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jamesmcalc's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
jess_mango's review against another edition
4.0
This quick read of a novel was nominated for the National Book Award in 2011. The book follows the tale of Japanese mail-order brides as they journey from Japan to America via boat, their lives with their husbands, their times working fields and other low level jobs in the USA, and up through the times when Japanese-Americans were sent to internment camps during World War II. The book was told in the 1st person plural from the perspective of a group of Japanese women. The last section of the book was told from the perspective of Caucasian-American women. The story was very powerful and brought up lots of points for discussiona and pondering such as, how women are treated,how immigrants are treated etc. This would be a good book club selection.
rereader33's review against another edition
4.0
2022 November Reading Challenge
Prompt: read a book with a 3.5-4 star rating
I really enjoyed this and blew through it. I can understand why the lack of a focused narrator would be difficult for some, but I was impressed with how Otsuka was able to place all of these wives under the general "we" and still give enough detail to make them distinct. I am impressed, as always, with Otsuka's ability to tell an entire sweeping narrative in under 150 pages and have it still hit hard. She is truly a master of concise yet emotional writing that deserves more praise and respect, considering that so many books these days are unnecessarily long due to overly long descriptions and unimportant filler.
I don't have much to say because I don't want to spoil anything, but this was another great novel but an excellent and skilled storyteller. I highly recommend this and her other work, they are absolutely worth it.
Prompt: read a book with a 3.5-4 star rating
I really enjoyed this and blew through it. I can understand why the lack of a focused narrator would be difficult for some, but I was impressed with how Otsuka was able to place all of these wives under the general "we" and still give enough detail to make them distinct. I am impressed, as always, with Otsuka's ability to tell an entire sweeping narrative in under 150 pages and have it still hit hard. She is truly a master of concise yet emotional writing that deserves more praise and respect, considering that so many books these days are unnecessarily long due to overly long descriptions and unimportant filler.
I don't have much to say because I don't want to spoil anything, but this was another great novel but an excellent and skilled storyteller. I highly recommend this and her other work, they are absolutely worth it.
klparmley's review against another edition
4.0
If Walt Whitman had been female writing about Japanese Americans at the beginning of the 20th century, this would have been that book.
It was an interesting read. This is no protagonist. It is truly plural. All the way through. Try the "peek inside" and choose whether you want to read the whole book.
I nearly quit twice, but found myself drawn back to the story in spite of the peculiar form. It is a sad story, but a good book. Well worth reading.
It was an interesting read. This is no protagonist. It is truly plural. All the way through. Try the "peek inside" and choose whether you want to read the whole book.
I nearly quit twice, but found myself drawn back to the story in spite of the peculiar form. It is a sad story, but a good book. Well worth reading.
jgraydee's review against another edition
5.0
A quick read, packed full of history and humanity. I would like to re-read it, because I realized toward the end that characters are named, described and revisited through out. I would pay more attention to this in a second reading.
This would be an excellent book for high school students, and older. It has adult storylines, but is also rich with culture and history. Also a good book for bookclubs: much to discuss.
This would be an excellent book for high school students, and older. It has adult storylines, but is also rich with culture and history. Also a good book for bookclubs: much to discuss.
lernstreads's review against another edition
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
rsutton06's review against another edition
3.0
I picked up this title because it is the One Book, One Philadelphia read for 2013. It is about Japanese Picture Brides who immigrated to the U.S. in early 1900s to California. It details their variety of experiences up to the start of WWII. It includes descriptions of the days leading up to the internment of the Japanese. The book had an interesting narrative style I haven't encountered before. It links many narratives, some only a paragraph long which has the effect of telling many stories. While there is little depth to any one narrative, the collective narratives paint a mosaic-like story of the experiences of a people rather than one individual experience. The book is a quick read and would appeal to anyone looking for a fictional account of the Japanese-American immigrant experience. Recommended.
goodem9199's review against another edition
3.0
I thought the writing in this was fantastic, but it was almost written as a book of lists. I think it may have translated better had I read it instead of listened to it. It was oddly done, but her writing makes up for it. I would be interested to see how the text was published, if it is in prose form.
caseyae96's review
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0