Scan barcode
simonas's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Gorgeous prose centering on the lives of Japanese "photo brides" and the generation of Japanese immigrants and Japanese Americans affected by Japanese internment. The story is told from the plural first person of the Japanese women, spanning from their arrival to the United States as brides-to-be to their forceful removal from their homes after Pearl Harbor. Absolutely stunning use of plural narration: individual experiences are woven together seamlessly to create a mosaic of community, with all of their differences and similarities highlighted. A heartbreaking and hauntingly beautiful embrace of womanhood.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault
jgintrovertedreader's review against another edition
3.0
Chronicling the lives of Japanese brides coming to America, Buddha in the Attic is deceptively slim. Almost every sentence begins a new story that is only hinted at, yet I saw at least the broad strokes of an entire life in just those few words. There is no main character and the book is told collectively. (NOT a direct quote) "We came from Japan. We left our remote farms. We left our lives in Tokyo. We left our fishing villages. We cried as we left our families. We left happily, vowing to never look back." Listening to this on audio, the style bothered me a bit at first. It's so freaking repetitive! I do not do well with anything repetitive. Once I did settle into the narrative, I saw the beauty of it. In about four hours, I was a part of the lives of what felt like hundreds of Japanese women, each with her own story.
The book starts with the young women on the boat, uncertain of their futures and their husbands. They've never even met the men they're traveling halfway around the world to marry. Then there's early married life, children, life as an immigrant, and, in the early years of WWII, life as a "traitor." It was sometimes heart-breaking but always thought-provoking.
Samantha Quan narrates beautifully. I've not been a big fan of Carrington MacDuffie's straightforward narration in the past but it worked very well for her small part in this book.
I might have rated this higher in print, despite the excellent narration, simply because I could have skimmed over the seemingly endless, "We came from"s and "We gave birth in"s. In whatever format you choose, this is an excellent little book and I do recommend it.
The book starts with the young women on the boat, uncertain of their futures and their husbands. They've never even met the men they're traveling halfway around the world to marry. Then there's early married life, children, life as an immigrant, and, in the early years of WWII, life as a "traitor." It was sometimes heart-breaking but always thought-provoking.
Samantha Quan narrates beautifully. I've not been a big fan of Carrington MacDuffie's straightforward narration in the past but it worked very well for her small part in this book.
I might have rated this higher in print, despite the excellent narration, simply because I could have skimmed over the seemingly endless, "We came from"s and "We gave birth in"s. In whatever format you choose, this is an excellent little book and I do recommend it.
brennaaaaaaaaaaaaa's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
shirleytupperfreeman's review against another edition
Using the voice of many, Julie Otsuka tells the story of Japanese women who came to the US as mail order brides in the early 1900s. She begins, "On the boat we were mostly virgins. We had long black hair and flat wide feet and we were not very tall. Some of us had eaten nothing but rice gruel as young girls and had slightly bowed legs, and some of us were only fourteen years old and were still young girls ourselves. Some of us came from the city, and wore stylish city clothes, but many more of us came from the country and on the boat we wore the same old kimonos we'd been wearing for years---." The many voices tell about the boat trip, the arrival and meeting of their husbands, the unexpected hard work and lack of luxury, babies and children, becoming new people - or not. Then comes WWII and the disappearance of the Japanese into internment camps. The last chapter of this short, lovely book is still told in the voice of many but the many, in this case, are the white people's reactions to the disappearance of their neighbors. This is a beautifully written testament to the lives of women who were nearly invisible at their time in history.
hjfritz27's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
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? No
4.0
mvalentin's review against another edition
emotional
informative
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
babyruth510's review against another edition
3.0
The narrator tells the collective story of Japanese women who were brought to California in the
babyruth510's review against another edition
3.0
In this very short novella, the narrator tells the collective stories of picture brides who came from Japan to California, having seen only a picture of their intended husbands. The men were not the young bankers and successful businessmen they were represented to be, but rather older farm hands. Rarely did these women live the lives they were promised. Because the narrator told the collective stories of the women the reader doesn't feel as connected to their stories but overall it was a good quick read.
beccadavies's review against another edition
5.0
In one word, this book was wonderful. The Buddha in the Attic tells the story of a group of young Japenese women who came to America on a hope of a better life. Their local matchmakers had found husbands for the girls and although all they were given was photographs and a single letter, these brave women left everything to be wives to these men. The reality of moving to America, to find that many of these photographs were often 20 years old, and the letters false, my heart ached for these poor girls. And thier suffering didn't end there. The book went through the many trials the women faced from rape and childbirth to excess labour and poverty.
The narrative surprised me but very quickly I found that I actually enjoyed listening to the many voices instead of one or two.
I had originally picked this book out on a whim, lured by the small size of the book and intrigued with the story. I'm so glad I picked it up. This book is truely unforgettable and deserves every award it recieves.
The narrative surprised me but very quickly I found that I actually enjoyed listening to the many voices instead of one or two.
I had originally picked this book out on a whim, lured by the small size of the book and intrigued with the story. I'm so glad I picked it up. This book is truely unforgettable and deserves every award it recieves.