Author: Jamie Ford
One-sentence summary: A Chinese-American man living in Seattle alternates between present time and the 1040s living and retelling his story about love, loyalty, and loss that is truly bitter and sweet.
B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 8 (unanimous rating)
Our favorite thing about it: We loved the story because it was so engaging, and we also loved learning about the historical context of the novel.
Our least favorite thing about it: If we had to pick something, we might say that Henry’s father may have been written slightly one-dimensionally as he was a bit extreme.
Main Topics of Discussion: Asian culture (Japanese and Chinese), war, fear, loyalty, honor, family, father/son relationships
Our favorite quote: “Like so many things Henry had wanted in life – like his father, his marriage, his life – it had arrived a little damaged. Imperfect. But he didn’t care, this was all he’d wanted. Something to hope for, and he’d found it. It didn’t matter what condition it was in.” (p.142)
Notes: We universally liked this book. We thought the story flowed really well and the author’s decision to narrate alternately from the 1940s and then the present time was perfect for this story, and happened seamlessly. The setting of both time periods was Seattle, Washington in and around the Chinese and Japanese towns. The insight into the cultures of both of those Asian cultures, with the added prism of American culture, was fascinating and enlightening. One of our favorite things was learning about those cultures and how they were treated and viewed following Pearl Harbor and during the rest of WWII. Quite often, we focus on the German/European side of WWII and the Asian side gets lost. And in this book, the focus was on the Asian side of the war IN America.
However, the war was not really the primary theme of the book. It served as the backdrop for Henry and Keiko’s story, which is really a timeless one. The title of the book spells out the main theme of the book perfectly…bitter and sweet. That is a theme that is really relatable to most readers because most of us have experienced things in our life that are simultaneously bitter and sweet. This made the story and theme resonate with us.
One point of discussion was the father/son relationship, which we see in Henry and his father as well as Henry and his son. The differences and similarities between both of those relationships was interesting, especially through the lens of their Asian backgrounds and thoughts on obedience, honor, and loyalty. National pride played a large part in Henry’s relationship with his father and may have prevented Henry’s father from relating with his son.
We enjoyed following along with Henry’s love for Keiko and the cultural as well as physical distances that separated them. The end of the book, although only an implied resolution, was satisfying enough for all of us.
Memorable Meeting Moments: We went to A Taste of Home restaurant in Wylie, which is housed in a historic Victorian home.
What We Ate: Comfort food! (Like Shepherd’s Pie and Meatloaf), Raspberry Iced Tea, Sweet Potato Fries (with a special dipping sauce), and Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Cake.
One-sentence summary: A Chinese-American man living in Seattle alternates between present time and the 1040s living and retelling his story about love, loyalty, and loss that is truly bitter and sweet.
B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 8 (unanimous rating)
Our favorite thing about it: We loved the story because it was so engaging, and we also loved learning about the historical context of the novel.
Our least favorite thing about it: If we had to pick something, we might say that Henry’s father may have been written slightly one-dimensionally as he was a bit extreme.
Main Topics of Discussion: Asian culture (Japanese and Chinese), war, fear, loyalty, honor, family, father/son relationships
Our favorite quote: “Like so many things Henry had wanted in life – like his father, his marriage, his life – it had arrived a little damaged. Imperfect. But he didn’t care, this was all he’d wanted. Something to hope for, and he’d found it. It didn’t matter what condition it was in.” (p.142)
Notes: We universally liked this book. We thought the story flowed really well and the author’s decision to narrate alternately from the 1940s and then the present time was perfect for this story, and happened seamlessly. The setting of both time periods was Seattle, Washington in and around the Chinese and Japanese towns. The insight into the cultures of both of those Asian cultures, with the added prism of American culture, was fascinating and enlightening. One of our favorite things was learning about those cultures and how they were treated and viewed following Pearl Harbor and during the rest of WWII. Quite often, we focus on the German/European side of WWII and the Asian side gets lost. And in this book, the focus was on the Asian side of the war IN America.
However, the war was not really the primary theme of the book. It served as the backdrop for Henry and Keiko’s story, which is really a timeless one. The title of the book spells out the main theme of the book perfectly…bitter and sweet. That is a theme that is really relatable to most readers because most of us have experienced things in our life that are simultaneously bitter and sweet. This made the story and theme resonate with us.
One point of discussion was the father/son relationship, which we see in Henry and his father as well as Henry and his son. The differences and similarities between both of those relationships was interesting, especially through the lens of their Asian backgrounds and thoughts on obedience, honor, and loyalty. National pride played a large part in Henry’s relationship with his father and may have prevented Henry’s father from relating with his son.
We enjoyed following along with Henry’s love for Keiko and the cultural as well as physical distances that separated them. The end of the book, although only an implied resolution, was satisfying enough for all of us.
Memorable Meeting Moments: We went to A Taste of Home restaurant in Wylie, which is housed in a historic Victorian home.
What We Ate: Comfort food! (Like Shepherd’s Pie and Meatloaf), Raspberry Iced Tea, Sweet Potato Fries (with a special dipping sauce), and Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Cake.
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