It took me several chapters to connect with, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, mainly because I was unfamiliar with the setting and context. However once I appreciated this I was hooked. It is a moving story of 'first love' between a Chinese boy Henry, and a Japanese girl Keiko, living in Seattle during World War II. The book lives up to the expectation of being both bitter and sweet.The book was well written and I enjoyed the way Jamie Ford weaved his story around historical events, creating believable characters and situations. The story jumps between 1942-1945 and 1986. Sometimes I would have liked it to have jumped more often as it was good to have respite from some of the war events and know that Henry does survive it all despite many challenges. I do like happy endings and I was completely satisfied with this one, not only for the main characters but also for the other relationships. I read this book as part of my book club and I'm glad I did. The title of the book is called Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, by Jamie Ford. The book was about a boy named Henry Lee a Chinese American boy who goes to a school where all white kids bullied him and ignored him. Until, Henry meets Keiko Okabe a Japanese American student. They became great of friends until one day Keiko and her family were transferred to the internment camps because of the Pearl Harbor Bombing (World War II ). The general theme of this book is Historical Fiction. I absolutely love this book. I love how every chapter goes back and forth, changing to his childhood with Keiko and then to his present life. I like how Jamie Ford wrote the plot and how his writing skills are unique. His characters are believable like could been based on a true story. When I read the book it makes me feel like I was there and experiencing the emotions they’re going through.
Although I'm not usually fond of flashback narratives, I really enjoyed the way this story was told. The basic premise is 12-year-old Chinese-American boy meets Japanese-American girl in 1940s Seattle, shortly before the Japanese are sent to internment camps. 40 years later, personal items once belonging to those families are discovered in the basement of an old hotel. Henry, now in his 50s and recently widowed, is inspired to look for an old jazz record there... Loved the details about the Seattle jazz scene, its once-flourishing Japantown and the nearby park with its special tree. Themes of parent-child, sacrifice during wartime, and what is means to find your soulmate.
—jes
Ļoti sentimentāla grāmata par ķīniešiem, japāņiem un citiem ASV ieceļotājiem, par viņu savstarpējām attiecībām un attiecībām ar valsti, kurā tie dzīvo. Nebiju nekad iedziļonājusies Ķīnas-Japānas karadarbībās, bet šajā grāmatā atklājas, kā tās ietekmējušas ķīniešu un japāņu dzīvi, lai arī kādā valstī tie dzīvotu.Visā visumā stāsts par mīlestību un cieņu. Sava veida Romeo un Džuljetas retrospekcija.Kopumā patika un bija interesanti.
—Abby
I enjoyed this book very much.
—Woody
Why didn't I write anything?
—tkodavati
3.5.
—Vanney223
