Silent Honor

by Danielle Steel

The doyenne of bestseller lists weaves another romantic story in her 38th novel, a tale of separated families and shattered lives set against one of the most morally reprehensible events in U.S. history: the internment of Japanese-Americans during WW II. In 1941, 18-year-old Hiroko Takashimaya, the beautiful, painfully shy daughter of a modern-thinking professor and a tradition-bound mother, is sent from her home in Kyoto to live in California with her American cousins and attend a prestigious women's college. Terribly homesick yet determined to make her parents proud, dutiful Hiroko begins to adjust to her new life and even does the unthinkable when she falls in love with Peter Jenkins, a handsome American professor. The joys of Peter's love painfully contrast with the humiliation Hiroko suffers at the hands of her racially prejudiced school mates, but worse is to come when war breaks out and Hiroko and her cousins are sent to segregated camps. Separated from Peter, now a soldier fighting in Europe, Hiroko sheds her sheltered, girlhood innocence and evolves into a strong, independent woman. Steel's slapdash prose and stereotypical characterization produce a formulaic tale, albeit more earnest and didactic than her usual fare, but she does succeed in telling a poignant story.

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Historical, Chick Lit, Historical Romance, Adult

432 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published October 1, 1996

About the author

Danielle Steel has been hailed as one of the world's bestselling authors, with almost a billion copies of her novels sold. Her many international bestsellers include All That Glitters, Royal, Daddy's Girls, The Wedding Dress, The Numbers Game, Moral Compass, Spy, and other highly acclaimed novels. She is also the author of His Bright Light, the story of her son Nick Traina's life and death; A Gift of Hope, a memoir of her work with the homeless; Expect a Miracle, a book of her favorite quotations for inspiration and comfort; Pure Joy, about the dogs she and her family have loved; and the children's books Pretty Minnie in Paris and Pretty Minnie in Hollywood.

Facebook.com/DanielleSteelOfficial
Instagram: @officialdaniellesteel

Reviews

[Kerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartbreaking truth about what really happened with a fictional love story intertwined. I love her books with real historical events in them.

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing historical-fiction that I couldn't put down.

Set during WWII from the perspective of a Japanese girl who had come to the US to study when the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor and the hardships and discrimination her family and other Japanese-Americans went through at the time.

The culture, historical events, and love story that unfold filled me with such emotion reading through this often sad but also BEAUTIFUL story.

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing like a good, vintage Danielle Steel.

Her contemporary writing is almost nothing like her old novels; so if you're going to start with Danielle Steel, start with her older titles.

I remember this being one of my favorites when I was on my Danielle Steel kick (my favorite being Wanderlust). I wanted to see if this held up as it did in my 15 year old mind.

Spoiler, it didn't. However, it reminded me why Danielle Steel is so popular and why her books sell. They're just great escape reads, and she does a damn good job at getting to the point. Her writing may be formulaic, but there's something comforting in that fact. You know exactly what you're getting. It's like coming home to a warm hug; consistent and comforting.

I hesitate to call her books brain candy, but they really don't require a lot of philosophical thinking to get through. After a long, hard day at work sometimes we just want a little fluff.

And Danielle Steel is the undisputed Queen of Fluff and Romance.

[Rahma.Mrk · Rating 5 out of 5]

c'est un roman inoubliable,décrit la souffrance d'une jeune fille japonaise qui termine ces eutdes au USA avec la famille de l'ami de son père,mais la guerre commence et elle bouleverse tous son univers
.j'aime l' histoire d'amour entre cette jeune japonaise et un prof american

on vit les émotions de peur de rejet,incertitude et le courage de prouver leur amour.



رواية لاتنسى تتحدث عن معاناة صبية يابانية ذهبت لتكمل دراستها في امريكا لدى عائلة صديق ابيها كل شئ جيد و سلسل حتى تقع الحرب. .
نرى كيف تم معاملة اليابانيين من قبل امريكيين.كيف عاش اليابانيون حادثة هيروشيما وسط فرحة أمريكية.
و مع جو الدرامي و التاريخي المحبوك بعناية و جمال.هناك قصة حب ستنمو بين هذه الفتاة اليابانية و استاذ جامعي امريكي.
اشجع على قرءتها.

Janvier 2017

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was never an actual fan of Danielle Steel. I only read 3 of her books before Silent Honour and was not particularly super impressed. However, I stumbled upon this book during a book sale and because it fell under the label of historical fiction thought I'd give it a go. Now that I have finished it, I can say that I'm glad I did so.

At first, I was kind of sceptic about it. The diction seemed kind of juvenile especially when compared to the witty diction used by John Grogan in Marley and Me, my previous read. However, as I immersed myself into the story, I found the diction very comfortable and flowing to read, and I would have finished it sooner hadn't I enjoyed the story so much that I did not want it to end (I willingly dragged the story myself :P)

I love how Steel tackled the themes of love, rejection and racism in the story and although the story's period is too contemporary for my taste, I was really into it. It was interesting to get a different side of Pearl Harbor's story and I thoroughly enjoyed the insights, Steel gave into the Japanese world. I found myself emphatising greatly with the character especially with Hiroko and even shed a few tears at some of the poignant moments.

All in all, I really enjoyed the book and will definitely add any of Danielle Steel's historical fiction to my growing to-be-read list anytime soon.

[Carol Denise Mitchell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow! I read a lot of Danielle Steele and at first I liked the book. But then the story digressed. Hiroko seemed like the stereotypical Japanese girl who was bound by tradition with all of the bowing and placement of "san" after peoples names. This star character did not have a mind of her own. She's the first Steele character that I hated.

It saddened me that the author had Peter having so much sex with Hiroko out in a muddy, dirt field right after Hiroshima. Peter, a white man to me was extremely disrespectful to want to have wanton sex with a 19 year old; (he was in his late 20's.) right after she had been discriminated against at St. Andrews; she lost her home, dignity and material possessions. Had this been one of Danielle Steele's white characters they would have been impugned by having sex in such a heinous living environment.

At the end when Hiroko goes home and finds her family have been bombed; I was hoping the last person she'd see was Peter; and, of course there he was. Not a good book. Liked the first few pages and then hated it after that.

[Suz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yes.. finally! I remember more about this one as I look back on older reads. A historical fiction around World War Two where an independent and feisty Japanese woman falls in love with an American man which presents problems. A different type of DS, which was refreshing at the time.

[Deacon Tom (Feeling Better) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. It was well balanced as it follows a young girl from her hometown in Japan through living in the United States.

It was set in the era of World War II and it had a terrific pace and incredible use of real life facts to make the story believable.

I highly recommend.

[Tara Chevrestt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Does anybody remember the tv show that was popular in the 1970s called All In The Family? If so, you will remember Archie Bunker's wife, Edith. Take Edith and put her in a kimono and you have the heroine of this book, Hiroko. A more submissive, puppy eyed female you will be hard pressed to find. I read a good hundred pages and then some and grew so sick of all the bowing and the eye lowering. I couldn't take anymore. Strong woman, my arse! I know it was customary for Japanese women to behave this way in those times, but must we be reminded of it every other sentence?

I did, however, like how Steel manages to convey the prejudice and racial tension in California during World War 2 tho. She seems to be historically accurate as well. Pretty impressive for a romance writer.

To summarize the plot for you: Hiroko's parents send her from the only home she has ever known in Japan to San Francisco to attend college for a year. She meets a white man that is enamored with her submissive ways and of course, he wants her. But after Pearl Harbor, the American Japanese have major obstacles for face on top of the restrictions placed on Japanese/Caucasian relationships.

Had there been less bowing, a lot less eye lowering, and more spunk in the heroine, I would have actually liked it.

[Farah · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was so badly written I hated it, yet the story good enough to enjoy.
So basically it was a very bumpy experience, going through badly described passages and unnecessary repetitions and cringe worthy plot twists and just every imaginable literary mistake ever.

I do not feel it was a complete waste of time as it educated me on a well researched and novel side of the WW2. But I do wish it was better told.

This was my first experience with Danielle Steel and I do not see myself looking for anything by her in the near future.

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A beautiful historical fiction story Danielle Steele style.

[Charley Rains · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't expect to learn so much about the horrible Japanese American internment during WW11! How so many lost so much, suffered for years, and many died because of deplorable living conditions.

[Shay · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars nicely written just wanted more,feel like it ended too quick

[꒒ꂦꀤꌗ · Rating 1 out of 5]

First Negative Review of the year and it feels so good 💀
My gosh I hated this book from the unnecessary plot points to the Mary Sue main character, one can only wonder where Mrs.Steel's idea comes from.
This book is set in WW2, more specifically the changes America was going through in regards to the treatment of Japanese people and it follow the story of a the main character, a girl who has recently moved from Japan to stay in her Uncle and Aunty's house.
The first and worst problem I had with this book was the love interest Peter, I'm sorry but this book felt so creepy and definitely felt like the romanticism of her child like nature was off putting.
I feel like this is what a middle aged white woman would think a Japanese girl acts
The story was strong, I'll give it that but the execution was horrible. The writing wasn't anything special and even felt dull and repetitive at times.
Overall I would not read this again for any reason

[Rachel Yuska · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nangis bombay. Bacaan cepat juga. Selesai dalam 2 hari. Ciri khas Danielle Steel banget, cerita tentang generasi kedua. Yang selalu mengganggu dari buku-buku Danielle Steel adalah informasi berulang. Deskripsi tentang seseorang atau kejadian udah dijabarkan di hal 20 (misalnya) ntar nongol lagi di halaman 50.

Bikin depresi pas bagian Hiroko dan keluaega Tak mengungsi di camp penampungan orang Jepang selama PDII. Banyak fakta menarik tentang kejadian di camp. Ternyata Golongan Setia ribut dengan Pemuda No-No (pemuda yang menolak berikrar setia pada Amerika karena merasa dikhianati, padahal mereka sudah jadi WN Amerika).

A bit sinetronish. Ada tokoh baru muncul di tengah cerita dan endingnya yang terlalu cepat.

Overall, buku ini menghibur untuk yang lagi mumet kayak gw.

[Jennifer Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I lreally liked this book. I thought Danielle Steel only wrote romance so I was suprised by how much I enjoyed it and how little romance was in it. Even less than the Breaking Dawn in the Ywilight Series! The storries of what so many Japanese and some not went through during WW2 in America is heartbreakingly true. Her research was amazing, and acurate. I learned a few things my self, and can only hope history doesn't repeat itself when it comes to what so many went through at that time.

[Alex (Alex's Version) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Silent Honor tells the story of separated families and shattered lives set against one of the most morally reprehensible events in U.S. history:, It's truly disgusting how americans treat people.
Here's the highpoints of this book :
I loved Hiroko, she starts the book as a PAINFULLY shy young girl and by the end by end of the book, she's so brave and I really was in awe of Hiroko.


Just as good the second time.. I miss Old Danielle Steel.. sigh

[Janet · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book years ago. I forgot completely about it until I read "Hotel on the Corner of Bitter an Sweet." (Now that was a good story.) Wasn't as I remembered. I was kind of disappointed in it. Her research was good though. Making it okay.

[Chelsie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Throughout all of my schooling (I am now a junior in college) I have never learned about the horrors the Asian people in America faced during WWII. My mom recommended me this book, and I am glad I read it. It was a hard story to read, one about people suffering something that today seems unimaginable, but I couldn't help but keep turning the pages to find out what happened to Hiroko and her family.
Nothing about WWII is ever easy to read, but this novel takes you from the perfectly normal lives of Hiroko and the family of her father that she comes to visit in America, while she goes to college there. She gets stuck in the states after Pearl Harbor, and it takes the reader through the journey she goes through of falling in love, having everyone she loved be threatened strongly, moving to camps without knowledge of why or for how long, and for how unlucky she still might be when and if the time comes for her to once again be free.
This novel is an insight into the pain that those before us faced during WWII, and how it changed the world forever. It is a story of loyalty, love, tradition, heartbreak, hope, and more. I strongly recommend this to anyone who wants to read a historical fiction novel about WWII, but from the perspective of an Asian who deals with what America threw at them, something that should be talked about more often.

Synopsis
Hiroko is a young girl of eighteen who was born to two parents deeply in love. She was born into tradition of her mother, though her father was a very modern man. He had decided when she was young that she would go to college in America, at least for a year. Now the time has finally come.
Unwillingly to dishonor or displease her father, she says goodbye to her brother, Yuji, and her traditional mother who taught her everything she knows of the way of life in Japan, and heads to America for school at a girls school in California, near where her father's brother lives, whom she will be visiting.
After arriving in America, she meets her uncle Tak, his wife Reiko and their children Ken, Sally, and Tami. She soon meets Tak's assistant at Stanford, the university where he heads the department. His name is Peter, and he is fascinated by Hiroko and the traditions and respect for her country she exudes. They soon fall deeply in love, but it comes with horrible timing. While away at school, Japan bombs Pearl Harbor, effectively changing her, and her family's, lives forever.
Soon after, Hiroko is moved to an attic space in her dorm, where she stays alone and in the cold. After a horrible incident against her by the other girls in the school, she is asked to leave. The last thing she hears from her father is that he wants her to stay in America until the war is over, and hopefully resume school.
While back at the home with her cousins, she becomes close with Tami and Ken, and of course Peter. who she loves deeply, but who is dangerous to love-interracial marriage between a white man and an Asian woman is still unallowed legally in California. Before they have a chance to truly explore their deep love for each other, the order comes for the people of Palo Alto, where they live, must sell or give away everything they own in nine days and go to a center.
Peter visits her every day while they are at this center, where their entire family is forced to sleep and stay in a horse stall-which hasn't even been cleaned out for them. They take long walks together, uncertain of the future, and have a Buddhist priest who they find at the camp perform a legally unofficial wedding ceremony-but for Hiroko, it is in every way binding. They spend as much time together as they can before Peter has to leave, he's been drafted into the army. They do not know if they will ever see each other again, or if any of the family will see each other again.
Awhile after Peter goes into battle, the family is told that they will be splitting up. Reiko and the children will go to one camp, while Tak-a political science professor, has been determined to be "higher risk" and will go to a separate facility-they aren't allowed to know where. Even more "dangerous" Hiroko will go to an even more secure facility.
Once at the camp which is truly a prison, Hiroko is interrogated for months before she is determined to be safe, and not a threat to the country even though she is a Japanese citizen. She is reassigned to another camp, where she is assigned to live with what she thinks are strangers. She soon realizes she has been reunited with Reiko, Ken, Sally, and Tami. She begins to help Reiko work at the infirmary, trying to save as many people possible from the horrible diseases and meningitis that have struck them with so many living in such close quarters. There is an illusion to freedom here, but it is small. Soon Tak arrives to live with them as well. After saving a young girl whom she worked over for days, Hiroko collapses to the astonishment of all around her. After examining her, the doctor discovers that she is six months pregnant with Peter's child, and has been binding as they did in the old traditions of Japan. It almost killed her and her baby, but though the labor is difficult-much like her mothers before her, she gives birth to a healthy baby boy names Toyo.
She barely keeps up with Peter as he goes across Europe fighting in WWII. Eventually, Ken decides to join the army-he knows it is the only way he can get out of the camp. Sally is angry with Hiroko for befriending a man named Tad in the infirmary, and she is being very difficult. Soon, news reaches them that Hiroko's brother, Yuji passed away. She is told of the news as her son and herself are recovering from meningitis-of which they both were very close to death.
Word reaches them then, that Ken has also been killed in the line of duty. The news of this breaks the heart of Tak so deeply, that he gets very ill. In less than three years he has seen his entire life he built with his wife for eighteen years be destroyed. His home, his dog, his items, all of them are gone. His assistant Peter, who he really did like and trust has been in the war, he knows nothing of his brother and his wife, but knows his son is dead. He hadn't been able to protect his family from the atrocity of the dysentery of the camps, of the poor living conditions and straw sacks used as mattresses. With the loss of his son Ken, Tak passes away from a broken heart.
Reiko has no choice but to continue for her children, and for Hiroko and Toyo. Word eventually reaches them that FDR has signed an order that states that they are now free, they are free to go wherever they want to. But they have nowhere to return. Their house is now owned by other people, their dog with another family. Peter is gone and has no idea that he has a son. Two of them that they began with the war have died, and not only must they leave the camp but they must leave Tak's body with it. Reiko decides to take herself and her children to New Jersey, where she has relatives. Hiroko decides to go back to San Fransisco, though she has not heard from Peter in several months. Tad, who had fallen in love with her after saving her son's life in the infirmary, accepted her undying love for Peter and fell deeply in love with Sally, and joins them in Jersey.
After arriving in San Fransisco, Hiroko works as a maid until the war is over, where she will return to Japan to see her parents. The news finally comes, the war has ended. The world is in disrepair, but nobody yells nasty slurs at her anymore. She takes her son and they head to Japan, to find her parents. Upon arriving back in Japan, after over four years away, she learns that her parents were both killed by a bomb from America. She is heartbroken. She also learned while working as a maid that Peter is missing in action-presumed dead.

Will Peter ever get to come home and see his son, or is he truly gone forever? Will Hiroko truly have to survive without any of her loved ones?

[Katherine 黄爱芬 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hiroko dlm usia belia (belum 17 thn) dikirim oleh ayahnya ke AS utk belajar disana. Tapi yg dialaminya merupakan serangkaian kepedihan atas kematian satu per satu orang yg disayanginya sekaligus sukacita krn menemukan kekasih sejatinya.

Dari sisi historical fiction Perang Dunia II, saya sangat menyukainya. Penderitaan para pengungsi Jepang dlm kamp sangat tergambarkan. Hidup dlm penghinaan rasis dan serba kekurangan bahkan melahirkan anak di kamp ini gak terbayangkan kepedihannya. Belum lagi penyakit radang otak mewabah (saya baru tahu radang otak bisa menular, atau ini bisa-bisanya author?) dan hampir merengut nyawa Hiroko.

Tapi dari segi romance, saya rasa gak menarik melihat pernikahan campuran yg dilakukan scr diam-diam, suami yg tidak hadir sepanjang pernikahan tsb krn direkrut menjadi tentara, bahkan kelahiran anak mereka hanya dikabarkan melalui surat. Ngenes banget kalau terlahir spt Hiroko di masa perang tsb.

Karakter Hiroko ini mencerminkan sebagian besar perempuan Jepang utk selalu "diam" dan bisa mandiri juga kesetiaan. Mungkin author agak berlebihan mendeskripsikan karakter Hiroko yg punya "giri" dan terlalu menganut ajaran-ajaran tradisi Jepang. Walaupun cenderung agak dipaksa spy novel ini HEA, saya bisa melihat kegigihan, ketabahan, dan kekeraskepalaan Hiroko utk menjalani hidupnya. Dan saya terharu oleh persahabatan unik Hiroko dgn Anne Spencer, gadis kaya yg awalnya sombong tapi jauh lebih konsisten dan lebih punya hati ketimbang teman satu asrama Hiroko yg lainnya.

Paling nggak kita hrs bersyukur hidup di zaman abad 21 ini dan lagi pandemi tidak mengalami penderitaan spt orang-orang pd PD II, dimana rasisme, wabah dan kelaparan sudah umum terjadi di kamp-kamp. Hrs mencontoh sifat Hiroko yg pantang menyerah dan berharap yg terbaik akan terjadi pd dirinya.

[Isabel · Rating 2 out of 5]

La trama è limitata ma realistica e coerente con tutto il contesto storico di cui sta trattando, capisco il perchè Danielle Steel piaccia molto, ma capisco anche perchè non piaccia. I personaggi non sono troppo sviluppati: tutti sembrano capirsi senza parlarsi, Peter e Hiroko si innamorano dopo due volte che si sono visti e scambiati 3 parole in croce. Dopo i fatti tragici che sono avvenuti a lei e alla sua famiglia lei non è maturata per niente (anche se la Steel scrive che ha uno sguardo "più maturo") ne per quanto riguarda le sue azioni ne per i suoi pensieri, con lei pure tutti gli altri personaggi che sembrano piatti come una sogliola.

[Yugadi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is just my second Steel book and i wonder why don't I pick up more of em. She is one the most renowned contemporary authors and i can see why. Her writing captivates you and you find yourself reading even though nothing much is happening.


Hiroko was a very different protagonist for me. A Japanese woman in 1940s, painfully shy, caring about her family's honour more than herself? That's something you don't come across these days. Her character developed a lot. The bravery she shows in the last few pages is admirable.

[Cam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Salvo por algunos diálogos, que seguramente se perdieron por la traducción, es un libro excepcional. Me sorprendió mucho que contuviera hechos históricos dentro de la historia.
Demás está decir que los hará pensar en muchas cosas. Si están interesados en conocer acontecimientos de la 2da guerra mundial. Es el libro indicado.

[Yvonne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a happy book but it was a good study in history.

[Tita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vejam a minha opinião em vídeo, AQUI.

[Rhonda B · Rating 4 out of 5]

When reading this book it was like a step back into time during World war II. So thankful for what we have today in the USA.

[Carol Fellenz · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read about how the Japanese had to endure the awful world after Pearl harbor. I couldn't put it down!!!

[Anagha · Rating 1 out of 5]

this book sucked. unlike The Ring, i was able to put this down multiple times while reading. unrealistic and romanticizes everything it shouldn’t.

[Linda Buice · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this story, but I have to admit I had no idea what the United States government did to the Japanese in America. This story was tragic. The Japanese were treated almost as badly as the Jews in Germany. They weren't killed but their lives were destroyed in many ways. I now understand the impact of Pearl Harbor on these people. I know it was a difficult time for all and the war was terrible. There was a great love story in the middle of the tragedy.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I went through a Danielle Steel phase in the mid-to-late 90's and bought a bunch of her books. I got bored with her writing (it can be so monotonous and repitive), so I let most of them sit on my book shelf for years. These days I mostly read Kindle books, but decided to read some books on my shelf before donating them to a book box. I've always been fascinated with Japanese customs, so I decided to try this one.

**SEMI-SPOILER IF YOU DIDN'T READ THE BOOK JACKET**
I didn't read the jacket, so I had no idea that it took place during World War II and the Japanese internment camps. I knew a little about them, but I wasn't quite prepared for the sad events and humiliation. Given that Steel is a romance writer, and because of stories I've heard before, I know that even the true to history parts of it are sugar-coated for the romance reader. It was actually a very good, yet sad, story, and I feel like Steel did a good job explaining the treatment of Japanese Americans. It was a sad reminder of how poorly our country treated people who had lived here all of their lives, all because of their heritage.

What I loved most (and least) about this story was how much Hiroko grows up through all of this. Her Japanese customs and sweet shyness made me smile and appreciate her way of life. To watch it slowly unravel and see her forced to become strong and grow up so quickly was both hard to read and and yet admirable. While Peter often referred to her as "little one," you certainly did not think of her that way after a little while in the internment camps. It was very clear how strong this tiny woman had become.

I can't even imagine so much humiliation and loss like this family endured. They were disrespected, treated poorly, and left to fend for themselves. It was a little hard to read, but I kept hoping after every bad thing that there would be a happy ending. Honestly, it ended a little too abruptly to let it sink in. I wish there had been a little more to the story because there was so much loss that the one good thing that happened really didn't make it all better.

This was a pretty good story, but I found myself thinking many times that I wish someone else had been writing it. While Steel can tell a story, it's just never really very exciting. All in all though, I would recommend this book to anyone interested in that time period. On the other hand, it was a reminder of American history that makes me a little ashamed of the USA.