Rated 5 stars ***** ARC. ebook. Forge (Tom Doherty Associates). Published October 11, 2022.
It is 1917 in a small village in Korea, where females were not valued. Willow loved learning but had been pulled out of school at a young age when her father died so she could help her mother care for her brothers. Though now eighteen years old, Willow desperately wanted to return to school. Her best friend Hongju had been married, but her husband died after two months. As tradition dictated, she would have to live in solitude as a widow for the rest of her life. Songhwa was an outcast because she came from a shaman family and didn’t know her father. Each was desperate to leave the box in which they were caged.
When a matchmaker told them they could marry Korean husbands in Hawaii they were thrilled. After choosing a husband from various photos, and mailing one of their own, they were ready to begin a new life in paradise. Being a Picture Bride and traveling thousands of miles away meant they would never see their families again, but they were willing to take their chances.
Once in Hawaii, the women found their new lives in their arranged marriages to be much more difficult than promised, but they worked hard and endured much to make a better life for themselves and their children. In time the three friends would be swept up in helping each other survive, and in the movement to free Korea from Japanese control. “The Picture Bride” is a Korean immigrant story of survival, courage, friendship and strength.
Men in the Old West married Mail Order Brides, where the two set up a correspondence and got to know each other before meeting. Unfortunately, Korean Picture Brides “met” their future husbands through photos and many found out when they arrived that they had been tricked with a much older husband. Readers learn about the difficulties of being a picture bride as well as important information about Korea’s fight for independence. “The Picture Bride” is a great Book Club discussion book.
Highly recommended for Adults.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
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