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pandagopanda's review against another edition
2.0
First of all, I was drawn to, and cherished throughout, the subjects of this book; Japanese women from all backgrounds, who migrated for marriage in the inter-war period.
From the very first line however, I found the exclusive use of the first-person plural pronoun, we, an overwhelm of stereotyping and generalisation. As the first chapter went on, I did begin to understand it as a device to communicate the multiplicity of experiences of these women. However, as the book goes on, the unceasing effort to briefly mention every variation of any given life experience within this cohort of women really gets in its own way. In what seems an inclusive attempt to humanise these women, the homogenous "we" crowds myriad plights together into a kind of list, mechanical, with few opportunities to really relate to any individual. Ultimately this leaves me feeling further away from them, their real hearts and minds unknowable, so othered as they are. Perhaps this format is a commentary on ways migration and internment is culturally remembered (or not) in records, lists, or statistics, but I would hope that any such effort would try to also set records straight and facilitate greater empathy.
From the very first line however, I found the exclusive use of the first-person plural pronoun, we, an overwhelm of stereotyping and generalisation. As the first chapter went on, I did begin to understand it as a device to communicate the multiplicity of experiences of these women. However, as the book goes on, the unceasing effort to briefly mention every variation of any given life experience within this cohort of women really gets in its own way. In what seems an inclusive attempt to humanise these women, the homogenous "we" crowds myriad plights together into a kind of list, mechanical, with few opportunities to really relate to any individual. Ultimately this leaves me feeling further away from them, their real hearts and minds unknowable, so othered as they are. Perhaps this format is a commentary on ways migration and internment is culturally remembered (or not) in records, lists, or statistics, but I would hope that any such effort would try to also set records straight and facilitate greater empathy.
alxx251's review against another edition
3.0
All'inizio del '900 centinaia di donne giapponesi partivano dalla madre patria per approdare in America, dove connazionali già trasferiti le aspettavano, avendo promesso loro una vita migliore.
Una volta arrivate, la realtà si rivela ben diversa: le foto che avevano ricevuto ritraevano uomini ben diversi da quelli che trovano sulla banchina, nessuno di loro è un banchiere o ricco, ma le donne si ritrovano a lavorare duramente la terra o a fare le domestiche, rimpiangendo la vita in Giappone, dove almeno avevano la famiglia. Le difficoltà si inaspriscono a seguito dell'attacco di Pearl Harbour, quando i giapponesi vengono fatti emigrare in luoghi dell'entroterra americano protetti, dove non possono fare da spie o aiutare il nemico. Le famiglie sono quindi costrette a partire e lasciare le proprie case, fino a quando la loro presenza rimane un ricordo lontano, sbiadito.
La storia è raccontata da un "Noi", una voce collettiva che raccoglie le diverse esperienze delle donne protagoniste, ma che d'altro canto ci ricorda il loro appartenere ad un destino comune. Un "Noi" che scompare a seguito della partenza, in quanto diventa invece il punto di vista degli americani, che si domandano se ci sono davvero mai stati i giapponesi in città. Dapprima sorpresi e dispiaciuti, infatti, si abituano presto alla loro assenza, assumendo nuovi lavoratori, cambiando la lavanderia di fiducia e semplicemente andando avanti come sempre, a dimostrazione della solitudine e precarietà dell'immigrato, senza radici, destinato ad essere dimenticato.
Una volta arrivate, la realtà si rivela ben diversa: le foto che avevano ricevuto ritraevano uomini ben diversi da quelli che trovano sulla banchina, nessuno di loro è un banchiere o ricco, ma le donne si ritrovano a lavorare duramente la terra o a fare le domestiche, rimpiangendo la vita in Giappone, dove almeno avevano la famiglia. Le difficoltà si inaspriscono a seguito dell'attacco di Pearl Harbour, quando i giapponesi vengono fatti emigrare in luoghi dell'entroterra americano protetti, dove non possono fare da spie o aiutare il nemico. Le famiglie sono quindi costrette a partire e lasciare le proprie case, fino a quando la loro presenza rimane un ricordo lontano, sbiadito.
La storia è raccontata da un "Noi", una voce collettiva che raccoglie le diverse esperienze delle donne protagoniste, ma che d'altro canto ci ricorda il loro appartenere ad un destino comune. Un "Noi" che scompare a seguito della partenza, in quanto diventa invece il punto di vista degli americani, che si domandano se ci sono davvero mai stati i giapponesi in città. Dapprima sorpresi e dispiaciuti, infatti, si abituano presto alla loro assenza, assumendo nuovi lavoratori, cambiando la lavanderia di fiducia e semplicemente andando avanti come sempre, a dimostrazione della solitudine e precarietà dell'immigrato, senza radici, destinato ad essere dimenticato.
dannb's review against another edition
3.0
The collective voice narration made this very interesting, especially at the beginning. If you are looking for a wide, but not very deep look at the Japanese picture brides, this might work for you.
Doesn't live up to all the hype... otherwise an ok read.
Doesn't live up to all the hype... otherwise an ok read.
barkatoustes's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
berlinbibliophile's review against another edition
4.0
What a powerful book! Julie Otsuka does a marvellous job conveying the multiplicity of experiences these Japanese immigrants had in coming to America. She portrays small happy moments and big devastating ones, and everything in between. Speaking always as "We", never "I", is a non-traditional style of narration, but one that worked very well for me.
lorenewescott's review against another edition
2.0
Not bad, but also not very good. It was mostly just a series of sentences about "us" and "them" following the journey of Japanese women from their crossing to the US to their detention in camps during the 2nd World War. Shanghai girls was much better.
mel_richmond's review against another edition
3.0
Normally I am the kind of person that would want more character development but I was not as bothered by the way Julie Otsuka used a lyrical prose that emphasized a collective experience while also shedding light on multiple experiences. One thing I did not appreciate was that at times it degraded other minority cultures in comparison with Japanese which felt unnecessary to the story, at least to the degree in which it was done. I also appreciated hearing the potential narrative the Americans left behind grappled with. Left me thinking
augoosetus's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
nataliekilgo's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
5.0
Wow. So sad. I liked the format of the book, and how the author always spoke in “we’s”, it meant that we could see many different experiences of Japanese women; some good, some bad, and some in between. I haven’t learned much about the Japanese-American experience during this point of time, and it made me really sad for the way many of them were treated. I was a bit unsure about ending the book with a chapter from the white perspective, but it was interesting to see how they reacted - were they pretending to care? Did the care at first, but not very much? Did they only care about them bc they made themselves invisible? Very thought provoking. I would definitely recommend this. I learned a lot!