The Picture Bride
A Novel
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
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
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Lee's heartfelt if plodding English-language debut revolves around a trio of Korean mail-order brides in Hawaii. Willow,17, agrees to move from Korea to Hawaii in 1917 for marriage, believing she'll get to attend school. She arrives in Hawaii with fellow picture bride Hongju, a young widow and friend; and Songwha, the daughter of an outcast. Willow is relieved that her fiance So Taewan is still a young man, as opposed to her friends' older grooms, but is hurt by Taewan's coldness and the realization she will have to work hard on his plantation. Only after she confronts him about his previous love for another woman does their relationship begin to thaw, and they have a son. Willow offers solace and support to her friends amid their unhappy marriages, helping Songwha stand up to her abusive husband and keeping in touch with Hongju after she moves to a different island. When Taewan travels to China to fight the Japanese, Willow supports the family and navigates her uncertain place in the divided Korean community. After a strong first act exploring Willow's curdled romantic expectations, Lee slips into a muddled series of episodes without real climax, culminating with an unnecessary twist. It's an engaging picture of a time and a place, but little more than that.
