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alvinalol 's review for:
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
by Jamie Ford
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I enjoyed this book! LOVE the Seattle setting so much, and getting to learn about the history here that I had limited knowledge on.
I see so many parallels between Chinese/Japanese prejudice from parents and the prejudice south asians parents often have over one another in the same way today.
I have a few complaints
1. The book was long and tedious at times. I enjoyed the beginning and ending of the book, but struggled to get through the middle. The length itself is not bad, but I wish the plot itself was more dense.
2. Sometimes I wondered if this book passes the bechdel test. I know the book is from Henry's perspective, but every woman in his life felt like they were existing for him in some way. Other than Keko's love for art, I don't think anything differentiated Keko, Ethel, Henry's mom, and Henry's future daughter-in-law. They were all sweet and 3/4 knew how to cook well. While I remember Henry's son's personality or the personality of his jazz friend, these women had no unique personality going for them. IMO this is the biggest drawback of the book.
I see so many parallels between Chinese/Japanese prejudice from parents and the prejudice south asians parents often have over one another in the same way today.
I have a few complaints
1. The book was long and tedious at times. I enjoyed the beginning and ending of the book, but struggled to get through the middle. The length itself is not bad, but I wish the plot itself was more dense.
2. Sometimes I wondered if this book passes the bechdel test. I know the book is from Henry's perspective, but every woman in his life felt like they were existing for him in some way. Other than Keko's love for art, I don't think anything differentiated Keko, Ethel, Henry's mom, and Henry's future daughter-in-law. They were all sweet and 3/4 knew how to cook well. While I remember Henry's son's personality or the personality of his jazz friend, these women had no unique personality going for them. IMO this is the biggest drawback of the book.