Growing up in Korea in the early 1900s, Regret longs to escape her future as an uneducated subservient wife and daughter-in-law. She finds a way out of this life by becoming a "picture bride" to a man in far-away Hawai'i. But when she and the other brides arrive in their new home, they quickly learn that their new husbands are not the prosperous, young men they expected.
Honolulu
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. It's very long and encompasses several decades, but Jin's life and the historical details about the culture in Honolulu kept me interested throughout. I had read Brennert's Moloka'i for book club back in 2009, and soon after got a copy of Honolulu, but it has taken me five years to pull it off my shelf! I'm glad I did.
If you like historical fiction, I highly recommend Honolulu. It is a wonderful combination of 20th century history and a compelling story of one woman's life. It would make an excellent book club choice as well.
My rating: 5/5
Reading group guide and discussion questions for Honolulu
Read my review of Moloka'i by Alan Brennert
This review was written based on a copy of Honolulu that I received from Paperback Swap.
You know I loved Moloka'i! Now I want to read this one, too. I didn't realize it was about picture brides. Did you read The Buddha in the Attic? That was the first I ever heard of the practice, and I would love to read another perspective. Thanks for the great review and for leaving your link on the challenge page!
ReplyDeleteSue
2014 Big Book Summer Challenge
I did read Buddha in the Attic. This was very different, but it was interesting to hear a different view of the picture brides. Some similar themes ran through both.
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