Reviews

The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka

anchorsaweigh's review against another edition

fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

prairiedog's review against another edition

3.0

I think it's an important piece of historical fiction, and very lyrical at times. But because it follows a very large group of people, and not one or two main characters, I found it difficult to stay emotionally invested. It often felt journalistic and impersonal, and the writing style, with its frequent repetition, called too much attention to itself. But I still recommend it as an excellent account of Japanese Americans before, and up to, the WWII internment.

jnelsontwo's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

princzukos's review against another edition

3.0

“we never would have come to America to do the work that no self-respecting American would do”

This book is about young women brought from Japan to SF who were deceived into thinking they married rich husbands only to spend decades exploited in the fields. It’s sad to see how their entire existence gets erased overnight.

I’m not very knowledgeable on this subject but i liked how this book gave a voice to these women who never got to tell their stories.

moshalala's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Writing=5
Content =4
Enjoy=3

rolo7139's review against another edition

informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

underthejunipertree's review against another edition

3.25

Finally getting around to reading an assigned book for class, years later.

The pluralism of perspectives initially reads as a dissonant litany of experiences-- the difference in backgrounds, experiences, fates are nearly overwhelming as the bird's eye tracks the survey of Japanese women immigrants who arrive in America-- but it's only in the face of systematic oppression does a more singular experience begin to develop, its own tragic kind of unity in the collective 'we.'

siriface's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Rape, War, Abortion, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, and Pregnancy

the_fbc_paris's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

annasforages's review against another edition

dark informative sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

haunting retelling of Japanese picture brides in the 1900s and the initial incarceration of Japanese Americans at the beginning of WW2. 

really appreciated the lack of plot and the usage of multiple voices as 1 narrator and no defining characters. super effective way to mimic Americans' view of Japanese Americans as 1 blob without any individual personalities. 

just wish the last chapter wasn't from the POV of said Americans but it was still effective in sparking that anger in the reader