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pamelas's review against another edition
4.0
This is probably 3.5 stars for me. The subject is undeniably one that should be aired and Andrews did a great job, from what I can tell, with his research. I did find the writing to be somewhat less than a 4- or 5-star rating for me (Yes, I rounded up!). The device he used to reunite the grandmother felt a little forced to me. Other than that, the story of Jae-Hee was compelling enough to keep me glued to my seat to see how she survived.
sabotheking's review against another edition
3.0
From the reviews here on GoodReads, you either like the story or absolutely not.
I am keeping in mind that this story was written by a white man and, as far as I can make up from the afterword, he consulted many historians, journals and books when writing this. This is a work of fiction but the stories of comfort women are very, very real.
I found this a very captivating, devastating and heartwrenching story. There were also things that I did not like about it, but still I found myself being pulled into the Jaehee's story and unable to look away.
It was incredibly heartbreaking to read her story and the shame she felt after that, internalized but also from her external enviroment. It was frustrating and saddening to read the victim-shaming and blaming she had to face every day, on top of her trying to overcome the trauma from the Japanese.
Definitely not a story I will forget very soon.
The story has a very fast pace and I definitely agree with the people who are saying that it felt like the author was rushing through parts of the story to talk about the trauma. I had the hardest time when the Americans entered the story, because I could see the authors bias coming through in his writing and it felt really strange because it didn't align with Jaehee's pov and what she was saying when she was narrating the story.
And maybe this is me just nitpicking but at the end of the book is an q&a when the author was asked the question if America was just as bad as Japan, and the author answered No... to which I just want to say: It is not up to you to decide that, just because you write about the history and trauma of Koreans (and specifically the comfort women) does not mean that you have gone through it and suffered its impact.
Anyways, it is a good story to read if you are unfamiliar about comfort women, but I do suggest finding stories written/narrated by own voices. Which is something I definitely am going to do after reading Daughters of the Dragon.
I am keeping in mind that this story was written by a white man and, as far as I can make up from the afterword, he consulted many historians, journals and books when writing this. This is a work of fiction but the stories of comfort women are very, very real.
I found this a very captivating, devastating and heartwrenching story. There were also things that I did not like about it, but still I found myself being pulled into the Jaehee's story and unable to look away.
It was incredibly heartbreaking to read her story and the shame she felt after that, internalized but also from her external enviroment. It was frustrating and saddening to read the victim-shaming and blaming she had to face every day, on top of her trying to overcome the trauma from the Japanese.
Definitely not a story I will forget very soon.
The story has a very fast pace and I definitely agree with the people who are saying that it felt like the author was rushing through parts of the story to talk about the trauma. I had the hardest time when the Americans entered the story, because I could see the authors bias coming through in his writing and it felt really strange because it didn't align with Jaehee's pov and what she was saying when she was narrating the story.
And maybe this is me just nitpicking but at the end of the book is an q&a when the author was asked the question if America was just as bad as Japan, and the author answered No... to which I just want to say: It is not up to you to decide that, just because you write about the history and trauma of Koreans (and specifically the comfort women) does not mean that you have gone through it and suffered its impact.
Anyways, it is a good story to read if you are unfamiliar about comfort women, but I do suggest finding stories written/narrated by own voices. Which is something I definitely am going to do after reading Daughters of the Dragon.
stephb413's review against another edition
4.0
Historical fiction is tricky, especially when it is written about topics as horrifying as comfort women. That said, this book does a good job bringing to light the horrors comfort women faced. As well as, the extreme prejudice they faced for decades after Japan's defeat by their own citizens, as well as the Korean War. I lived in Seoul for 4 years and the book made me think about/miss different sites in Seoul (House of Sharing, Itaewon, Gyeongbokgung Palace, etc.) I also appreciated the comments about American involvement in the region. In short, I really do value anytime attention is drawn to comfort women because it is time sensitive as these women are getting older and will not be around to have their easily obtainable demands met! This book does all that and so much more.
ranikaith's review against another edition
So i read this book in 2 days because it was so interesting and this story about comfort woman has to be told and be presented to a wider audience so that everyone knows what happened to this woman and that the japanese government still refuse to accept the full responsibility for this tragic part of korean history. But iam critical cause i dont like books which are written by authors, who are not supposed to write about other cultural topics, whom they do not belong to. He shed light on the crimes committed by the americans without glossing up their faults, i appreciate his efforts in that matter but still it would have been better when a korean author would have tried on this topic cause i believe its their right to talk about this chapter of their past. Another point i have to critize is that the framework(story with the granddaughter ) in which the main story was embedded was unnecessary. Firstly it was told in a simple nearly colloquial language which contradicted the story told from the grandmas point of view, which was told in a nice and neat form( at least in german-i read this book in german) and secondly somehow the whole story with dynasty and royal lineage was over the top and there are a lot of cultural insensibilities. ( which could have been prevented when he would have informed himself better or when a Korean would have written it)
I didnt liked the parts with anna without her the book would have been much better but overall a good try, telling an important part of Korean History. thats the reason i gave 3 Stars.
I didnt liked the parts with anna without her the book would have been much better but overall a good try, telling an important part of Korean History. thats the reason i gave 3 Stars.
ar_ya's review against another edition
5.0
Really traumatising and gripping read. Got swept off into the world. Somewhat similar to "Thousand Splendid Suns" and "Joy luck club". Was able to truly understand Korean history. It's shocking to learn about the comfort women. I haven't heard about their history or the history of Korea much. I'm grateful to Preeti Shenoy for this suggestion, without which I wouldn't have known about this book. It deeply touched my heart. Big salute to the surviving comfort women. I didn't expect the last twist. The two-headed dragon comb with the five toes, passing on to women. Jae-hee is a descendant of the Empress of Korea. Such strong female characters. I would recommend it to everyone.
rlbasley's review against another edition
5.0
I found this book in the library and though I had heard of the words "comfort woman" I didn't fully understand the horrors this women faced until reading this book. I liked the way the author chose to tell this story and the way it flowed in the book. It was a great way to tell the history of a horrible "secret" in a way that introduces new people to what happened.
rfwads's review against another edition
5.0
An absolutely amazing story! So powerful! From someone who enjoys history, I never realized what was going on in Kora during WW2. I can't imagine what these women went through daily and for the government to turn a blind eye and act like it never happened is outrageous. Andrews does great job of narrating the grandmothers story. You really feel like you are the granddaughter sitting in the room listening to your grandmother tell a story. The pain and suffering that Jae-hee went through. I wanted so bad for something good and positive to happen to her and was hopeful....but you also realize that Jae-hee tries to look at the positive and in the end she made the most of what life offered her.
I highly recommend this novel to everyone. It's such an amazing and impactful story; one that should be told not thrown under the rug. We need to know all of history, the good, the bad, and the very ugly. So grateful Andrews wrote this book!
I highly recommend this novel to everyone. It's such an amazing and impactful story; one that should be told not thrown under the rug. We need to know all of history, the good, the bad, and the very ugly. So grateful Andrews wrote this book!
eeshadixit's review against another edition
4.0
This book sends chills down the spine.
The details, the gory details, the ruthlessness, the misery, the desperation, the sheer grit - it is raw and as real as fiction can get.
The protagonist, Jae-hee is nothing but a force of nature. She is the woman who is born in the year of the dragon and holds the comb with the two-faced dragon with 5 toes passed down to her from her mother. But she is nothing less than a dragon herself. Fierce, determined and courageous - that is Jae-hee.
The book depicts how Korean women and Korea as a nation got affected by the second world war by the Japanese, the Russians and the Americans.
It takes a lot of mental effort to get through the part where the author has described the comfort station and the "duty" of the comfort women without getting affected by it...
This book is an eye opener, to say the least.
The details, the gory details, the ruthlessness, the misery, the desperation, the sheer grit - it is raw and as real as fiction can get.
The protagonist, Jae-hee is nothing but a force of nature. She is the woman who is born in the year of the dragon and holds the comb with the two-faced dragon with 5 toes passed down to her from her mother. But she is nothing less than a dragon herself. Fierce, determined and courageous - that is Jae-hee.
The book depicts how Korean women and Korea as a nation got affected by the second world war by the Japanese, the Russians and the Americans.
It takes a lot of mental effort to get through the part where the author has described the comfort station and the "duty" of the comfort women without getting affected by it...
This book is an eye opener, to say the least.
sopupdemreads's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5