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28th out of 103 books
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Picture Bride
Carrying a photograph of the man she is to marry but has yet to meet, young Hana Omiya arrives in San Francisco, California, in 1917, one of several hundred Japanese "picture brides" whose arranged marriages brought them to America in the early 1900s.
Her story is intertwined with others: her husband Taro Takeda, an Oakland shopkeeper; Kiku and her husband Henry,
...morePaperback, 222 pages
Published
April 1st 1997
by University of Washington Press
(first published 1987)
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I read some of the negative reviews of this book and I wonder if the reason for the negative reviews is just that the reviewers aren't Japanese. It seems that their criticisms are mainly based on the fact that the characters didn't "talk" or react the way they thought they should. It seemed like they didn't relate to the characters due to cultural differences, so they thought them to be unrealistic and/or the writing to be poor.
I am Japanese-American and my grandmother was ...more
I am Japanese-American and my grandmother was ...more
I kinda wanted to give this two stars because I think the subject matter could be interesting, BUT (HUGE HUGE HUGE BUT) this is one of the most poorly written novels I have read in a long time.
It was bland. Uchida loves herself some adverbs. The dialog was laughable. The characters one-dimensional. The setting is vague.(Seriously, if it is 1918 and I can't feel that, see it, know it...understand the almost century difference? That's a problem.)
Marrying a man you don't lo...more
It was bland. Uchida loves herself some adverbs. The dialog was laughable. The characters one-dimensional. The setting is vague.(Seriously, if it is 1918 and I can't feel that, see it, know it...understand the almost century difference? That's a problem.)
Marrying a man you don't lo...more
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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Read this for book club, finished it in time, but I was feeling icky so I didn't go.
I was actually pretty disappointed in this book. There is so much she could have done with this book, so much material she could have worked with to make an amazing story- but it just fell flat. She tried to cram too many years into one small story and it just didn't work. She switches points-of-view way too often, but randomly so it didn't really make much sense. And the characters really show no...more
I was actually pretty disappointed in this book. There is so much she could have done with this book, so much material she could have worked with to make an amazing story- but it just fell flat. She tried to cram too many years into one small story and it just didn't work. She switches points-of-view way too often, but randomly so it didn't really make much sense. And the characters really show no...more
Uchida's tender novel about a young Japanese picture bride who travels alone across the Pacific to marry a man she has never met in 1920 reveals how powerful fiction can be. She told a similar story -- the true one about her mother -- in an earlier nonfiction book, Desert Exile. Both the novel and the memoir trace the lives of Japanese women in America through the anti-Asian laws of the 1920s, the Depression, and finally the internment during World War II. They are both valuable. But Picture ...more
This book reads more like an autobiography/biography written by a non-writer. Simplistic dialogue (and I don't just mean formal conversations between characters, but ALL of it), simplistic thoughts, simplistic explanations, simple sentences.
This topic is not new to me, I grew up in the bay area and was surrounded by people who had been interred or their parents had been (one of my mother's best friends from childhood on was born in a camp). And this book is soooo simplistic.
...more
This topic is not new to me, I grew up in the bay area and was surrounded by people who had been interred or their parents had been (one of my mother's best friends from childhood on was born in a camp). And this book is soooo simplistic.
...more
I liked this book. I thought it was a great read. I loved the historical imprint on it with the Japanese-American internment camps, since this is a section of American History that is often overlooked.
While I didn't find it to be the best writing, I found it to follow the direction of the main character, Hana. Though the sub-plots were pretty see-through. I felt like it could've had some more depth.
I couldn't help but wonder why there was no mention of the Depressio...more
While I didn't find it to be the best writing, I found it to follow the direction of the main character, Hana. Though the sub-plots were pretty see-through. I felt like it could've had some more depth.
I couldn't help but wonder why there was no mention of the Depressio...more
The main character, Hana is a headstrong independent girl from Japan who ventures to America as one of many picture brides. Though her husband is not as she had hoped he would be, the two of them endure years of life together filled with grief, pain, love and laughter. Friends surround and Hana comes to love life in Oakland, CA. She has three miscarriages but has a daughter, Mary, but she too causes grief to Mary. The couple are thrown into the troubles of WWII and Hana and her husband, Taro, en...more
I love this book! I enjoy reading this novel and it was one of my favorite books. My thought of this book was sad and interesting. On the first I thought it going to boring, so I give a try to read this book, until when I got into the middle, I just want to read more and I actually finish it. The part that interest me was when Hana moved to United State to see her future husband (Taro), even though she never see him before!! My thought was like thats weird and crazy, she never see him and dont k...more
I really enjoyed this novel. It tells the story of Hana, a Japanese woman who comes to the United States to marry Taro, a man she has never met in person. They have only exchanged photographs (hence the title--duh). The novel focuses on Hana's relationship with Taro, but also on her friendship with Kiku, another picture bride who she meets when she first comes to the States and who remains her friend throughout their lives. It also deals with Hana's relationship with her daughter Mary, who r...more
Okay, so I read this book for a paper, thinking it can't be that bad... I had low expectations and just hoped to get through it...
The book is crap... it starts out okay, but about 50 pages in I realized that this book was crap... here's a quote
"'I know you have feelings for Kiyoshi Yamaka that you do not have for me.'
'Oh no!' Hana cried out. Seeing the pain in his face, she felt a remorse that overwhelmed her."
"OH NO!" That's all you...more
The book is crap... it starts out okay, but about 50 pages in I realized that this book was crap... here's a quote
"'I know you have feelings for Kiyoshi Yamaka that you do not have for me.'
'Oh no!' Hana cried out. Seeing the pain in his face, she felt a remorse that overwhelmed her."
"OH NO!" That's all you...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Hana is a young Japanese woman who becomes a "picture bride". These women are chosen by perspective husbands, who live in America, and travel from Japan to marry them. It tells of Hana's struggles as a Japanese woman living in America prior to the WWII, and ends with their internment in a prisoner of war camp after the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor.
It was interesting, because of the history of these first Asian immigrants. Some of the dialogue got a little bogged down, but...more
It was interesting, because of the history of these first Asian immigrants. Some of the dialogue got a little bogged down, but...more
We are told the story of Hana, the young & strong Japanese woman who leaves her family to marry a man in California she has never met. The story is one of pride & independence, but also of community & cultural assimilation. Hana struggles to maintain the familiar Japanese culture that is so dear to her, while also striking out to become an American and accept those associated ideals.
I read this in anticipation of teaching it in the fall. Though some portions might be awkward in...more
I read this in anticipation of teaching it in the fall. Though some portions might be awkward in...more
In 1917, Hana Omiya emigrates from Japan to San Francisco to marry a man she has never met. This novel spans Hana's life through two World Wars. It felt too episodic to me; the author does a lot of telling, instead of showing. I personally would have preferred a tighter focus. I know too that I tend to read for the characters; those who enjoy plot-driven fiction may be well-served by this novel.
Michelle
added it
I thought that this book is very personal like. It has a lot of feeling coming from the girl main character and how she made a sacrifice by staying with the old man who was ugly. Although I think that she should of left him and went with the guy that she was cheating with so she could of been happy for life.
I though this book was excellent. The story line seemed accurate, and the way Uchida presented various perspectives and insights on the different characters was nice. So much happened in the book (from the affair to the miscarriage to the camps to Taro's death) that it seemed a bit too much, if that is possible. Additionally, I thought the physical copy was awesome, nice type, easy to read.
I thought that Picture Bride was a good book, but it was very sad. I think it gives a good insight to how the Japanese were treated when they first came to America. It shows their struggles and difficulties that they had to overcome in order to feel liked in this country. I liked this book.
Quick read. Simple language; but a good story. It reminded me of Lisa See's Shanghai Girls. Although this story was written long before Shanghai Girls. I kept expecting the picture bride in this story to end up in a similar situation as the other book. However, her arranged marriage turned out much better. The characters in both books faced horrible hardships coming to the United States. This book serves as a great reminder that America has not been/nor will probably ever really be "...more
I read this for my Diversities class about immigration! It was a great story about this girl who come to the US to get married to someone she has never met before! It was an interesting subject and fun to learn and read about for a class! I actually really liked it! I would recommend it!
I loved this book! I had vaguely heard of Picture Brides but never really knew the full scoop. While this story is fiction I am sure it was representative of at least one persons "wallk" during that time period. It also sheds a lot of light on the atrocitis that America placed on its Japanese American Citizens during World War II. It has a somewhat sad ending but overall the book was a wonderful read.
Very different genre from the books I choose on my own. This was a book club book. Though I didn't make it to book club, I enjoyed reading this book. It was well done. It gave a feel for what the immigrants went through, emotionally and physically.
This was a wonderful book about a picture bride from Japan and eventually her experiences during WWII. When I returned it to the library, I found out it's on some high school reading list this summer. I'd highly recommend it.
This book really stuck with me afterwards. It might be taught in conjuntion with a multicultural unit or with "Monkey Bridge". It was an easy, quick read and had some great concepts.
It was interesting to see this side of the discrimination of Japanese-Americans and the concentration camps in WWII (Although it only touches briefly on that part of the main character's life). I loved to get to know that character and it was hard to see their struggles. It makes me glad I didn't have an arranged marriage though. I think I would have liked this book more if I hadn't been forced to read it for a class but I still thought it was very good.
So I chose this book for book club although I had never read it until now. I am glad that I did.
Although the storyline was fairly predictable as far as history goes I did find myself concerned about the characters. Ms. Uchida has added to the works such as Farwell to Manzanar that shine a light on the life of Japanese in American.
Where as much more extensive research and literature have been published about other aspects of WWII, I find that there needs to be more told about this ti...more
Although the storyline was fairly predictable as far as history goes I did find myself concerned about the characters. Ms. Uchida has added to the works such as Farwell to Manzanar that shine a light on the life of Japanese in American.
Where as much more extensive research and literature have been published about other aspects of WWII, I find that there needs to be more told about this ti...more
This was a great story with great potential, but I really didn't enjoy the writing style.
I enjoyed this novel about a young Japenese picture bride coming to San Fransico to marry a man she has never met. The story tells about the sacrifices of the Japenese-Americans specifically during WWI. The book ends just after the internment of these citizens in camps such as Topaz found in UT.
I enjoyed reading about the cultural differences between our two countries and the sacrifices these people made to fit in in a new culture and community. They had such dreams for themselves whi...more
I enjoyed reading about the cultural differences between our two countries and the sacrifices these people made to fit in in a new culture and community. They had such dreams for themselves whi...more
A book that drags you into the plot and then tells you to keep reading.
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Yoshiko, born on November 24, 1921, was the second daughter of Japanese immigrant parents Takashi and Iku. Her father worked as a businessman for Mitsui and Company in San Francisco, and Iku wrote poetry, passing along her love of literature to her girls. Though the Great Depression raged, the Uchida family enjoyed comforts because of Takashi's well-paying job and their own frugality. Yoshiko lo...more
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