Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet: Review and Giveaway

I have an admission to make. When I first got this book, I looked at the cover and liked what I saw. To me, there is something inherently romantic about rain and umbrellas, and a sense of innocence and possibility is also captured in this golden-hued cover. I am drawn to books that are pleasing to the eye, and this cover is lovely. I wanted to read it right away, and I did. But does this book live up to its cover?

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, published in 2009, is a New York Times bestseller, the debut novel of Jamie Ford. It's the story of Henry Lee, the protagonist, a 12-year-old Chinese American boy, who meets a pretty, 12-year-old Japanese American girl, Keiko Okabe, at Rainier Elementary School in Seattle. They're the only Asians at school, and are taunted by the other kids. Henry and Keiko work together in the school cafeteria at lunchtime, share canned fruit, and develop a special friendship, which turns into young love. (I've heard this criticized by other reviewers, saying they are too young, but I have friends from my own childhood who had first-loves at the young age of 12 or 13, so I know it's entirely possible.) From the start, though, there is a problem with their relationship.

"His father hated the Japanese. Not because they they sank the USS Arizona--he hated them because they'd been bombing Chongqing, nonstop, for the last four years. Henry's father had never even been there, but he knew that the provisional capital of Chiang Kai-shek had already become the most-bombed city in history."
~Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, Jamie Ford

Henry's father, a Chinese nationalist, forbids his son to see Keiko, but Henry follows his own heart, which leads him to Nihonmachi, or Japantown, Keiko's home. The novel begins in 1986, outside of the Panama Hotel, with the discovery of the belongings of thirty-seven Japanese American families who were banished to internment camps during World War II. The Panama Hotel divides Seattle's Chinatown from Japantown, and is also significant as a meeting place in the story. This discovery at the hotel, and a painted parasol in particular, brings back Henry's memories of Keiko, who was evacuated with her family to the internment camps more than forty years earlier. Henry, now a widower (his wife, Ethel, has recently died of cancer), is in the midst of trying to mend his relationship with his son, Marty, and he also thinks about his past and Keiko. The book is told in the split-narrative, and is easy to follow because each chapter is dated as 1986 or 1942 (or 1945).

I don't want to say too much about the plot of this tender tale, because I hope you'll read it for yourself. Words cannot adequately express how I experienced this novel, how this book touched me, or how this story will remain with me. But I will say that I enjoyed it greatly, and learned about the Japanese internment during World War II, the racial tensions of the 1940's, as well as Oscar Holden and Seattle's flourishing jazz scene. Jamie Ford is quite a talented writer, and this book does live up to its cover.

Exciting news! The publisher is offering one copy of the book (the trade paperback version) as a giveaway (US/Canada only).

• To enter this giveaway, simply leave a comment.
• For an extra chance at winning, become a follower of this blog, or let me know that you're already a follower.
• For an additional chance, post about this contest on your blog, Facebook, or Twitter.

Enter by 5 PM PST on Sunday, February 28. The winner will be selected randomly, and announced on Monday, March 1. Good luck!

Special thanks to Lisa from TLC and Random House for sending me this book. For more reviews of this book, visit the other stops on the Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet book tour. Please stop by again on February 10 for an exclusive interview with the author, Jamie Ford.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet counts toward Jennie's China Challenge.

Shanghai Girls: Review and Giveaway

When was the last time a book made you cry? I mean really cry, so much that you worried about your tears wetting and ruining the pages? Shanghai Girls, a well-researched historical novel by bestselling author Lisa See, did that to me. There is one chapter fairly early in the book that's so heartwrenching I cried and gasped and felt sickened. I thought about this chapter for days. While I won't reveal what happens in that chapter, I will say that it has to do with life during wartime, which is brutal and atrocious and shocking, but also, I imagine, very true to life, because war is more awful than anything imaginable. But I don't want to discourage others from reading this book (although I think it's for mature readers only), because it's a brilliant novel. Just be prepared to experience some heavy emotion.

Published in 2009, Shanghai Girls takes place between 1937 and 1957. The book begins in Shanghai, and is the story of the Chin sisters, May, age 18, the little sister or moy moy, and Pearl, age 21, the elder sister or jie jie. They are "beautiful girls", which means they are models.

"We are young, we are beautiful, and we live in the Paris of Asia."
~Shanghai Girls, Lisa See

They pose for an artist, Z.G. Li, who paints them on omnipresent calendars, posters, and advertisements. (They also adorn the stunning cover of this book.) May is considered the more beautiful of the two because of her porcelain complexion, at least by her father, Baba, whereas Pearl, the more educated of the two, blushes easily and has "cheeks which capture the sun".

"Am I jealous of my sister? How can I be jealous even when I adore her? We share Long--Dragon--as our generational name. I am Pearl Dragon and May is Beautiful Dragon. She's taken the Western spelling of her name, but in Mandarin mei is one of the words for beautiful, and she is that."
~Shanghai Girls, Lisa See

Privileged in many ways, the Chin sisters earn money to spend on themselves, and live a life of relative luxury. Their father owns a rickshaw business, and the family is prosperous enough to employ seven servants. Beautiful, young, and idealistic, Pearl and May live in the present, and think things will always remain the same. Thoroughly modern girls who've escaped many of the old traditions, such as foot-binding, which has crippled their mother, they expect to marry for love. But their circumstances change suddenly and drastically, and with the onset of World War II, they must become survivors--rather than beautiful girls. In the book, which is told in the present tense by Pearl, the girls undergo many hardships, including a loss of financial status, the threat of arranged marriages, the Japanese occupation of China, and the need to leave their beloved Shanghai. Although their natures may be "set" by the Chinese zodiac--Pearl is a Dragon, strong and stubborn, while May is a Sheep, peaceful and adorable--throughout the book the sisters change and develop and mature. While May's great beauty continues to open doors, she also shows that she has intelligence and ambition, while Pearl displays her ability to adapt, and her softer side emerges. What doesn't change, though, is their love and support for each other, although there are the rivalries which may always exist between sisters.

Shanghai Girls has an intimate feel to it which drew me in from the very first page of the book (to determine if you'd also be drawn in, you can read an excerpt). I felt as if I were reading Pearl's diary. Lisa See's exquisite attention to detail cast me back in time to the exotic, international city of Shanghai (and later to other locales). I imagined myself pulled in a rickshaw, tasting savory dishes of shrimp with water chestnuts and dumplings or chia-tzu. In this novel, I learned about World War II from a Chinese perspective, and also about China's civil war, and deepened my appreciation for historical fiction. I discovered many things about Chinese culture and thought, such as that the Cantonese word for wife is fu yen, which means woman and broom--which should scare off even the most marriage-minded Chinese girl! There are a few surprises sprinkled throughout the novel, which made for an even more compelling read. Thankfully, there will be a sequel, because I'm quite eager to know what happens next.

Exciting news! The publisher is generously offering two copies of Shanghai Girls (the trade paperback version) as giveaways (US/Canada only).

• To enter this giveaway, simply leave a comment.
• For an extra chance at winning, become a follower of this blog, or let me know that you're already a follower.
• For another additional chance, post about this contest on your blog, Facebook, or Twitter.

Enter by 5 PM PST on Thursday, January 28. Two lucky winners will be selected randomly, and announced on Friday, January 29. Good luck!

Special thanks to Lisa from TLC for including me on this book tour, and to Kathleen from Random House for sending me the book. Having read Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, which I adored and shared with my daughter, Jasmine, I was determined to read another Chinese-themed novel by Lisa See. For more reviews and other giveaways of this novel, please visit the other stops on the Shanghai Girls book tour.

Shanghai Girls counts toward Jennie's China Challenge, and the Women Unbound Reading Challenge, hosted by Aarti, Care, and Eva.

Sky Train

Once again, I must admit my ignorance. Like many others, I associated Tibet with China without thinking too much about it. I was aware of Tibet's recent struggles, but as soon as I began reading Sky Train: Tibetan Women on the Edge of History, I realized how little I knew about the modern history of Tibet.

Briefly, the Communist Party of China gained control of central and western Tibet after a military victory at Chamdo in 1950. Many Tibetans have been killed and imprisoned since then, and thousands have left the country to live in India and elsewhere. Today, the Communist Party of China rules occupied Tibet under Chinese President Hu Jintao. However, Tibetans both inside Tibet and in exile, recognize the Tibetan government-in-exile, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, based in Dharamsala, India as their legitimate government. March 10, 2009 marked the fiftieth anniversary of one of the most important dates in Tibetan history, the National Uprising of 1959, when Tibetans demonstrated against Chinese rule and the Dalai Lama was forced to escape into exile (and has lived there ever since).

This new book, by activist, artist, and author Canyon Sam, presents a striking portrait of Tibet, rugged and remote and spiritual, through the true stories of four Tibetan women: an educator, a freedom fighter, a gulag survivor, and a child bride. Canyon Sam is a third-generation Chinese American from San Francisco. Originally she had planned to spend a year in China, but instead traveled to and fell in love with Tibet in 1986. As a Chinese American, Canyon Sam felt a sense of guilt over how the Chinese treated Tibetans, but she realized that the Chinese Communist Party and rulers (who are not elected), not the Chinese people collectively, are responsible. During her stay in Tibet, she interviewed many Tibetan women about their lives. In 2007, she revisited the women who had been a part of her oral history project, and the result is this book. She whittled down the manuscript to the stories of four courageous and resilient women, Choekyi Namseling, Rinchen Dolma Taring, Sonam Choedron, and Mrs. Paljorkhyimsar, who give a more personal, hidden account of Tibet's history, and the author also discusses the changes brought by the controversial new railroad which links Beijing-to-Lhasa, the sky train.

As one of the first to read and review Sky Train, I am grateful. I learned a great deal about a part of the world I was quite unfamiliar with. It was difficult for me to read parts of this book--the years of torture and harsh treatment received in prison are especially awful--but the spirit and strength and humor of these women is inspiring. This is an illuminating book about Tibet's people and history, and it highlights the remarkable strength of Tibetan women.

"Though Chinese forces had obliterated almost all the monasteries, seized the land, killed a part of the population, banned Buddhism, and run tens of thousands out of the country, including their leader, the Chinese were never able to destroy the spiritual faith and values Tibetans held inside."
~Sky Train, Canyon Sam

Special thanks to Canyon Sam and Rachael Levay for sending me this book.

Miscellanous Musings

Last month, I was honored by two new awards from fellow book bloggers. Cathy from One eyed stuffed bunny and. . . gave me a B-I-N-G-O Award, while Mel from The Reading Life gave me a Lemonade Award. Thanks, Cathy and Mel! I'm honored by these awards and display them on my blog (at least for the time being--if I get many more, I may need to keep them in a separate post). I'm not distributing any awards today because I know far too many deserving blogs, but please feel free to "steal" these awards and give them out if you desire.

Today I found out that I won a copy of The Blue Star from Laura's Reviews. Many thanks to Laura and the Hatchette Book Group--I can't wait to read this book!

Until late August, I'd resisted joining any organized reading challenges. I noticed that several bloggers, including Amanda from The Zen Leaf, Mel from The Reading Life, and Mee from Books of Mee, seemed to do a lot of challenges. To make up for lost time, I joined four reading challenges: Rebecca's Spice of Life, Belleza's third Japanese Literature Challenge, Carl V.'s R.I.P. IV, and Jennie's China Challenge. These challenges are not overly ambitious for me. I've already completed the Spice of Life challenge at the level of A Taste.

My friend, Laura, just started a blog about the process of writing a screenplay, called aptly, Screenplay 101. Please stop by her blog to welcome her when you have a moment!


Update, 5:00 PM: Laura from Laura's Reviews just gave me three more awards, which now adorn my blog: a Super Comments Award, a Superior Scribbler Award, and a Zombie Chicken Award.

Wow! I am triply honored! Amanda from The Zen Leaf commented that the Zombie Chicken Award is too cool to not give to others. Nor do I wish to risk the wrath of zombie chickens by not not sharing this grand award, officially described below:

"The blogger who receives this award believes in the Tao of the zombie chicken-- excellence, grace, and persistence in all situations, even in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. These amazing bloggers regularly produce content so remarkable that their readers would brave a raving pack of zombie chickens just to be able to read their inspiring words. As a recipient of this world-renowned award, you now have the task of passing it on to at least 5 other worthy bloggers. Do not risk the wrath of the zombie chickens by choosing unwisely or not choosing at all."

I hereby bestow this prestigious award upon the following blogs:

Bending Bookshelf
Bibliophile by the Sea
Books on the Brain
Giving...Reading-A Chance
One eyed stuffed bunny and. . .
Sam's Book Blog
The Reading Life
Writing Space

Congratulations to each of you!