A beautifully written story of the Japanese occupation of Korea and the sufferings endured by its’ peoples. It relates to the culture and life of fishing villages on Je Ju Island where the women are proud and independent trained from childhood as haenyeo to dive deep into the oceans depths to harvest the sea food that can be found at the bottom. Their husband’s fish in the open sea for the fish in the ocean but the wives do not have to depend on them to feed the family. A teen age haenyeo girl is captured by a Japanese soldier and sent far from home into sexual slavery to serve soldiers at the war zone. She is beaten and savagely raped into submission so that she and other girls are made to follow a routine of having to serve up to a dozen soldiers every day. How she survives and finally escapes and what happens to the family she leaves behind makes up a riveting and enlightening story of Korea during the occupation and the terrible events following independence and the subsequent establishment of South Korea and their demands for retribution from Japan on behalf of all the women that suffered. .

A great read but harrowing story. I could not put it down. A well written account of a young girl kidnapped by Japanese soldiers. Highly recommended.

Mary Lynn Bracht tells the most heartfelt, poignant tale of the horrors of the “comfort women” who were used and abused by the Japanese soldiers starting from World War Two and continuing into the Korean War.

The plot centres on two Korean sisters, Hana and Emi, who showed such a strong resolve which stretched them both in different ways to the limits of human endurance! The author very cleverly alternates between the plight of the two sisters and the prolonged time scales.

I really don’t like to give any spoilers, because I feel that this historical novel is such a thought-provoking tale. It is certainly not for the faint-hearted, but I found it such a compelling read, that I simply couldn’t put it down. Be warned, there are extremely graphic scenes of horrendous torture and rape. However, I feel that it is a story that needs to be told. I truly knew very little about the Korean history, so not only did I learn a lot, but I was gripped from start to finish... certainly a five-star review!

Galadriel.

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

A fascinating story of a little known event in WWII history, when Japanese soldiers kidnapped and enslaved women to be used as "comfort women". This is a heartbreaking tale of two Korean sisters and how their lives were shattered by the events surrounding WWII and the later Korean war.
Emotionally challenging to read at times with the descriptions of sexual and physical abuse very graphic, but this all adds to the reality of what happened and gives depth to the characters.
I was so engaged with the story, the reality of what occurred and the characters, I sat up and read this one through the night!

A heartbreaking story of two sisters whose lives are torn apart by the brutal Japanese military. This debut novel from Mary Lynn Bracht, delivered in a mesmerising and sensitive style, recognises the sheer inhumanity of war. Bracht tells us in her author's notes at the end of her novel that it is believed that up to 200,000 women and girls suffered being taken by the Japanese army as 'comfort women'. This is a very moving, powerful story that is beautifully written.

An amazingly compelling and powerful book. The tale told is gripping and quite disturbing but I was totally hooked. Some parts were quite painful to read and I found myself cringing at some of the descriptions but it is so well written and transports the reader into the awful reality of the treatment of women in Korea during the second world war. It gave an insight to the dreadful atrocities and how the Japanese treated the women, many just young girls, during the war and then subsequent horrors suffered at the hands of the Koreans on their own people. I note the author is is Korean descent and can only believe some of these stories have been handed down. A haunting read which gives a real insight of how this nation suffered and continues to do so.

'White Chrysanthemum' is a poignant and moving story about one of the lesser-known facets of World War Two, and historical fiction at its best. It’s well-researched and beautifully written, and paints the world of Hana and Emi in all its incredible and heart-breaking detail. At times it’s painful to read, but no matter how dark it gets, it never quite loses the underlying thread of fierce love of family, and the determination to find freedom. This book will leave you outraged by the tragedy and injustice, but somehow, miraculously, also with hope and strength.

A very interesting historical book that highlighted ‘comfort women’ if the 2nd world war, something I was unware of. The story focuses on 2 sisters and how their lives are so different after one of them meets a Japanese soldier. An emotional read with depth of emotion. Highly recommend this debut novel from this author.

This a chilling novel whose themes of 'comfort women' are even today causing controversy from Seoul to Tokyo.
We meet Hana aged 16 who is following her mother's tradition of women divers (haenyeo) whilst looking out for her younger sister Emiko, whilst their fisherman father manages a meagre livelihood on the island of Jeju off the coast of South Korea.
But the Japanese Imperial Army has annexed Korea and locals are second class citizens.
"Look out for your sister," says Hana's mother and when her younger sister is left on the beach with approaching Japanese soldiers, Hana clambers back from the sea to sacrifice herself to save her family.
The soldier, Morimoto rapes her and with other young girls escorts them miles away to work in a brothel. Hana seems destined to not only suffer physically but never emotionally to see her family ever again as we learn about the regime the Japanese inflicted on the Koreans.
Another thread of the book is Emi, an elderly lady still diving for fish who is on a trip to visit her daughter and son in Seoul when the past catches up with her and her heart is broken for her past guilt towards images she has for too long suppressed.
I had never heard of 'comfort women' or the protests for justice for them against the Japanese Government and how the white chrysanthemum signified not only mourning in death, but in the tragedy women and young girls who so often are subjected to sexual violence in the cause of male soldiers gaining strength for their cause.
Hana's heroism and the traces of humanity lift this novel beyond the deep heartache, violence and death that could overwhelm it.
When we think of recent disclosures of sexual harassment we realise time and some men have never changed the inevitable fate of innocence amongst the female half of the world's population. This is a brilliant read. Topical. Terrifying. Should be on every school reading list.

I was completely unaware of "Comfort Women" during the 2nd World War or the trauma and suffering the Korean people have been through. White Chrysanthemum tells the story of the completely different lives of two sisters after a fateful encounter with a Japanese soldier. The story of the surviving sisters life hiding her shame and guilt made the book for me.

Thanks to Net Galley and Random House UK for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.
What a harrowing tale this is, hard to read in places, the cruelty, brutal rape and heartache of two sisters separated, torn apart in word war II
Hana is captured by a Japanese soldier, who becomes her tormentor, turning her over to a brothel to be a comfort woman, a life of hell, a sex slave, living in a tiny room, barely exhisting.
The story is told by Hana and her younger sister Emi, who although not captured in many ways also lives the life of a prisoner.
This book is fiction but reminds the reader of the horrors that took place in Korea during the war. Hard to read,but yet hard to put down
My heart ached for both these sisters who show courage and determination This book is well written with ver vivid harrowing descriptions for the reader.

Mary Lynn Bracht has written an elegant and important novel about events in Korea at the end of WW2, when young Korean girls were enslaved by Japanese soldiers to work as comfort girls in their brothels.
We learn about the events in 1943 in flashback when Emi is searching for her sister Hana at a ceremony in Seoul in 2011. The narrative moves seamlessly from the dark events of the past to the soul-searching of the present as the now elderly Emi reluctantly tells her story to her daughter.
Bracht writes powerfully and eloquently and the love between the sisters shines brightly from each page.
I cannot recommend this novel highly enough.

A heartbreaking tale of a time period and issue i was unaware of. The novel was really moving I was caught up in the different characters and their story was unputdownable!

Interesting book. Story of the Comfort women for the Japanese army. Cannot imagine the hell they went through, and at last they seem to be getting recognition and compensation. The tale of a young girl, who, in saving her sister is taken by the Japanese Army to Manchuria to work in one of their brothels, and her fights and struggles to try and rejoin her family. Thought provoking

A fascinating story about a little known part of Korea’s history. I would definitely recommend this book to those readers who are interested in this subject.

From page one I was drawn into this book and my heart was frequently in my mouth and there was a huge lump in my throat for most of the read.
Hana and Emi lived completely for me and the horror of both their stories was all the more poignant for being based on true events that are shamefully ignored.
I cried several times reading this but non the less I can't wait to be sharing this with others.

Heartbreakingly compelling, White Chrysanthemum tells the story of a Korean girl, Hana, stolen by the Japanese in the 1940s to be a so-called "comfort woman". We follow her journey alongside that of her sister, now an old lady, still searching for the sister of her long-hidden memories. Raw emotion pulls the reader through the narrative; I read this book in just two sittings as I could not bear to put it down.

A very sad but beautiful book. I had heard of the "comfort women" before, but this novel made everything come to life. Some of the violent details are very graphic, so you have to be mentally ready to read Hana and Emi's story. I loved the way the author brought in historic details unnoticed. I learned something more about Korean history and the role the Japanese played during and after the war. I would definitely recommend this to some of my older students who are interested in this part of the world because they have Korean friends or acquaintances. Just be prepared for a deep and traumatizing experience.

Heart-breaking story about the myriad ways women in a single Korean family are made to suffer for generations, owing to war. The Jang family lives a proud and peaceful life on Jeju Island, despite the burgeoning Japanese occupation. Detailed descriptions give depth and life to the characters and locations, their dialog is convincing, and the pacing is exquisite. Chapters alternate between the war-time capture of elder sister Hana who is taken to Manchuria by the Japanese military; and present day traumatized younger sister Emiko, who was spared becoming a "comfort woman" but still endured a world of other hurts. With instability in the world today it is absolutely crucial that we read and learn about atrocities of past wars, so as to restrict their recurrence.

The true story of Korean 'comfort women' i.e. Japanese sex slaves undoubtedly deserves to be told but this isn't a particularly accomplished or sophisticated novel. In fact, so keen is it to tell a story, that Hana, a 16 year old girl enslaved by a Japanese military officer, spends more time on the run in Manchuria and Mongolia than in the brothel in which she's placed.

Hana's story is interspersed with that of Emi in the present, her younger sister, now an old woman, uncovering family secrets and searching for a trace of her lost sister.

I'm sorry to sound a bit dismissive: this *is* an important story based on the claims that only came out in 1991 that Korean women were enslaved, raped and forced into prostitution by Japanese occupying forces in the run-up to and during WW2. Of course, this is horrific, of course it needs to be told - but as a novel this feels too simplistic and straightforward.

The author's afterword has a similar naivety about it when it reiterates, again, the platitude that we need to remember history to stop us repeating it - but, as she well knows, women continue to be raped during conflicts in, for example, Rwanda, Afghanistan, the former Yugoslavia, Syria, Iraq (even as I write this).

So yes, an important, story, but rather disappointing as a novel.