Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A story about the lengths one will go to in order to survive in an oppressive regime, following your dreams despite adversity, and the sacrifices of working mothers. The writing wasn’t always my favorite, but you could still feel the heart the author put into telling her grandmothers story.
Amazon First Reads | November 2024
Amazon First Reads | November 2024
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
WHITE MULBERRY - ROSA KWON EASTON
When this book first popped up on my radar, it was being likened to Pachinko, which is one of my all-time favourite books. I couldn't wait to start reading White Mulberry; here's a quick synopsis:
1928, Japan-occupied Korea. Eleven-year-old Miyoung has dreams too big for her tiny farming village: to become a teacher, to avoid an arranged marriage, to write her own future. When she is offered the chance to live with her older sister in Japan and continue her education, she is elated, even though it means leaving her sick mother - and her very name - behind.
Taking readers from Korea to Japan, we follow Miyoung as she faces a harsh reality in Japan, where her Korean heritage means that she's bullied and has far fewer opportunities available to her. She takes the brave choice to adopt a Japanese name and finds that more doors open to her - but at a cost.
That's because White Mulberry is a novel about identity, showing Miyoung feeling increasingly uncomfortable as she's forced to hide her Korean origins, and what that means the longer she stays in Japan.
But there's much more to this historical fiction; the writing is beautiful and sensory, bringing Miyoung's surroundings to life in such a vivid way. Her story is an emotional one - how can it not be - so be prepared to feel happy, heartbroken and frustrated as you watch her grow into a young woman who has to make very difficult decisions.
I won't forget this book for a long time, and neither will you. Thank you to the author, NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.
Release date: 1 December 2024
Review score: 4/5
TWs: d*ath, illness, bullying, discrimination
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
White Mulberry by Rosa Kwon Easton is a third person-POV historical taking place during the Japanese occupation of the Koreas in the early twentieth century. Miyoung’s older sister is arranged to marry a Korean man in Japan, foreshadowing her own future in Japan in just a few years to further her education. She meets Hojoon, a young Korean-Japanese man who is passionate about politics and the treatment of Koreans in Japan.
One thing I really appreciated was that Miyoung is North Korean and highlighting a few differences between her culture and language and those of South Koreans even before the two split into separate countries. Very often, when we talk about North Korea, we’re talking about the Korean War and the modern situation, so I liked seeing a viewpoint from before then. What makes this even more special is that Rosa Kwon Easton essentially fictionalized her grandmother’s history and tried to stay as true to her grandmother’s story as possible, which helps add the life of North Korean women forced into impossible situations in WWII to the growing stable of literature coming out of the Korean diaspora.
I loved how the book opens with Miyoung so afraid of marriage and so determined to become a teacher and how her plans changed over time but she also never loses sight of her ultimate goal which is to help others and be happy. A lot of people have that very goal but how it is shaped changes as new interests and knowledge and experiences enter their lives. Miyoung’s emotional journey feels so real and layered and we get to see her go on this journey over less than a decade as the world around her only gets more and more hostile, but she still refuses to completely give in even if she makes some concessions.
I’ve done a lot of research into WWII, particularly in the Pacific (fun fact: in Japan, it’s not called WWII, it’s called The Pacific War because that’s where they focused their attention) and this felt so incredibly well-researched. Usually, if I know a lot about a subject, I can find something that isn’t accurate but helps make for a better story, but I didn’t find that here. Churches being shut down because they felt too closely tied to Americans, distrust of Christians, Koreans carrying around cards identifying themselves in Japan but still taking Japanese names to hide in plain sight, and more all either matched research I have done, what I have heard from people who have more knowledge than I do on the subject, or in-line with what I know of the time period and setting and the history of Christianity in Japan (which, there is a long one).
Content warning for anti-Korean sentiments
I would recommend this to fans of historical fiction set in WWII in East Asia, readers looking for a book focusing on a North Korean woman during WWII, and those who are interested in the more recent history of the relationship between Japan and the Koreas