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mcrystal1000's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
This book wasn’t bad but it wasn’t anything super special. I also really didn’t like how they switched to the daughters perspective towards the end and kind of everything after that with her not being the real daughter and the son going off to war felt very not the same vibe as the first half of the book and the ending seemed to wrap some things up too neatly while not really addressing the son going to war.
michellekpn's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
vangalapriya's review
4.0
I loved the picture bride. The story starts off with Willow, a girl from a small village in Korea, raised by a single mother and the only daughter of her household. When Willow hears that she can become a picture bride, or a bride sent to America to marry a Korean man settled in Hawaii and attend school she agrees. She leaves with the only home she’s ever known with her childhood friend, who is also to be a picture bride. When she arrives, she learns that a lot of the men who sent for picture brides lied about their age, their means, and the life they’d have in Hawaii. Soon after her wedding Willow finds that her husband wasn’t willing to marry, and she was forced on him.
Through sheer will Willow makes a place in her husband’s heart and with hard work and strength she learns how to take care of herself and her family. I found Willow a deeply admirable character. She puts in hard work wherever she can, and she never expects anything from anyone. She deals with discrimination, alienation, and poverty but she never lets any of it keep her down. She’s resilient and when one thing fails, she’s good at finding something else to make it work
I feel this book also taught me a lot about the history of Hawaii and the Korean Independence movement. I had no idea about the two opposing factions and that taking sides led to breaks in family and friendship.
One of the things I really admired about this book is the concept of found family and creating a support system for yourself. Willow’s friends Hongju and Songhwa help her through her struggle of taking care of her family when her husband abandons her. They are the strength for each other when the men fail them. I think this book is moving, informative and clearly well researched. The author paints beautiful pictures of Hawaii and of the past. I recommend to everyone.
Through sheer will Willow makes a place in her husband’s heart and with hard work and strength she learns how to take care of herself and her family. I found Willow a deeply admirable character. She puts in hard work wherever she can, and she never expects anything from anyone. She deals with discrimination, alienation, and poverty but she never lets any of it keep her down. She’s resilient and when one thing fails, she’s good at finding something else to make it work
I feel this book also taught me a lot about the history of Hawaii and the Korean Independence movement. I had no idea about the two opposing factions and that taking sides led to breaks in family and friendship.
One of the things I really admired about this book is the concept of found family and creating a support system for yourself. Willow’s friends Hongju and Songhwa help her through her struggle of taking care of her family when her husband abandons her. They are the strength for each other when the men fail them. I think this book is moving, informative and clearly well researched. The author paints beautiful pictures of Hawaii and of the past. I recommend to everyone.
aryajames's review
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
loriluo's review
3.0
At the young age of 18, Willow is informed that she's to be married to a man she's never seen. All she has is a photograph of Taewan, and the promise that as a man 9 years her senior, he will be able to take care of her despite the fact she she must leave her home in Korea for Hawaii. What draws her in, however, is that she'll be able to attend school there, despite being a girl in 1918. She makes the arduous journey with several other "picture brides" where they eventually all meet their husbands, many of whom are not who they said they were. Willow initially considers herself lucky as her husband matches the photograph of him she received, but she's unprepared for the difficulties of life as Taewan's wife, and her life is completely upended.
There are some very heavy topics that "The Picture Bride" covers, including the mistreatment of Korean women during this time as many were placed into arranged marriages, domestic abuse, and the ongoing racial tensions between these countries during the time. There's a lot of adversity that Willow, later known as Pearl, overcomes and the determination of these women to make their marriages and new families work, despite the circumstances.
However, this was not an overall positive read for me. I'm not sure if this is more attributable to the original novel or the translation, but much of the sentence structure and prose is limited, with little variety in length, tone, and complexity. The transitions between passages and scenes is jarring at times, and don't flow well. I found Willow a difficult character to like as well - for most of the book, her focus is simply on the appearance and wealth of her future husband, and there's little depth to her character or personality.
While I appreciated the premise of this novel, it wasn't an enjoyable read for me.
Thank you Forge Books for the advance copy of this novel!
There are some very heavy topics that "The Picture Bride" covers, including the mistreatment of Korean women during this time as many were placed into arranged marriages, domestic abuse, and the ongoing racial tensions between these countries during the time. There's a lot of adversity that Willow, later known as Pearl, overcomes and the determination of these women to make their marriages and new families work, despite the circumstances.
However, this was not an overall positive read for me. I'm not sure if this is more attributable to the original novel or the translation, but much of the sentence structure and prose is limited, with little variety in length, tone, and complexity. The transitions between passages and scenes is jarring at times, and don't flow well. I found Willow a difficult character to like as well - for most of the book, her focus is simply on the appearance and wealth of her future husband, and there's little depth to her character or personality.
While I appreciated the premise of this novel, it wasn't an enjoyable read for me.
Thank you Forge Books for the advance copy of this novel!
pratt282's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
rachel45's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
booksarebetter's review against another edition
3.0
I wanted to like this more but it was slow and I just couldn't keep my interest on it. It was good writing and around an important subject matter in history, however I just had a hard time connecting with any of the characters. I may try to reread this one again in the future. For now I'm giving this a solid 3 ⭐.
bookishbek's review against another edition
3.5
For those looking to learn more about Korean and Hawaiian history, Lee Geum-yi's book offers an insight into the lives of picture brides.
Willow leaves her home in Korea for the promise of a better life in Hawaii as a picture bride, but one she arrives, she learns that she won't be able to continue her education, nor is her husband a wealthy landowner like she was told. Faced with a different future than she expected, Willow works to provide a better life for her family.
I wasn't familiar with the concept of picture brides - women who left their native country of Korea to marry Korean immigrants in Hawaii, nor was I aware of how deeply invested in the fate of their homeland Korean immigrants were.
I liked Willow and definitely rooted for her throughout the book. She was a strong woman, working hard for her family. I really liked the friendship among all of the picture brides in the story. They might have left their families behind in Korea, but they formed their own family together.
If you want to learn more about a piece of history that isn't widely known, I recommend this read.
Willow leaves her home in Korea for the promise of a better life in Hawaii as a picture bride, but one she arrives, she learns that she won't be able to continue her education, nor is her husband a wealthy landowner like she was told. Faced with a different future than she expected, Willow works to provide a better life for her family.
I wasn't familiar with the concept of picture brides - women who left their native country of Korea to marry Korean immigrants in Hawaii, nor was I aware of how deeply invested in the fate of their homeland Korean immigrants were.
I liked Willow and definitely rooted for her throughout the book. She was a strong woman, working hard for her family. I really liked the friendship among all of the picture brides in the story. They might have left their families behind in Korea, but they formed their own family together.
If you want to learn more about a piece of history that isn't widely known, I recommend this read.