What do you think?
Rate this book
Picture Bride
invalid edition the book should not be listed invalid edition the book should not be listed invalid edition the book should not be listedinvalid edition the book should not be listed ,
Kindle Edition
Published July 8, 2016
31 people are currently reading
35 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
April 8, 2017
XENOPHOBIA WITH A CAPITAL ‘Z’.
“The court has ruled— once a Jap, always a Jap.” (Kindle Location 5352)
“With great pride of race, they have no idea of assimilation. They never cease to be Japanese. They do not come to this country with any desire or any intent to lose their racial or national identity. They come here specifically and professedly for the purpose of colonizing and establishing here permanently the proud Yamato race.” (Kindle Locations 5747-5749).
HAWAII, 1910s-1940s.
First-generation Japanese immigrants, an alien race from alien shores, were afraid of provoking the white men, who hold all the power in these islands. The white men, themselves only one or two generations removed from being the threatening alien race in this paradise, are beginning to fear the rising power of the imperial Japanese Empire as it annexes the Korean peninsular, parts of Russia and large swaths of China; and looks to be looking eastward toward Hawaii. As for the natives—at least those who the white folk’s guns, germs and steel hadn’t eradicated—from whom the land had been stolen, and the political power wrested only a few decades earlier: “Look at the Hawaiians. The missionaries took away their gods, their language, and most of their land. In Honolulu, lots of Hawaiians speak only English. Are they accepted? They are paraded at festivals like clowns and treated like second-class citizens in their own land.” (Kindle Locations 2894-2896)
Picture Bride: A Novel, by Mike Malaghan offers an excellent and different depiction of Hawaiian history during the troubled first half of the twentieth century—through the eyes of a first-generation Japanese community leader. As familiar as I think myself with this time and place, I learned some. Most surprisingly, about F.B.I. director, J. Edgar Hoover’s resistance/opposition to F.D.R.’s position on imprisoning all persons of Japanese ancestry, both on the west coast and in Hawaii, if/when war broke out. Who’d’a thunk it?
Recommendation: I had a bit of trouble syncing with the authors cadence—thought at times that I was reading prose written by a ten year old, for ten year olds—during the first 20% of this novel. Once Haru arrived in Hawaii, something clicked and the story was hard to put down after that.
“No matter what she did, in Hawaii, she was not equal to the haoles.” (Kindle Location 2717)
“But the worst outcome is for us— the pioneers who took this island from the savages and built it into an American paradise. We will lose the right to govern. We’d be back in grass shacks before you know it. God made the white race to rule and the colored to be ruled.” —[attributed to Admiral Stirling, USN, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1931] (Kindle Locations 5990-5992).
Book Publishers Network. Kindle Edition, 523 pages, 8,420 Kindle Locations
“The court has ruled— once a Jap, always a Jap.” (Kindle Location 5352)
“With great pride of race, they have no idea of assimilation. They never cease to be Japanese. They do not come to this country with any desire or any intent to lose their racial or national identity. They come here specifically and professedly for the purpose of colonizing and establishing here permanently the proud Yamato race.” (Kindle Locations 5747-5749).
HAWAII, 1910s-1940s.
First-generation Japanese immigrants, an alien race from alien shores, were afraid of provoking the white men, who hold all the power in these islands. The white men, themselves only one or two generations removed from being the threatening alien race in this paradise, are beginning to fear the rising power of the imperial Japanese Empire as it annexes the Korean peninsular, parts of Russia and large swaths of China; and looks to be looking eastward toward Hawaii. As for the natives—at least those who the white folk’s guns, germs and steel hadn’t eradicated—from whom the land had been stolen, and the political power wrested only a few decades earlier: “Look at the Hawaiians. The missionaries took away their gods, their language, and most of their land. In Honolulu, lots of Hawaiians speak only English. Are they accepted? They are paraded at festivals like clowns and treated like second-class citizens in their own land.” (Kindle Locations 2894-2896)
Picture Bride: A Novel, by Mike Malaghan offers an excellent and different depiction of Hawaiian history during the troubled first half of the twentieth century—through the eyes of a first-generation Japanese community leader. As familiar as I think myself with this time and place, I learned some. Most surprisingly, about F.B.I. director, J. Edgar Hoover’s resistance/opposition to F.D.R.’s position on imprisoning all persons of Japanese ancestry, both on the west coast and in Hawaii, if/when war broke out. Who’d’a thunk it?
Recommendation: I had a bit of trouble syncing with the authors cadence—thought at times that I was reading prose written by a ten year old, for ten year olds—during the first 20% of this novel. Once Haru arrived in Hawaii, something clicked and the story was hard to put down after that.
“No matter what she did, in Hawaii, she was not equal to the haoles.” (Kindle Location 2717)
“But the worst outcome is for us— the pioneers who took this island from the savages and built it into an American paradise. We will lose the right to govern. We’d be back in grass shacks before you know it. God made the white race to rule and the colored to be ruled.” —[attributed to Admiral Stirling, USN, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1931] (Kindle Locations 5990-5992).
Book Publishers Network. Kindle Edition, 523 pages, 8,420 Kindle Locations
December 3, 2019
I enjoyed reading Picture Bride SO MUCH!!! I could not put this book down and squeezed in reading it with any time that I had. The story of Haru leaving her village, then fleeing Japan to Hawaii was a story of heartbreak and hope for better. Being from Hawaii, I loved reading about this time in history and how so many people, my ancestors included, were there and living through the discrimination and stress of the coming war. I CANNOT wait to read the sequel A Question of Loyalty!
December 31, 2016
This book has much to offer in understanding Hawaiian history and the many ethnic groups that make up the population here. The author's notes were very interesting. I did not realize the role many historic figures had in Japanese/American relations. At times the author lost track of the main character. It is a worth while read especially if you are interested in Hawaii and what makes it tic. The book needs editing.
November 27, 2016
MUST READ TO HELP UNDERSTAND HAWAII AND ITS PEOPLE.
Loved this book ... Even after 50 years on Oahu, Haole from Vancouver, BC, canada, married to Hawaiian native and 5 hapa children, I still learned so much. Looking forward to Mr malaghans next book.
Loved this book ... Even after 50 years on Oahu, Haole from Vancouver, BC, canada, married to Hawaiian native and 5 hapa children, I still learned so much. Looking forward to Mr malaghans next book.
August 28, 2017
The story of Haru, a Japanese picture bride, and her life with her husband and children on Oahu and Hawaii island. Takes place during the early 1900s when Hawaii's elite white population was distrustful of the growing Japanese population.
There were some characters and small stories that were introduced and then were kind of just left, leaving me wondering why they were there in the first place. There is a sequel to this novel, so I don't know if some of these minor stories are picked up in that book.
There were some characters and small stories that were introduced and then were kind of just left, leaving me wondering why they were there in the first place. There is a sequel to this novel, so I don't know if some of these minor stories are picked up in that book.
November 3, 2020
I've never been so happy to finish a book.
It took me 11 months! I read lots of books from the time I started this book to when I finished because I couldn't read just this one.
The writing was not good, but it was a good history lesson.
I wanted to give up several times when I just could not take the writing, but I kept going because I'm stubborn and I hate to leave books unfinished.
I'm glad I pushed through, but I won't be reading anything more by this author.
He is very out of touch with females and the needs / wants of females based on the relationship of his characters.
It took me 11 months! I read lots of books from the time I started this book to when I finished because I couldn't read just this one.
The writing was not good, but it was a good history lesson.
I wanted to give up several times when I just could not take the writing, but I kept going because I'm stubborn and I hate to leave books unfinished.
I'm glad I pushed through, but I won't be reading anything more by this author.
He is very out of touch with females and the needs / wants of females based on the relationship of his characters.
July 25, 2017
This book tracks historical events quite well as it follows the life of a women from Japan who marries a Buddhist priest in Hawaii. I will be passing this book on to a friend who is a daughter of an actual picture bride. Will be interesting to learn her impressions.
October 28, 2018
Really enjoyed this story. Learned a lot about Hawaii and it's immigrant population. The notes at the end explaining who was real really brought a lot to understanding of the story and appreciation for the author's research.
May 11, 2017
Looking forward to reading the other books set in this trilogy.
June 23, 2024
Historical fiction but enough history to help me appreciate my home and our local style Hawaii culture so much more!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews