The Picture Bride

By Lee Geum-yi

Book Overview

Winner of the Nautilus Award for Historical Fiction

"Lee Geum-yi has a gift for taking little-known embers of history and transforming them into moving, compelling, and uplifting stories. The Picture Bride is the ultimate story of the power of friendship--a must read " --Heather Morris, #1 New York Times bestselling author

"Your husband is a landowner," they told her.

"Food and clothing is so plentiful, it grows on trees."

"You will be able to go to school."

Of the three lies the matchmaker told Willow before she left home as a picture bride in 1918, the third hurt the most. Never one to be deterred, Willow does all that she can to make the best of her unexpected circumstance. But it isn't long before her dreams for this new life are shattered, first by a husband who never wanted to marry her in the first place, and then by the escalation of the Korean independence movements, unified in goal, but divergent in action, which threaten to split the Hawaiian Korean community and divide Willow's family and friends.

Braving the rough waters of these tumultuous years, Willow forges ahead, creating new dreams through her own blood, sweat, and tears; working tirelessly toward a better life for her family and loved ones.

"A beautiful testimony to those women bold and determined enough to leave behind all that was familiar, seeking a better life." --Lisa Wingate, #1 New York Times bestselling author

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1250808669
• ISBN13: 9781250808660
• Release Date: October 2022
• Publisher: Forge
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.9" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Interesting

The Picture Bride started out good and very interesting. I enjoyed reading about the picture brides, including Willow, Hongju, and Songhwa where what they had been told about life in Hawaii with husbands and the paradise it would be, ended up not being true and how each one of them reacted to the truth and carried on, or not. That would have been really hard and was interesting to read about. However, that whole plot seemed to peter out as Willow struggled through hard times and good in Hawaii, creating a family and learning to love her husband, Taewan. I lost interest in the story as it kinda bogged down with all the politics of the various Korean parties and patriots going off to fight or returning to Korea. The ending seemed a bit rushed and a little confusing too, especially with the change from Willow’s viewpoint to Pearl’s and the sudden jump in time to the bombing of Pearl Harbor. So, not a bad book, but it could use a little help to make it a little clearer.