The Picture Bride

by Lee Geum-yi, An Seonjae (Translator), Brother Anthony of Taizé (Translator)

“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.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Audiobook, Asian Literature, Contemporary, Adult

320 pages, Hardcover

First published March 25, 2020

Reviews

[Rosh ~catching up slowly~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

In a Nutshell: A historical fiction about a young girl from Korea who is sent to Hawaii as a “picture bride” and learns to navigate life in a new land. A good plot but somewhat disconnected writing. Not sure if the emotions were lost in translation. Still, a fairly informative read for those who enjoy this genre.

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Plot Preview:

1917. When young Willow is approached by the local matchmaker to become a ‘picture bride’ for a young Korean in Hawaii, she never imagined that the promises would not be entirely truthful. Though sad at leaving her mother and siblings behind, the eighteen-year-old sails for Hawaii with starry dreams in her eyes, along with a few other Korean girls who have also obtained grooms through posted photos. Life in the Hawaiian Korean community isn’t exactly as they envisaged, but with no chance of returning home, Willow has to make the best of her circumstances. The situation isn’t helped by the turbulent political situation in faraway Korea, which makes ripples even across the ocean.
The story is written in three distinct but linear sections, with two of those coming from Willow’s third-person perspective and the third in another character’s first-person perspective.

Bookish Yays:
🏝️ I’ve never read a book with a Korea-Hawaii combo! This was a new part of history to me, and I always enjoy learning more about such hidden aspects of ordinary life in the past. This novel reveals an unseen side of Hawaii, and how Korean and Japanese labourers came to reside there.

🏝️ Another new fact to me was the concept of picture brides, whereby young Korean and Japanese girls were sent off to be married based only on photos sent by prospective grooms all the way across the ocean. How dire must their family situation have been for them to accept such an uncertain fate in an unfamiliar place!

🏝️ The glimpses of Korean culture, customs and beliefs. As authentic as an OwnVoices work can be without going into stereotypes.

🏝️ The details about the socio-political situation in Korea at that time, including the details of life under Japanese rule. The author’s research and knowledge are quite evident. The Hawaiian setting also seems to be captured well.

🏝️ The “found family” type of connection among three of the picture brides. Their friendship and bond through ups and downs keeps the book interesting. Among other characters, I liked the portrayal of Willow’s husband and her father-in-law. Both turned out to be not like what I would have expected.

🏝️ The author’s note and the translator’s note reveal several key insights that helped me appreciate the historical aspects better.


Bookish Mixed Bags:
🍍 Willow as a character is brilliant. She is witness to so many complex situations that through her, it is almost like we are learning about many events from the past. However, Willow as a protagonist is quite bland. It is tough to connect to her, even though she is a brave and courageous character worthy of this book. Basically, this problem is not of character development but of protagonist development – we needed more intensity in the main narrator’s depiction.

🍍 I am not sure if the translation failed the book or if the book itself is somewhat dry, but many scenes that should have been hardhitting ended up almost lacklustre.

🍍 The story is divided in three distinct sections. The first is easily my favourite as it provides a proper background to Willow’s situation and her life in Korea and Hawaii. The second section continues the Hawaii segment but it is very different from the first in tone and content, ending up too political for my liking. I don’t mind political content, but it seems to be written in textbook-style at times in this novel. As such, some of the scenes felt somewhat dry and boring. This might not bother those who love learning about international politics. The third section is in the Nays column.


Bookish Nays:
🥥 The third-person narrative keeps Willow very distant. A major chunk of her arc is about reporting events. The challenges are present of course, but on the whole, the tougher life developments happen to those around her than to her. Even when Willow is directly affected by some event, her emotions are written in an aloof manner.

🥥 Willow’s two picture-bride friends have more troublesome marriages so it would have been great to have this novel as a narrative from all three of their perspectives. Compared to what they go through, Willow’s life seems like an ordinary tale than a dramatic one.

🥥 The writing is too convenient and easy-going at times. Characters turn up at Willow’s doorstep exactly and only when they are needed for the plot. Tough scenes that might have potential conflict or intense emotional display are glossed over quickly so as to continue the journalistic reporting. For such a plot, such a writing style didn’t make sense.

🥥 Time clues aren't provided often, which is a big issue in a novel that spans such a large timespan, going all the way from one World War to another. This might not bother those who go with the flow without really bothering about the nitty-gritty of the passage of fictional time.

🥥 The final section, taking place a huge time jump later, suddenly switches to a new character and to a first-person POV. Considering how we see the story from Willow’s perspective until that point, this sudden shift in narrative feels jarring, all the more as the tone doesn’t match the character in age. This entire section seems to be mainly an infodump about what happened in the interim eighteen-year-period, with a couple of surprises thrown in just for the sake of it. The writing style is again more like reporting than like a personal narration. Overall, this section just didn’t gel with the rest of the book in tone, theme, or flow.


All in all, I liked the book enough but I wasn't as captivated by it as I usually am by historical fiction. I expected to be far more affected by this powerful story than I actually was, but the story itself kept emotions away so I too couldn’t feel much. The downward slide over the three sections also didn’t help me much. Regardless, the book still deserves appreciation for shedding light on an unusual part of world history.

Recommended to those who aren’t too particular about writing styles and would enjoy a somewhat understated historical story with strong political overtones in the second half. The first section was the best for me, earning 4 stars. The second and the third weren’t that appealing to me, earning 2.5 stars and 2 stars respectively.

2.8 stars, averaged from the sectional ratings.


My thanks to Scribe UK for providing the DRC of “The Picture Bride” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

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[Annette · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 1918, Willow at eighteen leaves her home of Korea and travels across the ocean to Hawaii, where she was promised to a man, nine years older, who is a landlord.

A decade earlier, Korean men went to Hawaii for work. Now, they were looking for brides. But in the matchmaking process, there is some dishonesty on the part of men. Some pictures are quite a few years old or taken at not their property.

The historical background of Koreans in Hawaii is interesting. In 1910, the US approved picture marriages for the Korean workers in hopes of curbing the alcohol and gambling addictions of many single workers. Also, Willow observing the differences in customs. The story also weaves in, the Japanese influence on Korea. The fight for freedom and independence continues to be a current theme.

It is a fascinating story, however, I found the style of writing as a lot of telling, instead of showing.

Source: ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Marilyn (not getting notifications) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Picture Bride by Lee Geum-yi and translated by An Seonjue was a very gripping and uplifting story. I had read some books about the people of Korea during this time period but I was not aware of this particular practice of picture brides. As life for young women in Korea became increasingly more restrictive and offered fewer opportunities for them to better themselves many opted to leave Korea. A Pusan Ajimue or matchmaker would try and entice these young women with pictures of men that could potentially become their future husbands. Korean men that that lived in Hawaii and worked on sugarcane plantations saved enough money to pay these matchmakers to find them young brides back in Korea. These matchmakers tried to lure young women and their families into accepting marriage proposals by painting an unrealistic picture of Hawaii as a place where clothes and food grew on trees. The young women were promised opportunities to further their education and were often told that their new husbands were land owners. It was difficult to imagine how these sheltered young women, some barely eighteen years of age, felt about leaving the only home they had ever known. They would be separated from their families and friends and be expected to enter into a marriage with a man they knew only from his picture. It would require a young girl who recognized their own limitations, was unhappy with them and was willing to start a new life in a new country. The Picture Bride was the story about these women.

Willow was the only daughter of a widowed mother and sister to several brothers. When Willow’s father died fighting the Japanese, she was made to dropout of school even though her dream was to continue her education and make something of her life. Her mother needed her at home to help take care of her younger brothers, and help clean, cook and sew. Willow’s dreams for her future were ended with her father’s untimely death. Then, one day, the Pusan Ajimue came to her mother and Willow and offered Willow the chance for marriage. Willow was shown a picture of a man a bit older than her. He was pleasant looking and she was told he was a land owner in Hawaii. If Willow agreed to marry this man she was told that she would be able to continue her education. After some thought, by both her and her mother, Willow decided to agree to the marriage. Two of her friends, Hongju and Sunghwa also accompanied Willow as picture brides as well. The three, along with numerous other picture brides made the long journey by boat from Korea to Hawaii. When the boat finally docked in Hawaii, Willow’s friends were about to receive the biggest shock of their lives. The pictures their almost to be husbands sent to the matchmaker or Pusan Ajimue, were a farce. These men’s pictures looked nothing like the men that came to meet their brides to be. The men were at least thirty to forty years older than they claimed to be. Not one of them owned land and the dream of pursuing an education was out of the question. The Pusan Ajimue had fed them a pack of lies but all the brides were stuck where they were. It turned out that Willow’s husband looked exactly like his picture but there was a coldness in his eyes. She later found out that her future father-in-law had arranged Willow’s marriage without his son’s consent. A group marriage ceremony was performed and before Hongju, Sanghwa, and Willow departed with their husbands they hugged each other tightly. They did not know when they would see each other again. Each new bride accompanied her husband to wherever he lived and worked. This was not what any of them had hoped for or imagined. What would happen to Willow, Hongju and Songhwa?

Willow was a strong, brave, resourceful and determined woman. She was left on her own for over ten years to bring up her children independently and figure out how to make enough money to feed her children and keep them safe. Her husband felt it was his duty to see to the escalation of Korea’s independence. He took no responsibility in helping to raise their children. Willow, Hongju and Songhwa found their way back to one another. They loved each other as sisters, supported one another over the years and looked out for one another. Each one of them experienced disappointments. From the moment they stepped off the boat, they discovered that their husbands were not the men they were led to be, none of their husbands owned land, Willow would not be allowed to follow her dreams and continue her education and that clothes and food did not grow on the trees in Hawaii. Each of them struggled and were met with various set backs. It was a hard life that they had to endure. This was a story about friendship, family, disillusionment, struggles, marriage, making the best of difficult situations and shattered dreams. The ending was a bit of surprise. Overall, I enjoyed listening to the audiobook of The Picture Bride and I highly recommend it.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to this audiobook through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Publication is set for October 11, 2022.

[Darla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Willow, Hongju, and Songhwa were Picture Brides. Their bridegrooms lived in Hawaii and were Korean immigrants. There were not enough women for them to marry among the other settlers, so the Picture Bride program was instituted. Our three brides came to the US from Korea in 1918. The story shines the brightest spotlight on Willow and through her eyes we see what it was like to live in Hawaii through WW I and WW II. All that time, Korea was struggling to become independent from Japan. The politics of supporting one group or another was divisive and Willow's struggles to support her family are grossly affected in multiple ways. There are some interesting surprises as the narrative jumps ahead a few years, focusing on Willow's daughter Pearl. The translation is well done and there are some lovely metaphors regarding the ocean, dance, and carnation leis. I heartily recommend this book for those interested in the history of our 50th state.

Thank you to Forge Books and Edelweiss+ for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

[A Mac · Rating 2 out of 5]

Willow is one of many girls leaving Korea for Hawaii as a picture bride. The matchmaker has filled their ears with the riches and wonders of Hawaii and shown them each handsome photos of their husbands-to-be. But when they arrive in the U.S., Willow learns that much of what she was told was lies. Doing her best to make the most of her new life, she becomes increasingly upset as new truths about her husband come to light and as the fight for Korean independence reaches closer to her new home than she ever thought it would.

This work is set during the early 20th century and explores the fascinating concept of picture brides. There were so many historical details included that were relevant and added much depth to the setting – the amount of research that went into this work was evident. It was fascinating to learn about the struggles for Korean independence during this time, and how it still affected immigrants in Hawaii. The politics, economics, and insights into the lifeways of Korean immigrant women during this time were all well done.

However, the depth of those aspects caused the characters to strongly lack. There was no real emotional depth to the characters – the way they were written caused them to feel flat and devoid of real feelings, which made it impossible to become connected to any of the characters. It’s possible that this is because this work wasn’t originally written in English. However, this is a story of hardship, struggle, and learning to love and make a new life for oneself – this should have been intensely emotional and personal, but Willow was one of the blandest protagonists I’ve ever encountered. Things constantly happened to and around her, but there was no real connection or emotional aspect incorporated.

Unfortunately, since this is supposed to be a novel and not a work of history, I’m giving it a lower rating. I found it to be a boring novel, but I still recommend it due to its historical insights. My thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to read and review this work, which was published today. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

[Alwynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A straightforward, page-turner charting the history of early Korean communities in Hawaii, through the personal experiences of women known as the picture brides. These were women who left their families in Korea to start afresh as wives of Korean men working on Hawaii’s sugar plantations. Through matchmakers they exchanged photographs with prospective husbands, in a variation on a traditional, arranged marriage. Many were sold a blatant lie, spun tales of a glorious place and shown misleading or downright fraudulent photographs that completely misrepresented their future husbands. The women were mostly very young but the men often turned out to be much, much older and far from prosperous. Some even had existing wives left behind in Korea. It was a scheme mainly intended to benefit plantation owners who believed that married men made for better, more reliable workers.

Lee Geum-Yi’s novel opens in 1917 with Willow who’s almost 18, and living with her impoverished family in rural Korea. The brutal Japanese occupation of Korea is well established and her prospects as a Korean woman are limited. Then she’s offered a chance to help her family and finally fulfil her own dreams, she exchanges photographs with a man looking for a partner and not long after travels out to Hawaii with a group of similar brides. But Hawaii isn’t the island paradise they’d pictured, and their husbands don’t live up to their descriptions. Lee’s narrative follows the resourceful Willow and close friends Hongju and Songhwa over the course of several years, as they struggle to carve out a space for themselves far from home.

Lee’s a popular author in Korea, known for her YA fiction, this is her first book for adults. It’s solidly told - although there are some awkward, breathless sections and the prose can be a little unvarnished at times. I also found the sudden shift in perspective and timelines in the final sections more than a little disorientating, too obviously a device for speedy coverage of a broad span of Hawaiian history up to the bombing of Pearl Harbour and its aftermath. But it’s a meticulously-researched piece, at its strongest, an absorbing, moving recreation of the everyday lives of picture brides, as well as the culture of Korean communities in Hawaii. I relished the details of how Koreans adjusted to a society so vastly different from the one they left behind; and was fascinated by Lee’s depiction of growing divisions in Korean communities over the fight for Korean Independence, the factions that formed and the sometimes-violent clashes that followed. And I think it’s a book that’s bound to appeal to Pachinko fans wondering what to pick up next. Lee’s work’s been adapted for the screen more than once, and I’d love to see a K-drama version of this one - it even features the requisite birth secret.

It’s a fairly undemanding read but there are some terms here, particularly around naming, that might be puzzling for anyone completely unfamiliar with Korean culture. However, these are explained in the translator’s afterword, and there’s also a useful overview from Lee herself. Translated by An Seonjae.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher Scribe UK for an ARC

[Mallory · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a quick read about an interesting time in history. Starting in 1918 this is the story of Korean women immigrating to Hawaii as picture brides, a phenomenon I knew nothing about before this book. I love when an author can bring some life to some piece of history that hasn’t been used in hundreds of books. I will say the story read fairly flat to me, and I thought it could have grabbed the reader ore with some more depth to the characters. They were very interesting, and I found the ending told from Pearl’s perspective to be the best. Willow and her best friend Hongju have been told about how amazing life in Hawaii is and they both have agreed to be picture wives. As they start their journey they also befriend the other girls going across on their ship forming bonds that will last a lifetime. Which is good because the things they heard about Hawaii - that food and clothing grew on trees and you could sweep up money and even an 18 year old girl could go to school (Willow’s dream) were lies. This is a powerful story and the historical events seemed realistic.

[CYIReadBooks (Claire) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Relying on a go-between, Willow, Hongju, and Songwha undertake a long and arduous journey from Korea to Hawaii. They were led to believe that they could get rich and prosper being picture brides — marrying Korean men now living and working in Hawaii. They would soon find out, however, that pictures and tales of riches did not tell the real story.

The Picture Bride is a poingnant and heartfelt tale of three young women who dared to leave the comforts of home in Korea to make a better life for themselves and their families. But moving to a foreign land with different customs and languages didn’t make life easier. Add in the fact that their picture bridegrooms weren’t exactly accurate. How could they have believed everything that was told to them? And what other lies would they uncover?

As the granddaughter of a Japan picture bride, I found author Geum-yi’s depictions of the life and times of Asian and other immigrants so relatable. I didn’t get to hear many stories from my mother or grandmother. But I do know from what little they told me, that life on the plantation was very difficult. They made due with what little they had. And it was not until they were able to move off the plantation that life got better.

It is evident that Geum-yi has conducted extensive research. As a former Hawaii resident, I am quite familiar with all of the streets, townships, and cities that Geum-yi mentions in her novel. That is what made The Picture Bride so engaging for me. It’s not like she picked out ficticious names, but she actually used the real names of streets and plantations. And yes, those plantation towns still exist till today. Add in well developed characters and you have a beautiful novel worthy of five exquisite stars.

I received a physical ARC from Forge Books through BookishFirst. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

[Paul Fulcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

아프게, 기쁘게, 뜨겁게
인생의 파도를 넘어서며 살아갈 것이다.

“Those guys are just like us. Our life is also a kind of surfing,” said Hongju

Willow immediately understood what Hongju meant. As Hongju said, for her, too, life’s crises had come raging, innumerable like the waves of the sea. The deaths of her father and brother, the life that had followed, life in Hawaiʻi as a picture bride . . . Nothing was ever easy. The same was true for Hongju and Songhwa.

Willow put her arm round Hongju’s shoulder and watched Songhwa as she followed the children. They, having left Korea together, would go on living together, rising above the waves, painfully, joyfully, passionately.

The Picture Bride (2022) is An Seonjae's translation of 하로라, 나의 엄마들 (“Alola, My Mothers”, 2020) by 이군이 (Lee Geum-yi).

The novel centres around three 'picture brides' who travel from Korea, under Japanese occupation, to Hawaiʻi in 1918, part of a wave of such women in the period 1910-1924, Willow (버들, although the translator explains in her afterword that she chose to translate this name rather than render it phonetically), Hong-ju (홍주) and Songhwa (송화).

For background on the picture brides see Wikipedia, although this entry is more focused on the Japanese experience, this article in the Korean Herald, and this first person oral account.

A latter section of the novel is set in December 1941, just after Pearl Harbour and has one of the women's daughters, 진주 / Pearl, with a close connection to all three women (hence the Korean title), looking back on what happened to them, as well as finding out a surprise about her own origins.

Much of the novel is rather standard historical fiction which at times I found a little melodramatic and others rather dull.

But the most interesting parts of the novel, although in the background, are the factional struggles in the overseas Korean independence movement between Park Yong-man (박용만) and Syngman Rhee (이승만), the latter the first President of South Korea from 1948 and the former assassinated in Beijing on 17 October 1928 by a Korean communist.

And the novel also showcases the entreprenurial spirit of the Korean women (noted in the Wikipedia article above), who support each other's business ventures with a self-help savings club, a 계 (gye).

In parts this was a 2 star read, but awarding 3 for the fascinating (4 stars on their own) elements of Korean emigrant and resistance history.

Thanks to the publisher via Netgalley for the ARC.

[Emily higgins · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a person who loves reading historical fiction, this book was definitely for me. I already knew about mail-order brides,but I knew nothing about picture brides— women in Korea that would marry men in Hawaii based off their pictures of each other.
This book mainly followed the story of Willow, a poor girl from a Korean Village. It didn’t just talk about Willow’s marriage; the book also talked about the struggles of Korean and other Asian immigrants to Hawaii. All throughout the book it seemed like Willow was constantly struggling and having to work super tiring jobs so she could make it.
The book also talked about the Japanese takeover of Korea and the fight for independence from Japan.
Overall, I thought the plot of the book was great. The writing style was super easy to understand even though the book was translated to English. All in all, it was a great book.

[farahxreads · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first time hearing and reading about picture bride custom, a practice observed by Korean immigrant workers in the U.S (primarily Hawaii), where they select their brides from Korea by just looking at the women’s photos.

3.5/5

Review to come.

[Gloria (Ms. G's Bookshelf) · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️4 Stars⭐️
Imagine leaving your home, family and country to travel to another land in order to marry a man you have only viewed a photograph of, a complete stranger!

The Picture Bride by Lee Geum-yi is a well researched and fascinating insight into the life-changing journey of three young Korean women who sought a better life in the year 1918. These ‘Picture Brides’ find that their destination in Hawaii is not the paradise they expected, some have been deceived and each woman struggles a different fate.

Willow, Hongju and Songhwa are amazing characters, they work tirelessly and the challenges they face are heartbreaking. They weave in and out of each others lives throughout the course of the story.

I enjoyed learning about the historical events in this tale, the Korean migration to Hawaii, the migrant workers in the sugarcane fields, the Korean fight for independence from Japan, and the women’s friendships and tight knit community. This was a translated novel and wonderfully written.

There’s a surprising twist at the end which I wasn’t expecting! I found this story to be engaging, unputdownable and recommend to historical fiction lovers and readers that love learning about different cultures.

Publication Date 05 October 2022

Publisher Scribe
 Publications

Thank you to Scribe Publications for sending me a copy of this gorgeous book and the matching bookmark.

[Britt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley & Forge Books for an eARC of this book. The following review is my honest reflection on the text provided.

3.5 stars

The Picture Bride is an insightful narrative about a historical period and culture with which I'm unfamiliar. The concept of picture brides is fascinating and terrifying - so many of these women travelled across the world to be misled and often mistreated. Stranded in a strange country where they don't speak the language, many of them illiterate, it would be impossible to do anything other than accept the situation.

"'For me, Korea is the enemy. Because our land is powerless, I lost my husband and my child. But Hawai'i is not Korea, there you'll have no country to protect. Once you're there, just forget us here, be happy with your husband and children, and enjoy life. That's my only wish.'
Her mother's bitter voice was engraved on Willow's heart as she fell asleep."

While Willow's perspective is not devoid of emotion or introspection, I struggled to feel a connection to her and the narrative. I was a passive observer, and it's certainly not because the story wasn't interesting or engaging - I was wholly intrigued with what would happen to her and these other women. The writing style flows from one action to the next, so I think that left me disengaged, just going with the flow.

I would highly recommend The Picture Bride to fans of historical fiction who would like to learn more about an interesting facet of Hawaiian and Korean histories.

Review originally posted here on Britt's Book Blurbs.

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[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I honestly did not care for this book.

The setting: three young picture brides leave Korea in 1918 for Hawaii and thoughts of a better life. Willow [the main character] especially hopes for a chance to be educated. Hongju is a widow after only two months of marriage. Songhwa, as the granddaughter of a shaman--and an unknown father, is much scorned in Korea.

They cross the ocean, become seasick, look after one another and form lasting bonds before meeting their husbands [none of whom were as depicted in their photographs--or in their stories].

The book has three parts: their journey, their lives in Hawaii, and then--briefly--18 years later, the story of Pearl--Willow's daughter.

I am in the distinct minority of readers. I could have put the book down and walked away at any time. I'm sure the translation was faithful to the Korean but for me the book was simplistic, pedestrian, and BORING. On the positive side, I did learn tidbits of Hawaiian history, about the competing Korean independence movement [Syngman Rhee and Yongman Park], the history of Koreans and other immigrants [primarily Japanese] in Hawaii, and certain Korean habits and customs [e.g. they eat in silence because if people talk when they're eating, blessings run away]. And, it was easy to read, but...

It is a story about hardships and friendships.

I like historical fiction and I like reading about other cutures but this book did nothing for me. And, I found the ending particularly tiresome.

The author's note was more interesting than parts of the book!

[Krutika · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the early 1900s, the concept of Picture Brides was introduced in America and Hawai'i. Men who had migrated from Japan and Korea were single and indulged in drinking and gambling after working hours and to curb this activity, the American government approved brides to enter the State. The situation in Korea was very disorderly at the time what with Korea being under the Japanese rule. Poverty was at its peak and families survived with only one meal and so when they heard of picture brides, they dreamt of their daughters living a better life abroad.

When Willow is shown her groom’s picture, she is told that he is a landowner in Hawai'i and if she married him, she could even continue her education. Like Willow, many young girls wanted to help their families by working in Hawai'i and by sending money back to Korea. They saw no harm because the men in the photos looked handsome and well settled. Perhaps this was the only way they could ever repay their family, to make their burden a little less heavy. Willow, Hong-ju and Song-hwa travel across the sea to their paradise but what awaits them is something they had never imagined.

The story takes a predictable turn but it doesn’t get boring. The concept in itself was quite unique because I wasn’t aware of Picture Brides until then. The story is tactfully written, pulling the readers in but my only qualm was the ability to not connect with the protagonist.

All in all, I’m still glad to have received this copy because it was very interesting to read about the detailed political aspects of certain nations. If you’re interested in Historical Fiction then this book may just be up your alley.

Thanks to the publisher for the copy.

[rojîn ☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

I liked this book more than I initially thought I would. However, the last two chapters, though clever and riveting, felt a tiny bit unrealistic. Since when do 18-year-olds exhibit such deep self-reflection and maturity? 😂

[endlessbookclub · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel follows the journey of Willow, and her life-changing decision that fundamentally transitions her life from a remote village in Korea, all the way to Hawaii. This travel was initiated by her unflinching desperation in establishing stability in her life, and fend for her family back home. However, attaining this ideal life came at an irrevocable price, marrying a Korean man living in Hawaii with no previous encounter nor knowledge of the person except for a single picture.

Willow serves as a representation of all the picture brides prominent in Korea during Japanese occupation, in which she was promised for a better life. But her reality was far from the truth as she continued to be plagued by poverty and back-breaking labour. We recognise quite early in the chapters that the entire notion of ‘picture bride’ is nothing but a travesty, foreshadowed by romanticism and too-good-to-be true descriptions. This was an eye-opener, especially because it was based on true events in Korea during the early 20th century. There’s a lot to takeaway from this novel, so I highly recommend reading it.

[Cyndi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a thoughtful tale of a Korean “picture bride” named Willow who ventures to Hawaii to meet and marry a man she has only ever seen a picture of and vice versa. This was the 1920s version of mail order brides, with neither party really knowing what to expect. It struck me how brave these women were to leave their country and families behind and set off for the unknown. Some faired better than others. Willow narrates her story until the end, which is narrated by her daughter. The descriptions in the book are evocative and really invite readers in and the story itself is unique and interesting. The ending has a few surprises and wraps the story up nicely.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Edelweiss, Forge Books and Lee Geum-yi for my complimentary e-copy ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

[Avani ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Picture Bride by Lee Geum-yi, a historical fiction novel set in early 1910s Hawaii and Korea. I am slowly and steadily starting to grow interest in Asian Adult Literature and hence decided to pick up this book as well. The book has a really beautiful cover which really caught my eye as well.

Three Korean women - Hong-ju, Song-hwa & Willow in 1910 make a life-changing journey to Hawaii where they will marry, having seen only a photograph of their intended husbands. The writing style is so easy and smooth that the book flows like a movie back in time. The ending definitely has a surprise which was worth it.

While amongst all three characters, we see building friendship and love, but also some family bonding as well as cultural references to Korean and Japanese both. Highly based on female friendships that they follow and bond while traveling across continents to find their perfect match and build a life in completely new country.

Overall, I liked this refreshing new take and author's writing style which takes us through a time down the history of Asian Culture and Literature where women would marry and settle with their potential husbands just by seeing their photographers, which at times may also not be as rosy as it looks. The book is definitely is very well researched and has a fascinating plot.

[Mook Woramon · Rating 4 out of 5]

ข้างนอกสดใส ข้างในซึมเศร้าจ้าาาา 🥹🥹

เรื่องเล่าช่วงหนึ่งร้อยปีก่อน สมัยที่เกาหลีถูกปกครองโดยญี่ปุ่น ชาวเกาหลีกลายเป็นพลเมืองชั้นสองจึงต้องดิ้นรนหาสิ่งที่ดีกว่า

เด็กสาวสดใสวัย 18 ปี ต้องเดินทางข้ามน้ำข้ามทะเลไปฮาวายเพื่อแต่งงานกับคนไม่รู้จัก เพราะหวังว่าจะมีชีวิตที่ดีขึ้น แต่ชีวิตสู้กลับเว่อออ
ทั้งผู้ชายไม่ตรงปก ต้องทำงานใช้แรงงานอย่างหนัก จะกลับบ้านก็ไม่ได้ ได้แต่อดทนใช้ชีวิตต่อ

การเมืองก็ร้อนระอุ สังคมก็ระอุตาม การแบ่งชนชั้น เหยียดสีผิว แบ่งพรรคแบ่งพวก แค่ทำมาหากินก็หนักพอแล้ว ยังมีเรื่องพวกนี้อีกหัวจะปวด

แล้วสะท้อนความปิตาธิปไตยของชาวเกาหลีมากกกก
ผู้หญิงก็ตั้งท้องไปสิ ทำงานไปด้วย เลี้ยงลูกไปด้วย
ทำหน้าที่หลังบ้านทุกอย่าง
ผู้ชายคือกินอุดมการณ์เป็นอาหาร ลูกเมียอดอยากไม่เป็นไร ผู้หญิงก็กลืนน้ำตาไปค่ะ

อารมณ์เหมือนตอนอ่าน “ปาจิงโกะ” แล้วประโยคในเรื่องก็ลอยมา
‘ชะตาชีวิตผู้หญิงช่างเจ็บปวด เราต้องเจ็บปวด‘

[Desiree Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE GOOD:
An interesting historical time period to read about. A tale of rising above trying circumstances with grit and determination.

THE BAD:
At times seemed disjointed, as if trying to convert actual history into fiction. However, while inspired by actual events, this is fiction of the historical variety, not fiction based on a true account.
Twenty-three used of the racial slur "haole" for those with pale skin, as opposed to native Hawaiians or those of Asian descent, which I found hugely disappointing.
The last section is told from the point of view of Willow's daughter, making this feel less like The Picture Bride and more like a generational saga.

CONCLUSION:
Worth reading. You'll learn a fair bit about Korea and Hawaii 100 years ago.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I LOVED this book. I have always been extremely interested in Korean history, specifically during the time of the Japanese occupation of the peninsula and the Korean War afterwards. However, I had never known anything about the Korean population in Hawaii, or about picture brides. I learned a lot of history from this book, but the characters were always extremely compelling, and I felt for them a lot. The main character, Willow, was such a strong wife and mother, and you could feel her strength and conviction as you read. I can't imagine how strong you need to be to travel by boat from Korea to Hawaii to marry someone you've never even met before.

I am very glad I was able to read this book early before its publication, and I hope it gains success. Fans of Pachinko and The Mermaid from Jeju would absolutely love this book!

[Andria Potter · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this more but it was slow and I just couldn't keep my interest on it. It was good writing and around an important subject matter in history, however I just had a hard time connecting with any of the characters. I may try to reread this one again in the future. For now I'm giving this a solid 3 ⭐.

[anchi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Picture Bride is a historical fiction written by Lee Geum-yi and translated by Seonjae An. The book tells the stories of Korean picture brides in Hawaii in the 1910-1920s, a less-known history of the Asian immigrants in America. There are three parts in this book: their journey from Korea to Hawaii via Japan and their new life, settling down in Hawaii with new jobs and dreams, and the reflection of the second generation.

Overall, I enjoy the background setting of this book. Always intrigued by historical fiction, I find this book interesting and eye-opening. However, the translation might not feature a smooth flow throughout the book, and it, personally, gives a slower start.

There are various topics covered in this book, emotional wise, such as friendship and family. Despite the hardship and suffering, the bonding grew between picture bridges is strong and beautiful. Other hard topics that are interesting to dive in would be the historical events and immigrant communities in Hawaii. While I only have little knowledge of the history during this period, these details do make the story vivid and attractive to me.

I think if you enjoy reading historical fictions and/ or have an interest in Asian immigrants to America between the two world wars, this would be the one for you.

I received an advance review copy from the publisher, Forge Books, via NetGally, and my review is provided voluntarily.

[Sofia Kyriaki Kouloufakou · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 1918, Willow left her home in Korea as a picture bride, to go to Hawaii and get married. But not everything is as exciting she thought it would be. With her husband (Taewan) who didn't want to marry her in the first place, and with the rise of different Korean independence movements, bound to bring arguments and strife to Willow's life.

One thing is clear: this book made me more knowledgeable on Korea's history of the time. It depicted the struggles of everyday immigrant life of the time pretty well, how much Koreans felt like outsiders, but how they formed their own community, how they worked until they couldn't function.

The female power on this book is strong: Willow was a 20-year-old when she reached Hawaii, and her evolvement and inner strength to pull it off and make her marriage and family work, was admirable and respectable. But, she had the support of her friends: firstly, Hongju, who even though I didn't like at the beginning, as she grew older, she won my respect. Sonhwa, this precious human being, deserved so much better and she was misunderstood and under-appreciated her whole life. Who I also liked was Pearl, who was just trying to find her place in the world and she felt like not having a proper identity.

I learned so much of the Korean culture and history, and yet I feel like I only know small bits. If you like historical fiction and want to learn a bit about Korean history, this book is for you!

Thank you @netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review! The book is out on October 11th!

[Star Gater · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for accepting my request to audibly read and review The Picture Bride.

Author: Lee Geum-Yi
Published: 10/11/22
Narrator: Joy Osmanski
Genre: Historical Fiction

I had a few issues with this story and one problem. First, my problem, there is an 18 year jump to the future. What happened during that period is what I was waiting for. The author climbed the ladder, I followed and she jumped off. My issues most likely are differences in culture. However, I was waiting for the Author to address the differences and she never did.

I am not repeating the synopsis and I'm trying not to spoil. Is it Asian? Korean? When a woman works tirelessly for years by herself only to let a man back in her life and bed? Nothing was explained.

Some of the book was readable and enjoyable; however most of it was just made up words with no explanations and thus I'm going with 2 stars.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A moving multigenerational family drama following a Korean 'paper bride' who travels to Hawaii to wed a man not really looking for a wife. Willow's journey is incredibly brave and admirable as she fights for the life she's dreamed of, one of education, motherhood and love. Perfect for fans of Peach blossom spring or Pachinko. I really enjoyed learning about the Korean American immigrant experience in Hawaii during the mid-20th century - it's not a place/time period t hat I've read about much in fiction and I found this book incredibly well written and interesting! Great on audio too narrated by Joy Osmanski! Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

[Irina R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have heard before of the traditional marriage arrangements between families through a go-between by only producing pictures of photos of the prospective bride or groom as i come from Asian culture and this used to be a common practise especially in the olden days (but still being in practise even today!).

However,i have not known about the practise among the Koreans and the Japanese in the year 1900's. Therefore, this book did exactly that that is it provides a glimpse of the lives of the Korean picture brides in Hawaii during that era.

The story begin with a Korean woman named Willow where one day a peddler from Pusan known as the 'Pusan Ajimae' (Ajimae is a term used to address an older woman as in an aunty though the person may not actually be related to you as a sign of respect).came into her village by bringing in the news about some Korean men in Hawaii are looking for future brides for marriage. In the previous years, Korean and Japanese men were said to have moved out from their villages and migrated to Hawaii for the economic reasons (making a living and finding a better life and opportunities which they did not get from their hometowns). After years of struggling with hardwork working on the plantations on the island, the men finally thought of finding some wives/companions for themselves,so through the help of a go-between, they tried to find some potential wives by sending home their own pictures/photos.

The go-between's role later on would be to bring around the photos of the grooms searching from a village to a village while bringing news and promoting about the groom to a household in those visited villages, just like how the Pusan Ajimae is doing in this story where while selling her things, she is also bringing the news about the marriage and promoting about the groom at the same time with the hope of securing a potential bride.

This is what exactly happened in the story where Willow and her good friend from her village named Honju later on secured a husband for themselves when the Pusan Ajimae came into their village bringing news about the marriage. Of course while promoting, the Pusan Ajimae tend to glamorised or sugarcoated when describing the qualities and features of the grooms while at the same time both girls were fed with hopes of living a better life and opportunities where it is said that life in Hawaii is so good that even money grows on trees!.

Both girls had different motives of agreeing to be picture brides, for Willow she yearns to seek an education for herself (which surprisingly and to my dismay she never did until the end in the story even after her life gets better later on when she moved to the island to meet with her potential husband!.) and as for Honju she just wants to escape her hard lives and filial duties in the village by marrying a rich and handsome husband!.

So, this book later on showcases what happened to the girls when they moved to the island to live with their future husbands while at the same time portraying the problems encountering the prospective brides upon their meeting with their potential husbands where every wonderful descriptions by the go-between about the potential husbands turned out to be too good to be true or fabrications or lies!. The husbands were neither rich nor handsome!.

Instead,each of the brides landed with having to face their own problems with their potential husbands later on!. (for Willow her husband doesn't even want to marry her, for Honju her husband is a slacker and isn't rich! for one of their friends, Songhwa whom they met while onboard the ship to the island, her husband is too old! (the girls later on made some new friends amongst the other picture brides whom they met on board their ship to the island).

So, this story also provides a glimpse into the lives of these picture brides in facing their own personal problems with their husbands and at the same time trying to survive living in an unfamiliar place with a culture and way of life that is foreign to them, away from their own families. This new life forces them to adopt and adapt with the new environment and culture; starting from changing the way they dress to the kinds of work/jobs they had to do to survive.

We will get to learn more about the good and the bad, the happiness and sadness and the hardships and struggles faced by these women as they bonded with each other and how they overcome their own problems. And yes this is a story of friendship as well as betrayal where the women loyalties and trust towards each other were tested in some point over the differences in political views and stance as this story took place during a critically sensitive and turbulent times where Korea is under the colonization of Japan and the Koreans were striving hard to gain their independence from Japan. The fragile time even forces the women to going to separate churches as each church supports a different political party (yes, that's how divided and polarised they are at that time). The women even went in to separate saloons because of their differences in taking a political stance/sides/support!.

Another aspect that i love about this story is how the women especially Willow (since she is the main character so more focus is given to her in the story and everything is looked based upon her own perspectives!) resiliently trying to build up on their own lives during the absence of their husbands (who either went to war or go training in another country for their independence movement or simply non-existence just like Songhwa's husband who is neglecting and abusing her). To me, only Willow's character stands out the most in this part (of being resilience and hardworking) as she later on switched from working for other people (at the plantations or doing laundries) to working on her own when she set up her own shop,first selling shoes later on diversified to selling Korean embroideries!.Later on, she set up her own laundry service which she teamed up with her friends, Honju and Songhwa and some other lady friends she made. I love how enterprising and smart she is!.

Ok, now the parts that i disliked or did not enjoy. Honestly, the story seem flat,boring,slow and repetitive at times. I find the characters' one dimensional and lack of emotions. The characters lacked depth. And everything happens and switches too fast without proper explanations or details, like poof! moving on to the next scene. Especially in the second part after Willow's daughter, Pearl was introduced. Then suddenly without any explanations/details, the timeline jumps up to a few years later when Pearl already grew up into a young lady (when before that she was only a baby!).

I also notices something's off with the translations and some errors (typo and grammatical) and find some of the sentences did not make sense or sounds weird.

Either way, these blunders did not hinder me from finishing and enjoying this story as thank God it is a fast moving and a short story (too fast at times haha!) otherwise i am afraid of hitting the snooze button!. To me it is exciting to read the story about these women/picture brides despite lacking of depths of their characters and emotions and seeming one-dimensional as i learn something i never knew before about the picture brides and the lives and experiences of the Korean immigrants living in a foreign country (except for the novel Pachinko which i read previously that talks about the lives of the Koreans living in Japan under the Japanese colonization and discriminations). So, this book brought a new perspective to me in that area.

I rated this book a 4🌟 out of 5.

Thank you the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this e-ARC copy!.

[Nadirah · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an absolutely riveting read about three Korean women who immigrated to Hawaii before WW2 in order to become a 'picture bride', a practice that was allowed by the US for 'Orientals' at the time for Korean and Japanese men to send pictures of themselves to their home countries in order to procure a bride to be brought over to them once the matchmaker has found them their prospective brides. (The name of the act was, in fact, the 1924 Immigration - Oriental Exclusion Act.)

The Buddha in the Attic was the first book I read about the practice of picture brides and provided the Japanese POV of it, while "The Picture Bride" provides the perspectives of the Korean counterpart as Willow, Hongju & Songhwa made their way to Hawaii in hopes for a better future for themselves.

The writing can be a bit dry as it is a bit more of telling instead of showing (think Pachinko), but I really liked how the author used the historical background of pre-WW2 Hawaii to show us the different cultures and society that greets these Korean women once they arrive in the former Kingdom of Hawaii (also sad to read how the Queen of Hawaii was overthrown by the US and the kingdom eventually terminated to become part of US's territory; truly the greed of men knows no bounds. To Paradise has an interesting look into the fallout of this incident to the indigenous Hawaiians in its second book if anyone's looking to find out more). I really liked Willow as a character as well, as she shows so much perseverance in the face of a lot of trials and tribulations she had to go through while adapting to a completely different environment and culture.

The final book & all the revelations was a wonderful to wrap up this book, and it's one that I thoroughly enjoyed. Recommended for fans of historical fiction that gives a different perspective on the Koreans during wartime which is very similar in vein to Pachinko and The Island of Sea Women.

[Stacy40pages · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Picture Bride by Lee Geum-yi. Thanks to @forgebooks and @bookishfirst for the gifted Arc ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Willow took a chance on a husband she’d never met. She became on the Picture Brides, brought to Hawaii for marriage solely based on a picture. As she begins life in America, it’s not all she thought it would be.

I loved the first half of this book. I loved following the women and their experience. Their immigration and experience setting into America was intriguing and I knew it really happened that way for so many. About halfway through I lost interest and wasn’t into the storyline as much. It started to get more political and I just wasn’t into that aspect.

“You’re here now, so even if your husband isn’t up to your expectations, make the best of it. Then good days will come.”

The Picture Bride comes out 10/11.