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Mourning Calm
Hannah can’t ignore her mother’s “last” request. And a trip—even a sad one—might be a good break from her failing relationship and almost-bankrupt business. With exhausted reluctance, Hannah travels to return her aunt’s ashes to their family burial mountain in South Korea. On the first day of her trip, Hannah meets JiYuen, the mirror image of her prettier self.
JiYuen, the beautiful biracial Korean model, has risen above her upbringing in an orphanage and is now a mainstay on magazine covers and runways. Already feeling the competition from younger models, JiYuen is suspicious about Hannah’s reason for being in Seoul.
When the women are given an old yellowed photograph, Hannah and JiYuen discover a shared family history which has been hidden, untold, and kept secret.
JiYuen, the beautiful biracial Korean model, has risen above her upbringing in an orphanage and is now a mainstay on magazine covers and runways. Already feeling the competition from younger models, JiYuen is suspicious about Hannah’s reason for being in Seoul.
When the women are given an old yellowed photograph, Hannah and JiYuen discover a shared family history which has been hidden, untold, and kept secret.
348 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 1, 2016
2 people are currently reading
9 people want to read
About the author
Frances Frost
2 books7 followersEver since making weekly treks to the public library in walking distance from her childhood home, Frances has been amazed by the new worlds, new people, and new experiences you encounter in the pages of a book. She loves books that will make you laugh, make you cry, make you think, and make you dream.
She has been making up her own stories ever since convincing her younger brother that she could make butter from those little teeny cups of coffee creamer. She chronicles her thoughts on motherhood, books, and crafts on her blog, Just Piddlin'.
Frances is a graduate of the University of Delaware and Wake Forest University's Babcock Graduate School of Management. She would be quite content living on a sunny beach overlooking the ocean, but in the meantime, she lives in Silver Spring, Maryland with her husband, their children, and their rescued pup.
She has written "Life in Spades" and "Mourning Calm."
She has been making up her own stories ever since convincing her younger brother that she could make butter from those little teeny cups of coffee creamer. She chronicles her thoughts on motherhood, books, and crafts on her blog, Just Piddlin'.
Frances is a graduate of the University of Delaware and Wake Forest University's Babcock Graduate School of Management. She would be quite content living on a sunny beach overlooking the ocean, but in the meantime, she lives in Silver Spring, Maryland with her husband, their children, and their rescued pup.
She has written "Life in Spades" and "Mourning Calm."
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 24, 2016
Excellent Storytelling
Mourning Calm is a compelling story about family, love, loss, and discovering what really matters in life. Hannah and JiYuen leap to life from the pages and inspire the reader to keep turning. There is every element of a great story: heartbreak and loss, perseverance and love, comedy and mystery. Frances Frost manages to skillfully capture each character's individual personality while constructing back stories that allow the reader to fully understand why each turned out the way they did.
I personally enjoyed being transported by imagination to two very different Koreas- present day and past. I could have used a translator app for the Korean language peppered throughout, but it felt like a more genuine experience to allow the context of conversation to fill in the gaps. In this way, I felt I was able to relate more to the characters, who would be doing the same with their limited proficiency in each other's native tongues.
The story unfolds itself patiently, allowing past and present to coexist until they collide. I thoroughly enjoyed being a bystander in Hannah and JiYuen's journey. Mourning Calm instantly became one of my favorites.
Highly recommend.
Mourning Calm is a compelling story about family, love, loss, and discovering what really matters in life. Hannah and JiYuen leap to life from the pages and inspire the reader to keep turning. There is every element of a great story: heartbreak and loss, perseverance and love, comedy and mystery. Frances Frost manages to skillfully capture each character's individual personality while constructing back stories that allow the reader to fully understand why each turned out the way they did.
I personally enjoyed being transported by imagination to two very different Koreas- present day and past. I could have used a translator app for the Korean language peppered throughout, but it felt like a more genuine experience to allow the context of conversation to fill in the gaps. In this way, I felt I was able to relate more to the characters, who would be doing the same with their limited proficiency in each other's native tongues.
The story unfolds itself patiently, allowing past and present to coexist until they collide. I thoroughly enjoyed being a bystander in Hannah and JiYuen's journey. Mourning Calm instantly became one of my favorites.
Highly recommend.
May 30, 2016
An excellent weekend read! I'm glad I did not start it during the work week.
Mourning Calm is the story of two women in their early 40s, Hannah and JiYuen, and the matriarch of a biracial (S Korean-Black) family, Young. Hannah and JiYuen meet when Hannah travels to S Korea to take her aunt's ashes to a family burial area. Both women were strongly influenced by the culture they grew up in. They both have a strong sense of the importance of family bonds. The women connect with each other, although they each have doubts about the other's motives.
The book includes the revelation of a family secret. The author does an excellent job of providing background context for the secret, including the culture and setting in which the events occurred. The current situation for both women is clear, along with information about their childhoods. Because of the character development, it is easy to accept their responses to the secret. I like the way the author balanced action around the main plot line (the secret) and the other current events in the women's lives. This balance made the story more interesting and believable.
I wish there was more insight into Young's feelings in the later third of the book. The information about her history and the early decisions she made is very good. Her response in the later part of the book is believable, but I could not feel her emotions. If the story unfolded a little more slowly, the emotions may have been more obvious.
Overall- I enjoyed the book. It was interesting and kept my attention. I liked the details about S Korean culture and assimilation into a new culture. The dialogue between friends and family allow the reader to get to know the characters.
Mourning Calm is the story of two women in their early 40s, Hannah and JiYuen, and the matriarch of a biracial (S Korean-Black) family, Young. Hannah and JiYuen meet when Hannah travels to S Korea to take her aunt's ashes to a family burial area. Both women were strongly influenced by the culture they grew up in. They both have a strong sense of the importance of family bonds. The women connect with each other, although they each have doubts about the other's motives.
The book includes the revelation of a family secret. The author does an excellent job of providing background context for the secret, including the culture and setting in which the events occurred. The current situation for both women is clear, along with information about their childhoods. Because of the character development, it is easy to accept their responses to the secret. I like the way the author balanced action around the main plot line (the secret) and the other current events in the women's lives. This balance made the story more interesting and believable.
I wish there was more insight into Young's feelings in the later third of the book. The information about her history and the early decisions she made is very good. Her response in the later part of the book is believable, but I could not feel her emotions. If the story unfolded a little more slowly, the emotions may have been more obvious.
Overall- I enjoyed the book. It was interesting and kept my attention. I liked the details about S Korean culture and assimilation into a new culture. The dialogue between friends and family allow the reader to get to know the characters.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews