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The Picture Bride

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Member Reviews

What a beautiful translation of The Picture Bride by An Seonjae and what a well researched, beautifully written story by Lee Geum-yi.

Family does not have to be blood. Family can be defined as the people in your life who you are closest with and whom you will stand by and support during the good times and the bad times. Willow, Hongju and Songwha are three young girls, who captured my heart, living a difficult life in a rural village in Korea with their families. They are being sent as picture brides to Hawaii to marry Korean men they have only seen pictures of. The Korean men had traveled to Hawaii in 1903 as immigrants to work on sugarcane farms. These same men are promising the girls a better life if they come to Hawaii to be their wives. How brave these girls are to leave their families, traveling so far, in hopes of being able to send money home. From 1910-1924 there were actually over a thousand girls who took the risk and left the only home they had known to better their lives, hoping to become educated, escape poverty, and escape Japanese rule.

There is a tremendous amount of history in this book pertaining to Korea, Japan and Hawaii. While being swept away by this exquisite story I was also able to learn so much about the history of Korea and Hawaii, spanning from 1903 through WWll.

I highly recommend this book. Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. It will be out October 11th.

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Pub date 10/11/22
Genre: historical fiction
Thank you @forgereads and @macmillan.audio for my e-ARC and ALC!

Willow has no future in Japanese-occupied Korea, so she agrees to become a "picture bride" to a Korean man in Hawaii in hopes of a better life. I loved getting to know Willow as she dealt with the adversity in her life, and Joy Osmanski did a wonderful job bringing her to life on audio. Her relationships with fellow picture brides and her father-in-law were a highlight. The Hawaiian setting and coming of age elements reminded me a bit of Molokai, another favorite.

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"When it comes to their children, every parent’s heart is the same."

This is primarily the story of how three picture brides from a tiny village in Korea get to Hawaii during the harsh Japanese occupation of their country. The entire concept of picture marriages and their consequences are so well-detailed that you are transported to this promised paradise which in reality was far from it. Getting their hopes quashed was one thing, and having to endure hardships in the hopes of bequeathing a free country to their children was a whole different thing for Willow, Hongju, and Songhwa.

The efforts of the Korean community in Hawaii towards the independence movement features heavily and all the opposing sides to the story gives out well-rounded information. Towards the end we also see Japan attacking the American naval base at Pearl Harbour and it’s consequences. Koreans that had fled to Japan had next to no standing in society and on the other side of the world, Koreans on American soil were considered Japanese which made life a bit more difficult especially after Pearl Harbour. This conflict is highlighted well by Willow’s son who wants to join the army to prove that he is an American patriot.

"Adults took sides and divided according to nationality, race, or religion, but there were no such boundaries between children."

If you are aware of the Korean way of writing and the way it comes out after translation, then you’ll find nothing to complain in this one. If you aren’t familiar though, it could take a little time to get used to the manner of storytelling and to come to terms with the culture. Reading the author’s note and also that of the translator in advance could help in this regard.

Coming out tomorrow, The Picture Bride is a heavy lesson in history disguised as a lovely story. Thank you @netgalley for my advance copy.

👩🏻

#leegeumyi #thepicturebride

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The Picture Bride is a historical novel that transcends its unique historical moment to touch on experiences and themes the reader will find familiar: the significance of family, the trials of marriage and love, loss and grief of loved ones lost to death or distance. The novel revolves around the migration of picture brides from East Asia to Hawai'i and the Western United States, a practice that was rampant in the early few decades of the twentieth century. Japanese and Korean men left their homelands to find work on Hawai'ian plantations, and as they accrued a little bit of wealth they found themselves in a primarily homosocial world, absent of East Asian women. To find love and fulfill their duty to wed, they would engage the services of a matchmaker and seek out a bride from their home country. The technology of the day limited the contact between potential bride and groom to correspondence and a photograph, hence the name given to this marital transaction: both the bride and groom would have nothing to more than a photograph to base their physical attraction on.

Many men who sought wives in this way were long past the typical marriage age of men in their home countries. Aware of their advanced age and how this might deter a young woman from wanting to marry them, they often used a fake photograph of someone else or a photograph from their youth. Picture brides discovered the deception on their arrival, too late to turn back -- if they had the money to do so -- without suffering humiliation or possible repudiation by their families.

Of course, such arrangements also resulted in personality mismatches and other deceptions of character, on both sides. In the end, all the migrants have no choice but to set those differences and loyalties aside; the people on the plantation and scattered across the islands become the only family they can have.

This is a story of the pain and joy of being an immigrant, of what lengths we have to go through to find our place in the world. The novel focuses on loss of family and the gaining of new ones. How these young women adapted, thrived, or wilted in their new homes so far away from their homelands is what unfolds in the novel. I won't spoil it for you so I will stop my review here.

The Picture Bride is a novel about what it takes to live one's life as best they can, with what they have and what they have lost.

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I realize that this book was a translation, so be prepared for the stilted language that did not flow, sentences that are choppy and it took some resolve to work through.
Although aspects of the Korean independence were an important part of the background, I was not able to assimilate that story and found it quite confusing. It was interesting to know that many Asian people chose to settle in Hawaii and how difficult it was to establish yourself to gain any kind of affluence.
The female characters were interesting enough but if I had borrowed this book from the public library, it would have gone back early.
Thank you #NetGalley for this early copy in exchange for my honest review.

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I did not love this. I had a really hard time getting into it, and just couldn't really get past it. Gave it three stars because I thought the content was ok and someone else with a different desire for a read may still enjoy it.

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For fans of “Pachinko” or “The Mermaid from Jeju,” “The Picture Bride” by Lee Geum-yi is a welcome addition to your TBR pile. It’s a sweeping saga that follows Willow, an 18 year old girl, who leaves her village in 1918, moves to Hawaii and marries a man she has only met through a picture. She is joined by other girls who are on the same journey, eager to start a new life with their husband-to-be. The matchmaker that brokers the arrangement, fabricates a number of things to the would-be picture brides, including how money, clothes and shoes are everywhere for the taking. She also tells Willow that she will be able to learn English and go to school. Enticed by the “paradise” picture the matchmaker paints, Willow goes to Hawaii. However, upon arrival, the picture brides realize they were duped! Many of the men these women were arranged with were much younger looking in the pictures; thus, leaving them to marry men who were three times their age!

From here, the story weaves together a portrait of strength & sisterly bonds between the women. It’s a fascinating piece of historical fiction that not only highlights Korean culture, but also the fact that family sometimes is not only joined by blood, but friendship as well.

Thanks to Lee Geum-yi, #Netgalley and publisher Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Forge Books for the arc in exchange for an honest review. The book is out on October 11th!

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I enjoyed the premise of the book more than the execution. I think I would have enjoyed the story more if it was written from the point of view of the main character instead of turning it into a multigenerational story.

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This story had me in a chokehold for the entire time. I’ve come to know these cities. I’ve been to the sugar mills and pineapple plantation . The street where the laundry and Methodist church in Wahiawā are 2 blocks from my library. The church is actually there and had their 100th anniversary service 3 years ago- I found it on YouTube! But oh my goodness the history that is in the dust on these roads. I can’t even begin to imagine the hope these women had coming to paradise. And the pain that immigrants had to suffer just to provide for their families. I’ve been learning over the course of my time living here that this place is so much more than an island paradise.

The prose feels a little choppy and simple at times but the story is so captivating. And it honestly feels fitting considering the language barriers the characters in the story face. I appreciated the translators note at the end which gave a little more depth to the meaning of words chosen (and not chosen). I truly hope this author is able to have more of her works translated, I look forward to reading more!

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The book begins in 1917 during the Japanese occupation of Korea. Willow is a Korean teenager and is presented with a chance to find a better life in Hawaii as a picture bride. After she and several other Korean girls make the long journey to Hawaii, they discover their husbands were not always truthful, having sent photographs from their younger years or having implied that they were wealthier than they truly were. Willow navigates her new life, frequently drawing strength from the bonds she shares with her fellow picture brides. In addition to adjusting to married life, Willow encounters obstacles related to diverging loyalties in the Korean struggle for independence.

Covering the span of many years, the story is an interesting look into a part of history I was only mildly acquainted with. I felt an attachment to Willow and admired her strength, and I enjoyed seeing how she grew as a woman. As a high school teacher, I enjoy reading historical fiction from different cultures and plan to recommend this book to students as well. It is important for students to see themselves in literature as well as to learn about history that they might not otherwise encounter. While I enjoyed the book overall, I kept waiting for a turning point that never really came; the last part of the book seemed to make an attempt at such a turning point, but I found it somewhat dissatisfying. The book is a translation, which may also impact the writing style; in places, I couldn’t stop at the end of a chapter, but in other places, the writing seems somewhat superficial. Still, I enjoyed the book and the impression these women, especially Willow, have made on me.

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The book is based on experiences, friendships, hard work and a new life. Willow is faced with things from the moment she knows when she became a picture bride. She even has friends who experience this as well.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a review.

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This is a thoughtful tale of a Korean “picture bride” named Willow who ventures to Hawaii to meet and marry a man she has only ever seen a picture of and vice versa. This was the 1920s version of mail order brides, with neither party really knowing what to expect. It struck me how brave these women were to leave their country and families behind and set off for the unknown. Some faired better than others. Willow narrates her story until the end, which is narrated by her daughter. The descriptions in the book are evocative and really invite readers in and the story itself is unique and interesting. The ending has a few surprises and wraps the story up nicely.

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The setting: three young picture brides leave Korea in 1918 for Hawaii and thoughts of a better life. Willow [the main character] especially hopes for a chance to be educated. Hongju is a widow after only two months of marriage. Songhwa, as the granddaughter of a shaman--and an unknown father, is much scorned in Korea.
They cross the ocean, become seasick, look after one another and form lasting bonds before meeting their husbands [none of whom were as depicted in their photographs--or in their stories].

The book has three parts: their journey, their lives in Hawaii, and then--briefly--18 years later, the story of Pearl--Willow's daughter.

I am in the distinct minority of readers as I did not care for this book at all. I could have put it down and walked away at any time. I'm sure the translation was faithful to the Korean but for me the book was simplistic, pedestrian, and BORING. On the positive side, I did learn tidbits of Hawaiian history, about the competing Korean independence movement [Syngman Rhee and Yongman Park], the history of Koreans and other immigrants [primarily Japanese] in Hawaii, and certain Korean habits and customs [e.g. they eat in silence because if people talk when they're eating, blessings run away]. And, it was easy to read, but...

It is a story about hardships and friendships.

I like historical fiction and I like reading about other cutures but this book did nothing for me. And, I found the ending particularly tiresome.

The author's note was more interesting than parts of the book!

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A must read for anyone who loves historical fiction and wants a read about an era and community little written about.

This story about a young Korean woman who travels to Hawai'i to marry a man she's never met is heartbreaking at times, but it's a powerful story about courage and women's friendships.

Read The Taste of Sugar by Marisel Vera for a perspective on Puerto Ricans who also worked on the plantations in Hawai'i (there is a scene in which Korean and Puerto Rican workers share a meal).

Many thanks to Macmillan-Tor/Forge and NetGalley for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.

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This is the story of three young Korean women who came to Hawaii as brides to better their life. It continues with the saga of their lives as they try to remain friends under the political tension of the Korean/Japanese conflict and survive financially in Hawaii.

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I really enjoyed this book. It was chock full of history and experiences that I have known nothing about. The writing is beautifully honest. Lee Geum-yi has an excellent way of describing the complexities of love accompanying frustration and even hate. My only nitpick is that part 3 seemed a tad rushed, squeezing 18 years of history - both world and family - into a few compact chapters.

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A well told story of the experiences of Korean-American "picture brides," who have few if any stories told about them compared to Chinese picture brides. The hopes, deceptions, and dreams of the women and to some extent of their husbands is portrayed as well as the political and social situation among Asian Americans and Korean Americans in particular. Characters are well rounded and stories provide historical detail in a natural manner.

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Willow, a poor Korean girl, was promised education, food, clothing and prosperity, if only she would become a picture bride, and marry a Korean man unseen in Hawaii. Along with two other girls from her community, she is shown a photograph, is given some money and is sent across the ocean. Upon landing in Hawaii, many of the picture brides find that their husbands lied about their age and financial status. Separated, the girls become distraught as they struggle to adapt to the poverty in Hawaii.

This was a well written and engaging book. Willow was a very dynamic and multi-dimensional character. The author handled the passage of time very well and kept the story moving and interesting. At the end, the book switched to Willow's daughters point of view, which was a bit jolting. I felt Pearl's chapters could have been handled in an epilogue. Overall, highly recommended.

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I very much enjoyed this book. I had very little knowledge or context about picture brides though I do recall reading about them in passing in memoirs of Japanese Americans of the same era. But getting a perspective from the Korean narrator and really having a chance to learn something about Korean history was pretty invaluable because I honestly didn't even remember that Korea was taken over by Japan, since Japanese Empire did that or tried to do that to a lot do nearby nations, Because the book takes place during the early days of Soviet power as well, it was interesting for me to read a bit about that crossover in other nations beyond China,

At the core, it's a female story, a story of life, love and survival in new lands, with prejudice, and loneliness but ultimate saving through threads of feminine love. Very much recommend.

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For fans of historical fiction, this is a fascinating entry into this category, showcasing a period in Korean history that I had little knowledge. Things were tough in Korea in 1918, with poverty and Japanese oppression dominating the country. A chance for a better life was sought by many young women, becoming "picture brides" in Hawaii to men who had traveled there to work on sugarcane plantations. These men had succumbed to a life of gambling and alcoholic abuse, decreasing productivity so the picture brides seemed like a lifesaver. Young Willow traveled at the age of 18 from Korea to be a bride of a man 9 years older. During the trip, she meets and develops sisterly friendships with other picture brides, particularly 2 others who figure prominently in the story. Upon arrival, these women, minus Willow, have found themselves to be duped as their betrothed were in fact 30-40 years older than their stated age. With no other alternative, they stayed married and suffered within their relationships. Willow, unfortunately, had to develop a thick spine as her husband did not know she was arranged to be his bride, was in mourning for a past love who had died, and was fiercely involved in the Korean independence movement. After having their first child, they bonded more but her husband chose to go to China to assist in Korea's independence movement leaving Willow to fend for herself. Plucky, determined and worked to the bone, she took a number of jobs involving laundry and sewing eventually setting up her own shop. Much of the book is devoted to the tight friendships of the woman, the historical record of what was happening in Korea's fight from domination, and the acrimony between which candidate the emigrated Koreans supported in the battle for a free Korea.The story was interesting but 3/4 of the book the novel changed abruptly from a story about Willow to her daughter.The sudden switch and an unforeseen twist in the story consumed the last sections. Personally, it felt like a seismic shift which I thought diminished the previous flow. Learning a lot about picture brides in this period was fascinating however, and many fans of historical fiction should delight in this book.

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