dcsilbertrust's review against another edition
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
olivia76's review against another edition
4.0
Yes, this book was beautifully written. But it kind of drove me crazy. It's written in the collective--as the mail order Japanese brides come to America, meet their husbands, and settle into a hard life. Then it focuses on a second section as they are sent to internment camps. And then it ends abruptly. After 30 pages or so I was so tired of the use of "they" and the listing. It is beautiful--yes, but the book did feel like a list.
kbrown5455's review
3.0
Once again, I wish there was a 1/2 star option. I suspect that I liked this better as an audiobook than I would have in print. The strange prose sounds like gossip when it’s read aloud, and that’s perfect for this book of creeping change as the Japanese experience moves from new immigrants to exiles in the early 20th century. As we find ourselves in a time of insidious change, this is apropos.
ernestines's review
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
4.25
craftyyarnwitch's review
5.0
I loved this. Poetic, evocative, beautiful. I'll be looking for her other book/s. New favorite author.
literarytranquillity's review against another edition
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
fratboydave's review
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.75
beautiful
juliaschweitzer's review against another edition
3.0
(3.5) i’ve never read a book entirely in the plural first person before, without any specific characters, but i thought it really worked for this story.
minh_nn's review
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
i don’t have any strong feelings about this book to be honest. it was honestly quite dull in my opinion. maybe the writing style wasn’t for me, but it felt somewhat impersonal (i understand the idea that it’s meant to tell multiple stories that all collides into one collective experience but it just fell flat) and (obviously) repetitive. i liked the chapter on the children and their ambitions but except this one chapter, i skipped most of the pages because of how desperately repetitive it was. overall, it felt like the book could have done so much more telling this story, by focusing on a particular character.