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A review by rawlo93
The Picture Bride by Lee Geum-yi
emotional
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.5
A historical fiction book focusing on the lives and hardships of 3 women, who carry a sister like bond throughout the many years that this story takes place.
The book gives us an insight into the early Korean communities within Hawaii and delves into the personal experiences of the women who moved there to marry, known as picture brides.
Overall, I have mixed feelings about this book. I do wish I could give 2 and a half stars for this reason. On one hand, I found the bond between our three main women endearing and I think the passage of time is demonstrated rather well in parts of the story. On the other hand, some of the time jumps are a little unnecessary and confusing.
The book is divided into 3 sections and part 3 felt more rushed than the rest, where the focus switches to one of our protagonist’s daughters. I do think this was to show how the story came ‘full circle’ and how times had changed during the years that passed. Our main character was 18/19 when she became a picture bride and the story concluded with her 19 year old daughter, Pearl, wanting to venture out into America.
My final thoughts are, it’s a very educational and interesting historical piece of literature however, I felt no attachment to the characters due to the pacing of the story.
The book gives us an insight into the early Korean communities within Hawaii and delves into the personal experiences of the women who moved there to marry, known as picture brides.
Overall, I have mixed feelings about this book. I do wish I could give 2 and a half stars for this reason. On one hand, I found the bond between our three main women endearing and I think the passage of time is demonstrated rather well in parts of the story. On the other hand, some of the time jumps are a little unnecessary and confusing.
The book is divided into 3 sections and part 3 felt more rushed than the rest, where the focus switches to one of our protagonist’s daughters. I do think this was to show how the story came ‘full circle’ and how times had changed during the years that passed. Our main character was 18/19 when she became a picture bride and the story concluded with her 19 year old daughter, Pearl, wanting to venture out into America.
My final thoughts are, it’s a very educational and interesting historical piece of literature however, I felt no attachment to the characters due to the pacing of the story.