For fans of Lisa Wingate’s Before We Were Yours and Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko, a deeply moving novel that follows two Korean sisters separated by World War II. Korea, 1943. Hana has lived her entire life under Japanese occupation. As a haenyeo, a female diver of the sea, she enjoys an independence that few other Koreans can still claim. Until the day Hana saves her younger sister from a Japanese … Hana saves her younger sister from a Japanese soldier and is herself captured and transported to Manchuria. There she is forced to become a “comfort woman” in a Japanese military brothel. But haenyeo are women of power and strength. She will find her way home.
South Korea, 2011. Emi has spent more than sixty years trying to forget the sacrifice her sister made, but she must confront the past to discover peace. Seeing the healing of her children and her country, can Emi move beyond the legacy of war to find forgiveness?
Suspenseful, hopeful, and ultimately redemptive, White Chrysanthemum tells a story of two sisters whose love for each other is strong enough to triumph over the grim evils of war.
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I enjoyed the story but it was very sad. It tells the story of one young Korean girl’s capture by the Japanese and placed brothel to pleasure the Japanese soldiers. It is uplifting in the end
It is a difficult subject but the author does a great job of connecting to the characters, making them real and building suspense. Story-line works from beginning to end and it does a great job of enlightening the reader on Korea, Korean history, as well as dealing with the issue of rape and women’s shame.
Intense but great read.
Tragic story told with frankness, feeling, and respect. I couldn’t put it down.
Excellent book,enjoyed the authors work
A well-researched novel based on the stories of the Korean women who were kidnapped and forced to provide sexual services to Japanese servicemen during World War 11. It is enhanced by its focus on the stories of two sisters who were part of the pearl-diving tradition passed down through some Japanese families.
This is a heart-breaking story of two sisters, torn apart by wartime enslavement. The story begins on the Korean island of Jeju. A haenyeo diver and her oldest daughter are diving while the younger sister is on shore, with their catch. The older sister surfaces to see her younger sister in harm’s way of a Japanese soldier. To protect her little sister, she distracts the soldier, becoming his victim and forced into the role of a comfort woman. I loved Lisa Lee’s Island of Sea Women in which I was introduced to the fascinating haenyeo custom. White Chrysanthemum explores the threat and horror of Korean females who became victims during the war between Korea and Japan. With the plight of the sisters and their family enduring such tragedy, the title and the Japanese symbolism of the white chrysanthemum couldn’t be more appropriate. The writing and narration flow beautifully, and the exposure of such horrendous acts and virulent outcomes are haunting. Interesting to learn that it was during a trip to her Korean mother’s childhood village that the author first became aware of the comfort women.
One of the best books I have read all year!
It really makes you wonder what other heinous things go on during war times.
This is a sad story to read, but it IS based on history. The characters were believable, and the ending was vague enough to be satisfyingly happy.
Excellent. History few know about, but should.
I like easy reads occasionally that are clean, funny and entertaining. This fit the bill!
Tragic but a history lesson of the worse kind. War is a terrible thing with atrocities that people place on other human beings.
a really good book. chilling, what happened
Very moving and exceptionally well written. An original story but exploring historical events.
It was good to learn about a bit of history with which I was unfamiliar but the graphic descriptions of the brutality was not to my taste.
Well written engaging story though and the subject matter is a bit dark
Absolutely a ‘must’ read for anyone who is interested in Japanese / Korean culture and mores.
Fascinating page-turner.of a life I could never have imagined!
MFY
Such a sad story. An eye opener as to how women were viewed by men.
I read, I cried and couldn’t put down this beautifully written book.