A beautifully ambitious novel which delves deep into the lives of its characters, exploring feminist themes with poignancy and intelligence.

Gorgeous, as every Lisa See novel is. I've been fascinated by this tribe of women for ages, so I was delighted to see Ms. See shared my obsession and brought it so eloquently to life. I can't wait for this title to become available so I can buy a copy for everyone I know.

I was beyond excited to read another book by Lisa See. I'm a big fan!

In a nutshell, this novel is about the lives of haenyeo, sea women in the Island of Jeju in Korea, who have the uncanny ability to dive into deep waters without any breathing apparatus to gather conch, sea urchins, octopus and abalone. The heart of the story focuses on two unlikely friends whose fate brought them together. Young-Sook a baby (beginner) diver and Mi-Ja, daughter of a Japanese collaborator. Although as different as chalk and cheese, Mi-Ja who was orphaned at a young age, was 'more like the sea - ever changing and occasionally tempestuous' while Young-Sook was 'practical and concerned always for her family,' their friendship blossomed through their experiences shared as haenyeo under the tutelage of Young-Sook's mother, and memories saved by Mi-Ja's picture-rubbings/etchings.

You can count on Lisa See to make history come to live. Reading her books is like sitting in a time machine, minus the worry of it malfunctioning! (Cue Back to the Future movie) And she makes you part of the story.

I enjoyed getting to know the strong, independent, wise and resilient haenyeo. I enjoyed the camaraderie of the haenyeo at the bulteok, bantering, talking about their families and men, basically just shooting the breeze, while cooking a meal, at the same time sharing tips on how to improve their diving skills. Any dissatisfaction and disagreement were solved in that gathering.

The hardest part for me to read was the Bukchon massacre, also known as “4:3” or April 3rd), the biggest, yet least known massacre, in which 10% of the islands population were brutally killed by their own government. The brutality and inhumanity of it all was incomprehensible. And how the media lied about the severity of it was unforgivable. This massacre was kept a secret until the late 1980's. It was also this incident that that Mi-Ja and Young-Sook's friendship was truly tested. Mi-Ja's action almost resulted in my kindle being thrown to the wall. Everything between them changed drastically ever since the massacre.

One of my favorite parts was when Joon-Lee interviewed the haenyeo for her sociology subject. The haenyeo were the breadwinners of their families and yet, as Joon-Lee herself had observed 'When husbands die, houses and fields pass to sons. Why is it that men own all the property?' Why have women always been treated so unfairly? They even lamented, 'It's better to be born a cow than a woman'.

Deeply anchored in the culture and tradition of the haenyeo are their ancestral rites and rituals. Shamans are constantly invited to perform blessings on special occasions, so as to please their gods and agoddesses. Aphorisms and wise sayings that get passed down from generation to generation also play a big part in their lives. They serve as great reminders in life.

I've always enjoyed Lisa See's writing and works, including this, for the simple fact that she makes history so interesting through her storytelling. I hope the sea women are here to stay, but that'll be too selfish of me. This job is risky, unpredictable and hazardous. But this won't stop the haenyeo from doing what gives them joy. It's their oxygen. A breath, a breath, a breath and then down...

Thank you Netgalley and Scribner for providing a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Lisa Sees books are always to be treasured to be shared with friends.This unique story centered on a small Korean Island will win her even more fans.A novel of women strong women Sea Women who dive for survival and the men who stay home taking care of the children.A novel of friendship betrayal a novel you will not forget,#netgalley#scribner

Thank You NetGalley for the free ARC.

I read many books and I always look forward to publications from certain authors because those books almost guarantee hours of escape and adventure and learning about new cultures in a pleasingly written style.

Lisa See is one of those authors. In this novel, See explores the Sea Women or haenyeo of the Korean Island of Jeju who for hundreds of years have had a free diving tradition to gather conch, sea urchin and abalone from the bottom of the sea. Because the women are the main source of income, they are regarded as the head of the household. This is the story of the friendship between Young - Sook, a baby diver and Mi -Ja her friend, the daughter of a Japanese collaborator.

It is also about the atrocities of the division of Korea and the subsequent take-over of the South Korean provisional government and other military organizations like the NYG to defeat communist insurgents, the most shocking being the massacre of Bukchon in which the military rounded up the whole village and razed it and its inhabitants to the ground. The massacre was kept a secret until the late 1980's. Over 10 % 0f the island population of Jeju was killed and many fled to Japan during those times.

Great read.