Welcome back to my book blog! Today I'll be writing about what I just finished reading, a book called Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford.
Book Title: Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
Author: Jamie Ford
Genre: Historical Fiction
Page Length: 370 pages
This is another really great historical fiction novel! If you read my last post, you'd know that I don't usually read historical fiction, but I really enjoyed these two books. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet is a little more based on history than the Fountains of Silence, and they are very different books, but they have similar elements of romance, history, and tragedy.
Henry is a Chinese-American boy with a strictly traditional Chinese father. His family sends him to a white school on scholarship, and he works in the kitchen during lunch. He's bullied by the Chinese kids in his neighborhood (Chinatown) because of going to a white school, and he's bullied by the white kids at school for being Chinese. And to make it all harder, World War II is going on and anti-Japanese feelings are incorrectly affecting Henry. His father is very anti-Japanese, because of China fighting Japan. The other main character, Keiko, is a Japanese-American girl with a very loving and progressive family. Her family loves jazz music and is very American. They live in Nihonmachi, or Japantown, and Keiko attends the same white school that Henry attends, on scholarship. Keiko also works in the kitchen during lunch, and that is where they meet. Being the only two Asians in the school, they quickly become friends and allies. As they become even closer, they start to fall in love. They enjoy jazz music together with their homeless black musician friend named Sheldon. However, all of this is torn apart by tragedy suddenly when all people of Japanese descent are ordered to be put into internment camps. Keiko is taken away, leaving behind a heartbroken Henry. Can they find their way back to each other despite the distance?
This story takes place both in 1942 Seattle and in 1986 Seattle. Chapters vary in setting and focus. The book is written in 3rd person. I think anyone who enjoys historical books will love this book and if you like learning about World War II from a personal standpoint, taking place in the PNW. Seattle was really different back in the 1940s and 50s, and this novel can really introduce you to what it was like. I read this book because it was an assignment for school, but I ended up really enjoying it. If I had to give this book a star rating, I'd give it 5 out of 5 stars! To learn more about Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, visit its Wikipedia page or its Google Books page.
Thanks for reading! I hope you liked this post. If you have any suggestions or recommendations, comment below or at Love, Emily. See you next time!
Book Title: Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
Author: Jamie Ford
Genre: Historical Fiction
Page Length: 370 pages
This is another really great historical fiction novel! If you read my last post, you'd know that I don't usually read historical fiction, but I really enjoyed these two books. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet is a little more based on history than the Fountains of Silence, and they are very different books, but they have similar elements of romance, history, and tragedy.
Henry is a Chinese-American boy with a strictly traditional Chinese father. His family sends him to a white school on scholarship, and he works in the kitchen during lunch. He's bullied by the Chinese kids in his neighborhood (Chinatown) because of going to a white school, and he's bullied by the white kids at school for being Chinese. And to make it all harder, World War II is going on and anti-Japanese feelings are incorrectly affecting Henry. His father is very anti-Japanese, because of China fighting Japan. The other main character, Keiko, is a Japanese-American girl with a very loving and progressive family. Her family loves jazz music and is very American. They live in Nihonmachi, or Japantown, and Keiko attends the same white school that Henry attends, on scholarship. Keiko also works in the kitchen during lunch, and that is where they meet. Being the only two Asians in the school, they quickly become friends and allies. As they become even closer, they start to fall in love. They enjoy jazz music together with their homeless black musician friend named Sheldon. However, all of this is torn apart by tragedy suddenly when all people of Japanese descent are ordered to be put into internment camps. Keiko is taken away, leaving behind a heartbroken Henry. Can they find their way back to each other despite the distance?
This story takes place both in 1942 Seattle and in 1986 Seattle. Chapters vary in setting and focus. The book is written in 3rd person. I think anyone who enjoys historical books will love this book and if you like learning about World War II from a personal standpoint, taking place in the PNW. Seattle was really different back in the 1940s and 50s, and this novel can really introduce you to what it was like. I read this book because it was an assignment for school, but I ended up really enjoying it. If I had to give this book a star rating, I'd give it 5 out of 5 stars! To learn more about Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, visit its Wikipedia page or its Google Books page.
Thanks for reading! I hope you liked this post. If you have any suggestions or recommendations, comment below or at Love, Emily. See you next time!
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