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A review by ambershelf
The Turtle House by Amanda Churchill
4.0
thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy
1999. Lia Cope gives up her fancy job at an architecture firm and moves back home without much explanation. Lia shares a bedroom with her 73-year-old grandma, Mineko, who accidentally burned down her house recently. The duo grows close via late-night conversations retracing Mineko’s life in Japan. Will Lia divulge her secrets? And how will the two react when Mineko is sent to a care facility against her wishes?
TURTLE HOUSE alternates between Mineko’s POV in the 1940s in Japan and Lia’s POV in 1999 in Texas. I find myself more drawn to Mineko’s narrative because of the historical setting in Japan and her character being a curious & “wild” young woman.
Contrary to other historical fiction set in Asia during WW2 that emphasizes women’s perilous situations, I appreciate seeing Mineko’s hopes, dreams, and joys. Of course, there is still heartbreak, but following Mineko’s adventures & growth from the countryside, the US base, to Texas left the most memorable imprint on me.
On the other hand, Lia’s POV starts with a somewhat cookie-cutter Asian American story, involvement with a (creepy) white man
1999. Lia Cope gives up her fancy job at an architecture firm and moves back home without much explanation. Lia shares a bedroom with her 73-year-old grandma, Mineko, who accidentally burned down her house recently. The duo grows close via late-night conversations retracing Mineko’s life in Japan. Will Lia divulge her secrets? And how will the two react when Mineko is sent to a care facility against her wishes?
TURTLE HOUSE alternates between Mineko’s POV in the 1940s in Japan and Lia’s POV in 1999 in Texas. I find myself more drawn to Mineko’s narrative because of the historical setting in Japan and her character being a curious & “wild” young woman.
Contrary to other historical fiction set in Asia during WW2 that emphasizes women’s perilous situations, I appreciate seeing Mineko’s hopes, dreams, and joys. Of course, there is still heartbreak, but following Mineko’s adventures & growth from the countryside, the US base, to Texas left the most memorable imprint on me.
On the other hand, Lia’s POV starts with a somewhat cookie-cutter Asian American story, involvement with a (creepy) white man