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A review by sofia_the_scholar
The Picture Bride by Lee Geum-yi
4.0
In 1918, Willow left her home in Korea as a picture bride, to go to Hawaii and get married. But not everything is as exciting she thought it would be. With her husband (Taewan) who didn't want to marry her in the first place, and with the rise of different Korean independence movements, bound to bring arguments and strife to Willow's life.
One thing is clear: this book made me more knowledgeable on Korea's history of the time. It depicted the struggles of everyday immigrant life of the time pretty well, how much Koreans felt like outsiders, but how they formed their own community, how they worked until they couldn't function.
The female power on this book is strong: Willow was a 20-year-old when she reached Hawaii, and her evolvement and inner strength to pull it off and make her marriage and family work, was admirable and respectable. But, she had the support of her friends: firstly, Hongju, who even though I didn't like at the beginning, as she grew older, she won my respect. Sonhwa, this precious human being, deserved so much better and she was misunderstood and under-appreciated her whole life. Who I also liked was Pearl, who was just trying to find her place in the world and she felt like not having a proper identity.
I learned so much of the Korean culture and history, and yet I feel like I only know small bits. If you like historical fiction and want to learn a bit about Korean history, this book is for you!
Thank you @netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review! The book is out on October 11th!
One thing is clear: this book made me more knowledgeable on Korea's history of the time. It depicted the struggles of everyday immigrant life of the time pretty well, how much Koreans felt like outsiders, but how they formed their own community, how they worked until they couldn't function.
The female power on this book is strong: Willow was a 20-year-old when she reached Hawaii, and her evolvement and inner strength to pull it off and make her marriage and family work, was admirable and respectable. But, she had the support of her friends: firstly, Hongju, who even though I didn't like at the beginning, as she grew older, she won my respect. Sonhwa, this precious human being, deserved so much better and she was misunderstood and under-appreciated her whole life. Who I also liked was Pearl, who was just trying to find her place in the world and she felt like not having a proper identity.
I learned so much of the Korean culture and history, and yet I feel like I only know small bits. If you like historical fiction and want to learn a bit about Korean history, this book is for you!
Thank you @netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review! The book is out on October 11th!