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What Members Thought
Wow! Such a great book! I loved it! Such a sweet story (at times a little bitter) with nothing dirty or bad or tragic or terrible. Felt so familiar with all the references to Seattle, made me miss home. :) I love historical fiction, was glad to read that it's based on facts. Gives it more weight and makes it feel like I know more about this slice of time. Altho there were a few 'yah right' moments, overall it was a great story!
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I LOVED this book until the last 20 pages or so. The ending was so wrong and so facile. Quite a disappointment after so much that moved me. Still I preferred this to Snow Falling on Cedars which is set in the same era and similar background story. I really liked the narrator, Henry, and the ending should have made me happy. Instead I just felt cheated. Read it for the father/son conflict, the lasting of love throughout the decades and the ability to choose between good and best. I just wish the
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I really enjoyed this book. I'm usually not a fan of coming of age stories but this is a delicious exception. The story takes place in Seattle during World War ll. It's the story of a young Chinese boy who makes friends with a young Japanese girl. Needless to say, life is difficult for both of them even though they are "safe" in America. Great historical information which will be surprising and perhaps a bit shaming. It reminded me a bit of Snow Falling on Cedars. I read it in a couple of days a
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I really liked this book. I learned a lot about the history of what was going on on a different front (the Pacific Northwest) during WWII, especially to the Japanese Americans. I found the characters believable & engaging. The "love story" was tender, moving, realistic and squeeky clean. As I was describing the book to my husband I said (without thinking) that it was a bitter-sweet ending. Then it hit me. That is part of the title. Brilliant.
The only thing that really bugged me about the book wa ...more
The only thing that really bugged me about the book wa ...more
I would have to agree with Kim G. 4.5 stars! Not all the way 5 simply because I wasn't dying to pick it up every second...if you know what I mean.
I learned so much about life in Seattle during WWII and even a little jazz history. The relationship and friendship lessons from this story are remarkable.
I also LOVED that there was NO bad language or questionable material! Great read....technically I listened,
I guess.
PS. This is the FIRST book I have actually finished since Stanley was born! He is ...more
I learned so much about life in Seattle during WWII and even a little jazz history. The relationship and friendship lessons from this story are remarkable.
I also LOVED that there was NO bad language or questionable material! Great read....technically I listened,
I guess.
PS. This is the FIRST book I have actually finished since Stanley was born! He is ...more
"Sentimental, heartfelt….the exploration of Henry’s changing relationship with his family and with Keiko will keep most readers turning pages...A timely debut that not only reminds readers of a shameful episode in American history, but cautions us to examine the present and take heed we don’t repeat those injustices."-- Kirkus Review
I loved this story. It was beautifully written..a page turner!
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I loved this story. It was beautifully written..a page turner!
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I liked learning about some of the issues that book presented; issues that happened in our country during a period of war told through the lives of fictional characters.
I LOVED this book. I didn't want it to end. Good, clean, easy read.
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Excellent book!
I just can't do it. I listened to the auidobook and it must have been the reader. There is a good story line, but it just wasn't keeping my attention. Plus, all the flashbacks by audio can get confusing. Maybe one day I'll find the book and read the end myself, but for now I'm just giving up and moving on.
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This was a mellow read. Great topics about family relationships, traditions, love and history. There was a surprise I didn't see coming, which was nice and I liked how it moved from the past to the present in different chapters, keeping a bit of mystery but also giving understanding.
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I really enjoyed this book. I found myself trying to read faster to see what happened next. I love the time period, and appreciated the different point of view. This is definitely something I'd refer to a friend.
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I'm not a picky book reader. I actually really liked this book. Super easy read which I needed after 'code name verity' :) which was really good once I wasn't lost for more then half of the book. :)
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This is a 3.5. The reason I couldn't make myself do a 4 is because I wasn't able to invest in the characters until the second half, but then I was hooked. Good story.
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Beautifully written, truly bitter and sweet - a poignant story of love and loss and the treasure that makes up our memories. I highly recommend it.
Beautiful story...beautifully written. The best book I've read in a while...loved it!
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Very good story. Great narrator. Beautiful love story.
Jul 13, 2011
Teri
marked it as to-read
Dec 27, 2011
Kathee
marked it as to-read
Jan 25, 2012
Stacey
added it
Oct 02, 2012
Lindy
marked it as to-read
