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emilyisreading2024's review against another edition
4.0
Lovely writing; of course the story is depressing at times. The collective "we" was unusual at first but I got used to it.
azsm's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
dancearh's review against another edition
5.0
What an absolutely amazing and unforgettable novel. I have read and studied many things relating to the Japanese leading up to their forced time in internment camps in the US, but this is by far the best one yet. To have so many different stories that appear on the service to be so unique, but ultimately all have a single common thread that runs through them all. The author has done an amazing job at taking all of the different unknown characters and giving them enough life that any reader would feel compassion and sympathy for what they have had to experience.
deniser821's review against another edition
5.0
Buddha In The Attic by Julie Otsuka
5/5
‘You will see, woman are weak but mothers are strong’
I absolutely loved this backlist gem by Julie Otsuka. It is told in first person plural and tells the story of Japanese women sold as mail order brides in the 1900’s and all the way through to being taken to the Japanese internment camps during WWII.
I listened to this short audio book (only 4 hours) in one day and recommend you read the book in that format The prose is particularly lyrical as the chorus of women each provide their experiences and the audio book enhances the narration.
5/5
‘You will see, woman are weak but mothers are strong’
I absolutely loved this backlist gem by Julie Otsuka. It is told in first person plural and tells the story of Japanese women sold as mail order brides in the 1900’s and all the way through to being taken to the Japanese internment camps during WWII.
I listened to this short audio book (only 4 hours) in one day and recommend you read the book in that format The prose is particularly lyrical as the chorus of women each provide their experiences and the audio book enhances the narration.
carlylottsofbookz's review against another edition
3.0
In this short novel, I got a deep, sad, account of what life was like for Japanese immigrants. This is the story of several Japanese women, who made the journey from Japan to San Francisco after marrying their husbands (sight unseen). When they arrive--their husbands are not who they said they were--their pictures might be them, several years earlier, or might be someone completely different. Their husbands "take them"...repeatedly in many different ways, and put them to work: in the fields, as maids, as whores. They have children (or don't), they work, they toil, then they are interned by the US goverment.
The book was written in an interesting first-person plural point of view: "This happened to us; we came from small towns" etc.
Overall an interesting book, pretty small and easy to read.
The book was written in an interesting first-person plural point of view: "This happened to us; we came from small towns" etc.
Overall an interesting book, pretty small and easy to read.
onelia's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? N/A
2.5
pattydsf's review against another edition
4.0
I think this book is growing on me. It was very hard to get into at first - how many books have you read that are told in first person plural? Once I adjusted to the fact that there were multiple narrators and my links with them would be slim, I was able to enjoy the book. It just took adjusting my expectations of a novel.
I mostly read to connect in some way to the characters and to learn something new. Sometimes the new things are actual facts and sometimes they are just figuring out other people's amazing imaginations. I do really want to find links with the characters and Otsuka has stretched my brain because this novel doesn't contain the usual kind of connections. It is hard to connect to a series of voices rather than a particular person.
My book group read this and it was the lack of common ideas or traits that caused many of us to dislike the book. Apparently most of us read to find some of ourselves in the people in the books. None of us are Japanese-Americans so we did not have any cultural similarities. Otsuka made it hard by giving few names and no real narrative thread.
In the long run, for me, the novel overcame all the problems that I had at the beginning. Because I had to work a bit to get this book, I think it will have more staying power for me. As a whole, I found the story unforgettable.
I recommend this to anyone willing to work at their reading; to women who want to know what other women have experienced and to readers who liked Otsuka's first book. They are very different, but the subjects are linked.
I mostly read to connect in some way to the characters and to learn something new. Sometimes the new things are actual facts and sometimes they are just figuring out other people's amazing imaginations. I do really want to find links with the characters and Otsuka has stretched my brain because this novel doesn't contain the usual kind of connections. It is hard to connect to a series of voices rather than a particular person.
My book group read this and it was the lack of common ideas or traits that caused many of us to dislike the book. Apparently most of us read to find some of ourselves in the people in the books. None of us are Japanese-Americans so we did not have any cultural similarities. Otsuka made it hard by giving few names and no real narrative thread.
In the long run, for me, the novel overcame all the problems that I had at the beginning. Because I had to work a bit to get this book, I think it will have more staying power for me. As a whole, I found the story unforgettable.
I recommend this to anyone willing to work at their reading; to women who want to know what other women have experienced and to readers who liked Otsuka's first book. They are very different, but the subjects are linked.
julesanne's review against another edition
4.0
Listened to the audio version during my commutetowork. Interesting and clever method to tell the stories of these women.
giuliakyj's review against another edition
4.0
Mi è piaciuto. Sono sempre alla ricerca di nuovi punti di vista con cui vedere gli avvenimenti e la storia, che impariamo sempre in modo parziale e limitato. C'è la necessità di conoscere di più e di ascoltare anche esperienze lontane. Mi è piaciuta anche la scelta della prima persona plurale che si presta molto bene al racconto perché sembra proprio di sentire un'anziana signora raccontare l'esperienza che ha vissuto. Però manca qualcosa. Mi è sembrato troppo distaccato e senza emozione. Le continue liste abbracciano sì questa realtà nel modo più completo possibile, ma lascia la sensazione di aver letto una serie di bullet points che l'autrice doveva inserire per narrare la vicenda. Secondo me questo libro è un potenziale sprecato perché comunque è scritto bene. Quindi mi è piaciuto ma mi ha comunque lasciato con una certa insoddisfazione.