This was everything I want in historical fiction. I liked this family and was very involved in the chapters of Mineko's life. While a lot of historical fiction relies on trauma and big historical events, the heart of this story lies in our dreams and how we cope and move on when they don't turn out as planned. I liked the dual timeline although I could have done without so much of the granddaughter's backstory. To me, the story should have focused fully on Mineko, past and present. Thank you to NetGalley and Harper publishing for this free ARC. Mineko's story was one I was so glad to have.

REVIEW

The Turtle House
by Amanda Churchill

🌟🌟🌟🌟

A dual timeline debut (with a gorgeous front cover) from @AmandaGChurchill, The Turtle House is a heartwarming (and at times heart wrenching) story about love, family, friendship, and overcoming adversity. The novel is told from Texas 'born and bred' Lia Cope’s 1999 UTAustin postgrad POV as well as her Japanese grandmother’s pre - and post WWII POV.

I loved how Churchill developed her characters and their relationship to each other (I especially fell in love with Grandminnie [Mineko Cope], as well as Dimple [Lia’s great aunt Delilah]). And, TBH, I also loved learning about Japanese war brides and, even more, a bit about Japanese architecture! I wish I had my own minogame onigawara (or turtle roof ornament).

While there were a few slow points in the novel, I am so glad I had the opportunity to read this - so much so, I wished my own grandmums were alive so that I could go and interview them. I would definitely recommend this novel and look forward to Churchill’s next novel! Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC ebook.


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Amanda Churchill delivered in The Turtle House. Loved the book so much I purchased my own signed copy. Love the cover too! Ready for her next book.

The Turtle House is about family and identity, and the relationship between a grandmother and her granddaughter. It has dual timelines and settings, alternating between two very different places: Japan, beginning in 1936, and a small Texas town in 1999.
The story started slowly for me, but I eventually became absorbed in the main storylines of the lives of Minnie/Mineko and Lia. Both are at turning points in their lives and we're able to see how their stories developed and now unfold. I did feel that one of the storylines was left hanging.
I particularly liked Minnie's story, and more specifically about her life in Japan during the war. It was beautifully written and we were able to get a sense of the challenges faced by the ordinary Japanese citizen during the war. The Turtle House is a slow burn of a novel that will grab your attention and interest. It's a debut and I look forward to reading more from Ms. Churchill.
Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins Pubishers for the opportunity to read The Turtle House!

From the author: It’s spring 1999, and 25-year-old Lia Cope and her prickly 73-year-old grandmother, Mineko, are sharing a bedroom in Curtain, Texas, the ranching town where Lia grew up and Mineko began her life as a Japanese war bride. Both women are at a turning point: Mineko, long widowed, moved in with her son and daughter-in-law after a suspicious fire destroyed the Cope family ranch house, while Lia, an architect with a promising career in Austin, has unexpectedly returned under circumstances she refuses to explain.

First sentence: Paper hates water. It hates wind. And fire. Paper falls apart. There is no home safe enough for paper, did you know this?

My thoughts: A beautiful cover, an intriguing titel and a debut novel - Yes, this was a must read for me, one that did not let me down.

The Turtle House drew me in fast. It was a place I want to stay and linger. Not only did I love being in Mineko’s world back in Japan during and after the war as she navigates a whole new world, but I also loved seeing the relationship she had with her granddaughter, Lia, grow into something really special in the present day (Texas, 1990s). I’ve always been a fan of intergenerational stories, but this one is truly something special.

Churchill's story is for anyone who loves books that span generations and continents, revealing the power of connection and the search for belonging in a world filled with challenges and uncertainties. It's for people who love magical connections between family and the hope and happiness found in those special relationships.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper for sharing a deliciously wonderful debut novel perfect for book clubs! Churchill leaves us thinking for a book club – what gives us our identity, what makes a home, hope and resilience, and different relationships.

this was a great debut novel, it had everything that I was looking for from that description. The characters felt like they were real people and I was engaged with what was going on. The plot works well and left me wanting to read more. Amanda Churchill has a great writing style and can't wait for more.

I’ve read few novels set in Texas and reading a story of a Japanese war bride set in Texas was fascinating. I appreciate the attempt to tie the grandmother’s life with her granddaughter’’s but there were significant elements missing to make the comparison-good idea-not a good execution. And interesting read.

The debut novel of Amanda Churchill, The Turtle House was a fascinating read! I had the opportunity to get an advanced reader’s copy from @thoughts with thanks to @harperbooks. I signed up too late to get the book read before the author talk, but I went anyway and was completely charmed by Amanda and fascinated by the background for her story. I decided to pre-order the book and read the finished copy. I’m glad I did! You know how some books just have a special feel to them? This is one of those books, from it’s stunning cover, with soft paper jacket to the perfect weight in the hands. It was enjoyment in reading! Oh, and if you own this, be sure to take a peak at the binding under the dust jacket! I love when publishers add those extra special touches!
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I loved this book! It was an enjoyable read, with pages that turned easily. I read it in three nights, which is really fast for me. It’s an original story and it is well written. I wanted to know how much of it was from her Grandmother’s story and how much was fiction, honestly I’m sure much was fiction, but it had an authenticity to the telling that was really compelling. There were a couple of things that I didn’t prefer, but when I thought about it, I think that those were things the Japanese War Brides actually experienced. It really brought out my empathy. Their’s was a sad situation and they had few options. “All of her country-men and -women, walking about with dead eyes, just skin-draped ghosts.” This war bride made the best of her situation and gave her granddaughter hope and wisdom!
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I recommend this book for lovers of historical fiction, especially about the Japanese women who came to this country after World War 2.

The Turtle House is a debut novel inspired by author Amanda Churchill’s grandmother. The plot traces the life of Mineko (Minnie) in a nonlinear fashion from her girlhood in Japan, her marriage to an American GI and living on a military base in Japan, leaving the Army and adjusting to civilian life in Texas, and eventually life as a widow with a son and daughter.

A secondary storyline features Lia, Minne’s 25-year-old granddaughter, who’s struggling to find a way forward after an incident disrupts her personal and professional lives. The only positive thing about living with her parents is the opportunity to strengthen her relationship with Grandminnie and capture audio recordings of her memories.

I was deeply invested in Minnie’s story with its many heartaches and transitions, less so with Lia’s until the final quarter of the book; I loved how their lives intertwined in the final chapters.

The Turtle House reminded me of Banyan Moon by Thao Thai in several ways (debut novel, character driven, strong grandmother-granddaughter bond, immigrant story, house fire). Each tells its own story, but they could certainly be in conversation with each other.

Thank you to Harper and the Thoughts From a Page podcast (patron perk) for a review copy of this novel.

Amanda Churchill creates an interesting historical fiction drama of life in Texas as a Japanese woman. As stories emerge between two generations of women grandmother and granddaughter they learn their secrets are what binds them. The stories of The Turtle House and her journey. With beautiful imagery one is taken to the historical time as it weaves in easily with the present. A true novel of hopes, dreams, and family.

I think this is the wrong book for the wrong person. I feel no attachment or interest in finishing it. I keep making myself pick up it and life is way too short for that. DNF at 60%.



Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review.

This book caught my attention because it's set in Texas, where the author is from (I'm from Texas as well), and it features dual timelines spanning from WWII Japan to the modern-day. What I loved most were Lia and Mineko's heartfelt relationship, their challenges, and their mutual desire to support each other. Mineko's wartime experiences in Japan were eye-opening, and I found myself craving to learn more about that era after reading about her early life.

The story follows Mineko as she shares her life journey with Lia, her granddaughter, bridging the gap between past and present. The portrayal of Japan during WWII and modern-day Texas felt vivid and immersive. Mineko and Lia's bond was touching and amusing, adding depth to their characters.

Overall, this book was captivating and featured themes of love, identity, and overcoming adversity. Despite some pacing issues in Lia's storyline, Mineko's compelling narrative and the richly depicted settings made it an enjoyable experience. Special thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy.

A terrific grandmother/grandaughter dual time period historical novel. In the more modern day story, it’s 1999 and 25 year old Lia has left her architecture job under mysterious circumstances and moved back to her parents’ house the small town in Texas where she grow up, where she becomes closer to her 70-something grandmother Mineko, who has also moved in with Lia’s parents after a fire at her house. We also hear Mineko’s story as she shares it with Lia, from her childhood in Japan in the 1930s through WWII and the post-war period, and in the US from the 1950s up to 1999, and Lis slowly shares with us and her grandmother in flashbacks what led her to move back home as well.

The writing in this book was really evocative, with great characters and settings you can really picture. I don’t know if I’ve ever read a book set in Japan during that time period, so that was really interesting and often sad, as were Mineko’s experiences as a war bride. And I just loved the intergenerational granddaughter-grandmother relationship, and how they both helped each other. And a great and emotional ending where I had to pause at one point to get a tissue because I was crying! A great debut and I look forward to seeing what Amanda Churchill writes next.

I knew I had to read this book when I heard that the author is local and the setting of the modern day portions is in Texas. I loved everything about it: the dual timelines and settings, the sweet and funny relationship between Lia and Mineko, the adversity both had to overcome, and the desire each had to help the other heal. It left me wanting to know more about WW2 Japan after reading about Mineko’s early life.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.

The Turtle House travels from Japan during WW2 to present day Texas. Along the way, Mineko shares her story with her granddaughter, Lia. The two share struggles, conspire to solve their problems and grow closer.
This story reveals a lot about Japan pre and post war that was new to me. I enjoyed reading the story when it moved to Texas. The early days are so well written I felt like I could have been there. The present day captures current events very well.
The ties between the two characters are funny and poignant.
I enjoyed this book.

Thanks to CindyBurnett @Thoughts from a Page, Early Reads Program , Net Galley and Harper

This was a lovely story about the meaning of home, i found the grandmothers side more engaging than the granddaughters

The Turtle House has so much to love–beautiful writing, moving story, and informative history.

Opening in Texas in 1999, this dual timeline novel follows Lia and her grandmother, Minnie (born Mineko). As an adult in her 20s fleeing her problems and returning to her childhood home, Lia finds herself bunking with her grandmother whose house has recently burned down. This opportunity leads to a new closeness developing between Lia and her grandmother, who was born and raised in Japan. Minnie shares stories of her past, including the impact of coming of age during World War II. The lasting effects of the war include the many boys who did not come home and the damage to the village and the complete change in course of the lives of many, including Minnie’s.

“Mineko would never dissolve into America like sugar” is one of many powerful lines in this novel that depict Mineko’s experience moving from Japan to Texas as a young mother. The reader learns about the experience of Japanese war brides, a topic I found very interesting. I felt so much tenderness reading about Minnie immersing herself in caring for her children in order to survive the challenges of her transition from Japan to America.

The idea of home is explored in this novel. What is home for Mineko? Neither the US nor Japan feels like home as war, loss, time, and, later, modernization changed her original home forever.

The Author’s Note tells the reader of the author’s personal connection to this story, so be sure to read the note at the end.

This cover is just beautiful, too. I highly recommend this historical fiction.

This was a good historical fiction, however ,I prefer mine with magical realism or folk lore thrown in. That's just a personal preference. The characters were great, and the story solid.

I am not a big fan of historical fiction that changes timeline chapter-by-chapter, but this style worked for me in THE TURTLE HOUSE because I loved the settings in both of the timelines. The book follow Grandminnie and her grandaughter, Lia, as they live in 1999 in Curtain, Texas. I love the Texas setting and the focus on the granddaughter/grandmother relationship when the granddaughter is in her 20s. It reminded me of my own relationship with my grandmother. Grandminnie and Lia are living together in Lia’ parent’s home. Grandminnie’s house recently burned down. Lia left college after she was targeted by an unsavory professor and doubts her ability to become an architect.

The second time line follows Grandminnie when she was a young woman in Japan during the War. This storyline started slower for me, but I grew to enjoy it the most. I loved the setting from Grandminnie’s town to Tokyo to a US Air Force base.

This book is a wonderful debut and I am excited to read whatever Amanda Churchill writes in the future. I wish I could buddy read it with my Grandmother!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25

Thank you @harper and @netgalley for a free e-arc in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

A multi generational story featuring the grandmother who moved from Japan to Texas after WWII as a new bride and the granddaughter who left her on-the-way-to-successful career in architecture and refuses to say why.
I loved this story for a few reasons. The depiction of the beauty of Japan - so many things I found myself researching and being enchanted by the beauty of as I read - and the central focus on home vs. location. The storytelling of Mineko - the grandmother; Churchill used a lot of her own grandmother's stories coupled with research to form Mineko's narrative. The rich history I feel like we can never know enough about. Watching Lia heal through building her relationship with her grandmother.
The one thing I didn't love was, in Lia's chapters, it would be present time, but also jumping back to a few years prior when she was a college student. Just felt a little hard to keep track of (and definitely would have been confusing in an audiobook form).