16-year-old Hana dives with her mother as Jeju’s female sea divers “haenyeo” during the Japanese occupation of Korea. One day, she is taken by a Japanese soldier, sacrificing herself to protect her little sister, and ends up as a “comfort woman” for Japanese soldiers in Manchuria. Paralleling her story is her younger sister’s story as a grandma, recounting her life after Hana’s kidnapping, always expecting a reunion with her sister one day.

Bracht’s matter of fact description of the treatment of Korean girls comes across as the brutality it had to be, and it’s a hard, but necessary, read. I had heard of comfort women, but she brings the concept down to an individual level for better understanding. History is woven into the story seamlessly, and characters remain true to themselves while becoming part of that history. Hana is left stronger in a situation that prevents her from returning home, but Bracht gives her a bittersweet ending without romanticizing it (maybe a little bit).

Readers who appreciate historical fiction that paints a less pretty and more realistic portrait of atrocities perpetrated on the most vulnerable of society will like this story that brings it down to a personal level for clarity and emotional response. If you love complex characters in impossible situations, read this story.

I was fortunate to receive this ARC through a Goodreads giveaway.

Thanks PENGUIN GROUP Putnam and netgalley for this ARC,

Sad but enduring quality that will keep you reading and invested in the story. Learned a lot about the time period and setting. This is a book that makes you want to talk and discuss it with others.

White Chrysanthemum is the story of two sisters, Hana and Emi. Told mainly around 1943 in Korea but does tell Emi's tale from later in life during a more modern time. I read a lot of historical fiction from that time period but it is mainly set in Europe or the United States. This is the first I have read of what happened during WWII to families and women in that part of the world. Horrifying and tragic, White Chrysanthemum is sometimes very uncomfortable and hard to read. This is a story that needs to be told as I believe many people are unaware of the things that went on in Korea during that time period. I had to google many things while reading this book, the main term being Comfort Women. Thank you to author Mary Lynn Bracht for telling this story; we must learn what happened to these people and never forget.

I loved White Chrysanthemums, but it won't be for everyone. It's graphic and disturbing descriptions of sexual and emotional abuse are at times hard to push through, but add to its authenticity and give the characters incredible depth. The portrayal of the brave and fiercely independent haenyeo women who supported themselves and their families by diving into the sea to gather and sell edible treasures, was captivating. This story introduced me to another dimension of wartime evil, the capturing of girls and young women to serve as "comfort women" for the troops. The story is told in alternating perspectives, the girl kidnapped and forced into sexual slavery, and the sister left behind. Readers who enjoyed Amanda Lindhout's A House in the Sky should run not walk to the nearest bookstore to pick this one up.

I received a complimentary, review copy of White Chrysanthemums in exchange for my candid review.

This is a well written book telling a compelling story. I didn't enjoy reading it but at times I couldn't put it down. It is about "Comfort Women " during Japanese occupation of Korea. The soldiers would capture/kidnap these young Korean girls and beat them, rape them, take their from their families. I've been told this is not unusual in a war but it's the first time I've known of it. Hana is the 16 yr old whose story is told. I would think that it would be very difficult and depressing to write her story but it definitely needed to be told. It is not a book for the faint of heart but it is worth reading. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy for my honest review.

Definitely a tragic story, this was a bit harder for me to get into and stay as engaged with... the jumping between 2 characters didn't work for me as much as it usually does. Some of what happened to one character seemed rather incredible. Sad story, and definitely one more people should be aware of.

This book was provided by Netgalley in exchange for a review.

I love historical fiction, and especially historical fiction set in Asia, but I just couldn't deal with the subject matter. I wanted to learn more about the women who were hanyeo, but the descriptions of what happened with the comfort women were too much for me.

This is a tough book to read, but it is worth learning about the "comfort women" from Korea. Japan occupied Korea, and brutalized many Korean women to become sexual slaves. It is a sad period in human history, but one that should never be forgotten. Hana is taken by Morimoto when she hides her younger sister, Emi. Hana's plight is at times graphic, but the story will stay in your mind and break your heart. Emi's story is told from the perspective of a grandmother in 2011, eventually revealing the secrets of her family. Well written, this is an important book to read.

I'm always interested in WWII historical fiction, but I knew absolutely nothing about Korean history during and after this time in history. This book gave a glimpse of that history and it was fascinating and heartbreaking. I had heard about "comfort women" before but never read anything in detail. This is a must read in my opinion.

The story is about a girl named Hana and her a sister, Emi. Hana is a haenyeo, a female diver for fish who lives with her family on Jeju island. She is captured by Japanese soldiers and sacrifices herself to save her sister. She becomes a comfort woman and serves soldiers in a brothel.

The story is told is alternating chapters from the point of view of Hana and her sister. Hana's story is about her captivity and escape attempts, and Emi's story is about an old woman, who unbeknownst to her family, has been searching for her sister for her entire life.

This is a poignant and touching book. I highly recommend it.

Thanks to G.P. Putnam Sons and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What did I know about Korean history before reading this book? Absolutely nothing. So this was a very 'eye opening' experience. Teen aged Hana is a haenyeo, one of the famed female divers of beautiful Jeju Island. The year is 1943 and Korea is occupied by the Japanese army. Females disappear regularly, pressed into service as 'comfort women' for the soldiers. This is Hana's fate, sacrificing herself to save her younger sister Emi. Hana's story is truly difficult to read.
Jump to 2011 and we learn Emi's story. Emi has never told her children of the difficulties faced by her family during the Second World War (they never even knew that they had an aunt), or of the horrors of the Korean War. Now in her old age, Emi is trying to make peace with her past and is searching for the sister who sacrificed all for her.
This is an amazing story about a chapter in history about which we know so little.

Loved it! Story was told from 2 perspectives- past & current, but the plot kept moving in both story lines. I couldn't put it down! It was well written with unbelievable historical facts about what happened to these poor Korean women pre- WWII, during WWII, and then the internal North/SOuth conflict that followed. Even the author's note was very interesting, which made the story even better after the fact, especially since I didn't love the ending. Will be recommending this to many!

Korea is under Japanese Occupation and young women are in danger of capture. If captured they are transported to Manchuria and end up servicing the Japanese Army as Comfort women.

From a young age, Hana's mother would state to her, ""Look for your sister ( Emi) after each dive. Never forget, if you see her, you are safe."

The whole situation of Hana watching the soldier along the bank, from the water, was riveting. Hana distracts the soldier and saves her sister. But, she is transported to Manchuria and forced to be a sex slave.

This harrowing story offers Hana's life beginning in WWII and Emi 2011.

This book was well written. And, the details are horrific. I seldom walk away from a read but I had to multiple times throughout this.

Of Note: I feel reader's will know what to expect from the description. This story will likely be a topic of many book club discussions. Kudos to the author for tackling this thought provoking topic.

Hana, a Korean female diver, sacrifices everything to save her little sister from a Japanese soldier. Taking her place, Hana is captured and sent to a brothel to live as a comfort woman. 70 years later, Emi, Hana's little sister, takes part in a demonstration, demanding that the Japanese government acknowledge the atrocities that happened in Korea under Japanese occupation. When Emi see's a newly revealed statue of a comfort woman, she instantly knows that it is her sister.

This was a fascinating, and heartbreaking story. The writing style itself was beautifully written, conveying the devastation that both sisters felt. This is definitely one of the best books that I've read in 2017 and I look forward to reading more from this author.

I read about 10% of this and then set it aside. The writing was lackluster and didn't hold my interest.

Although this is well-researched, it seems custom-made for soccer mom books clubs. Two Korean sisters from an abalone diving family, separated in 1943, see the worst that war and occupation can mete out to women--the Japanese army forces one into comfort woman slavery in Manchuria, while the other barely survives the authoritarian South Korean government of the late 1940s by marrying a policeman who turns in her mother as a communist. Told as parallel stories in WWII and the present, the narrative has lots of hooks about family secrets, shame and redemption, but ultimately seems more grand guignol than genuine.

Sisters Hana and Emi live on the Korean island of JeJu, where Hana is a haenyeo, a woman who free dives for pearls. It’s 1943 when Hana makes the ultimate sacrifice to save her sister when the Japanese invade and Emi is threatened. Hana becomes a “comfort woman”, one of the thousands of women pressed into service to become sex slaves for Japanese troops from 1943 and through the Korean War. Emi has spent her entire life trying to forget, atone, or make some sort of peace with what her sister sacrificed with her. It’s only now, 60 years later, as Emi’s life draws to a close that she will confront the memories she has tried to block for so long. This is an incredible book, made even more heart wrenching because there were real Hanas out there – perhaps hundreds of thousands. Told in the voices of both sisters, this is a cruel and beautiful story about honor and devotion. A must read for fans of All the Light We Cannot See