From the Bookshelf of Retro Chapter Chicks …

The Island of Sea Women

Lisa See

Start date: July 1, 2020

Finish date: July 31, 2020

Discussion: Chapter Chick Reading

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Chapter Chick Reading

September-October 2025: The River Knows Your Name
By Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ Jenn Ƹ̴… , Founding Retro Chick · 1 post · 8 views

last updated Aug 23, 2025 07:26PM

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What Members Thought

Apr 30, 2019 Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin rated it really liked it

Shelves: library-book, historical

This book was soo good and sad and did I say good!? It’s now on one of my Amazon wishlists!!

Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾

126 likes · Like · see review

Sep 22, 2020 Book Concierge rated it really liked it

Shelves: culture, historical-fiction, audio, library, friendship, concierge, strong-women, korea

Digital audiobook narrated by Jennifer Lim

See’s work of historical fiction is set on the Korean island of Jeju, and follows Mi-ja and Young-sook, two girls from different backgrounds who become friends. Both begin to apprentice to the women of the island in their unique all-female diving collective. The novel follows these two through several decades – from Japanese colonialism in the 1930s through WWII, the Korean War, and into modern times.

I really liked this work, particularly for what I le ...more

16 likes · Like · see review

Oct 10, 2019 Celia rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: ten-year-challenge, 2019-read, historical-fiction-read, elyse, wwii, christian-book-club

Lisa See has written a beautiful novel describing the fierce and unforgettable female divers of Jeju Island and the dramatic history that shaped their lives.

Her outstanding book follows the lives of Mi-ja and Young-sook, two haenyeos – women divers from the South Korean island of Jeju – who support their families by harvesting plants and animals from the ocean. This is a multi-generational story which outlines not only love, but much tragedy.

I had read another book about haenyeo entitled White C ...more

14 likes · Like · see review

Mar 26, 2019 Kris (My Novelesque Life) rated it liked it

Shelves: arc-netgalley, fiction, historical-fiction, elibrary, audiobook, publisher-invite, 1900s, asia

RATING: 3 STARS
2019; Scribner/Simon & Schuster Canada
(Review Not on Blog)

I loved See's Snow Flower and the Secret Fan and really enjoyed The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane, but I just didn't get into this story. The book felt long, with the story seeming like a ramble about the history of "sea women". The storyline of WWII and friendships gets lost in the history lesson. One of the things I loved about Snow Flower and the Secret Fan was the characterizations so it was sad to see there wasn't that ...more

7 likes · Like · see review

Apr 08, 2019 Lory Sakay rated it really liked it

Shelves: book-club-reads

This is an amazing story about friendship, betrayal, trauma, resilience, and human self-preservation. Lisa See's reach into a relationship, spanning across war-torn generations, was touching and unremarkable. It is evident that See spent a lot of time and effort in researching the history of the haenyeo and of South Korea/Jeju Island, but I think where the book fell a bit short for me was in her intertwining of the fact and fiction. These sections seemed to be compartmentalized; either I was com ...more

6 likes · Like · see review

Jul 25, 2020 Tasha rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction

Another interesting and informative read by Lisa See. Clearly well-researched and I found the parts about the sea diving fascinating. I never knew this was a thing! So impressed with the women who do this!

6 likes · Like · see review

Jul 01, 2020 Samantha rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction, korea, owned

Review to come

5 likes · Like · see review

Feb 10, 2023 Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ Jenn Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ Schu rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical-fiction, cultural, winter-2022-challenge

“They did this to me. They did that to me. A woman who thinks that way will never overcome her anger. You are not being punished for your anger. You're being punished by your anger.”

“To understand everything is to forgive.”

The Island of Sea Women is set on Jeju Island, off the South Korean peninsula. The story is about sisterhood and friendship and has beautiful prose, historical depth, and superb character development.
The book covers several decades of Korean history, from the Japanese occupati ...more

2 likes · Like · see review