much for me because I think she made a bad decision in trying to pull off a first person plural point of view for so long. Then, strangely, after about 80 pages the POV shifted to third person. I was baffled and just couldn't get around that. Despite a POV that couldn't engage me, I found her descriptions to be lyrical and beautiful, so I suspect she could wow me under other circumstances.