The Picture Bride is a touching and beautifully written historical fiction of a picture bride named Willow. She travels, with 2 other women from her region, to Hawaii with promises of a much better life and a proposal from a Korean man in 1918. Willow soon learns that many of the details that she was told, by the matchmaker, of her husband's circumstances were not true, including his intention to marry her.

As Willow adjusts to her new country and environment she is determined to make the best of the life she has been dealt. She is resourceful and resilient. Willow reconnects with her 2 friends that she traveled with to the USA. She builds a family and life that she proudly protects.

With the escalation of the Korean independence, her husband leaves for 10 years to devote his energy to the cause, leaving Willow on her own to raise and support their children. Willow makes sacrifices to financially support her family and to provide her children with a chance to realize their dreams.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* Really loved reading this book, especially the ending! woah!

3.5 rounded to 4.

Willow is the only daughter of a widowed mother with two younger brothers in pre-independence Korea. A matchmaker offers her a “picture marriage” to a man in Hawaii with a promise of plenty and the chance of having an education. When Willlow gets to Hawaii she discovers her husband is a plantation worker who never wanted to marry in the first place and instead of an education, her only responsibility it to care for her aging father-in-law.

Willows story is told in the context of the Korean independence movement and the division that occurs in the community over how to achieve independence. I enjoyed the first part of this novel, learning about the picture brides and their new lives in Hawaii. I was disappointed in the end, it felt rushed and the connection to what was happening in Korea was lost. The end was not satisfying although the writing was beautiful.

I have been to Hawaii and was aware of the large Japanese population, but I wasn't aware of the Korean connection as well. Apparently in the early 1900s, Korean men went to work in Hawaii but there was a shortage of women for them to marry. Enter The Picture Brides, much like a "mail order bride" meets matchmaker. This story follows Willow as she leaves Korea to marry as a picture bride. Unfortunately while there were interesting parts, this book just did not hold my attention. It felt both long winded and like it contained a ton of information with not much explanation.

I was fascinated with the history while reading THE PICTURE BRIDE, which was set in 1918, and follows Willow as she creates new dreams through blood, sweat and tears, and tells the ultimate story of the power of friendship.

I knew little about picture brides before reading this novel, and thought the authors note was so informative. The audiobook was enjoyable, narrated by Joy Osmanski.

*many thanks to Forge and Macmillan Audio for the gifted copy for review

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for ALC (gifted in exchange for my honest review).

While (sadly) I did not love The Picture Bride, I learned A LOT about the infamous picture marriages, the first wave of Korean immigration, and the History of Hawaii from the beginning of the colonization until Pearl Harbour.

The book follows three friends from the Korean village, who leave their homeland in 1918 and move to Hawaii in search of a better life. All three agreed to become picture brides. This was a common practice among Japanese and Korean plantation workers in the early 1900s in Hawaii, and was approved by the US government due to the fact that those ethnic communities were largely comprised of males who'd left their home countries in search of better paying jobs. These, usually older grooms, would simply not have been able to find brides, get married and start families if they could not bring "brides" from their home countries. Intercultural marriages were extremely rare. I am sure you can imagine the age differences and a "few" issues that these types of "picture exchanges" could potentially cause. Usually, a bride and a groom to be exchanged just one single photo before becoming legally married, with the bride leaving her family, friends and country behind and moving to be with her new husband in the US. The stories of the young brides who were often shown old photos of the grooms, and were told by matchmakers that they were going to marry "landowners" and have easy lives in Hawaii were quite tragic.

The Picture Bride is written in a tone that is rather flat. There is no flowery language, no at length descriptions of the natural beauty of the islands (as you might expect). Instead the language is used in a practical manner to describe the everyday hardships endured by those young women, their sadness, resentment, and eventually their acceptance of their fate, and the determination to make the best out of their circumstances.This writing style reminded me somewhat of Pachinko.

There are interesting historical tidbits about the Japanese occupation of Korea, and the internal divide in the Korean American community in Hawaii: with roughly one half of the community supporting the leader who pushed for armed resistance while another half supporting the leader who insisted on diplomacy and peaceful resolution of the conflict.

In addition to the historical fiction The Picture Bride could be described as the coming of age story, as well as the story of the friendship that spanned decades, and transcended social classes, continents, and generations.

There is also a love story, but do not expect a "steamy romance" (not that type of book LOL). It is more of a "these are the cards we have been dealt, let's make the best out of it", and "growing to love each other" type of deal. Which can of course be endearing in its own way.

I recommend The Picture Bride to those who are interested in the history of Hawaii, especially the history of colonialism and the first and second wave of Korean immigration.

I do not like being overly judgmental on translations because of my inability to read a title in its original language. With that said, in this book I questioned the simplistic descriptions. In some ways that simplicity was a revelation, as exemplified in how out of touch with the world inhabitants of Korea were. At other times I felt it slightly maddening due to wanting more. I felt that overall, the characters lacked depth. The relationships between characters just seemed to exist. There was one exception to this, Willow's friendship with Hongju.
While overall the main character Willow infuriated me I did admire her grit and determination to make the most of her situation. After discovering that she was lied to by the matchmaker, and that her husband didn't actually want to get married, Willow did everything she could to endear herself to her father-in-law and her community. She continually struggled to stay above the political adversity brought to her doorstep through her husband's actions in support of a free Korean state. Willow forged her own destiny in ensuring that her family would be able to provide for themselves and that she would be able to offer her children better opportunities.
The abrupt shift in point of view from Willow to her daughter Pearl was startling. There was ample justification for it but it didn't seem like the best literary course to take. Certainly continuing in Willow's POV would have made for a bulky book. Utilizing Pearl as the narrator did offer a quicker way to summarize the remainder of Willow's life events up until the present day.
I learned so much about the fight for Korean independence and the Hawaiian Korean community in this book. It was very interesting and while depressing at times, there was much in the book that highlighted the strength and determination of the Korean people.

I received a copy of this title via NetGalley.

I found the history behind this story to be so interesting. I think I had heard about picture brides in passing but didn’t know much. The authors note at the end provides good context as well. At first I didn’t care for how it seemed to be going to end but it worked out nicely!
Thank you Net Galley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

A historic peek into the life of a young woman from Korea being married off as a “picture bride” along with some of her childhood friends to men in Hawaii in 1918 for a “better life.” It depends on how you define better or perhaps how much you’re willing to sacrifice one way or another.

Although this is set over 100 years ago, I feel like the story rang timeless in its injustice and attitude towards women and the poor, undervalued. We still see some of these attitudes today. I instantly became protective of Willow, a young woman thrown into a world, sent to live with and sleep with a complete stranger … and without guidance and safety from her mother. Watching Willow’s development, strength, independence and intelligence grow proved so very exciting as I cheered her on, though, her friends didn’t experience the same. I love the shift in storytelling as other characters takeover in different parts and continue to show what Willow’s sacrifice meant to generations.

Beautifully written and enjoyable to read, but not without some tragic moments.

Review for audiobook - 5 stars
Enjoyed the narrator and her use of voices that truly made the characters come to life. As a non-Korean, the audio was terrific for understanding the pronunciation of words not in my native language.

Review for book - 4 stars
On a personal level, I am drawn to and fascinated by Korean history and culture. There seems to be a trend of historical epics covering decades of Korean history (Pachinko, Beasts of a Little Land), and I am here for it!!!!

Coming into this read, I knew nothing about the picture brides that left Asia for Hawaii in the early 1900s. What set this saga up was that the important pictures were of the MEN, not the women, and how a photo could be manipulative.

"The Picture Bride" sets a foundation with the main character, Willow, and two companions from her hometown setting off to become picture brides in 1918 Hawaii, following their lives in a three-part setting that concludes in the 1940s. This story is ultimately a tale of friendships, struggles, and overcoming obstacles, with many fascinating historical events in the background, particularly the Korean Independence movement. I enjoyed watching Willow come into her own and the multiple layers given to each character.

Nicely done storytelling, but there were a few moments the delivery seemed a little off. I realized the book is an English translation, which can sometimes create a disconnect. I still loved it, but just an FYI to take any bumps in delivery with a grain of salt. Some words didn't seem historically accurate (the girls calling a man "creepy," for example.)

I was also annoyed at first by the third part character POV (the end of the book) but found myself warming to it and satisfied by the conclusion. More of a PSA for anyone else who finds themselves feeling the same: finish it out!

If you love books like the historical sagas I mentioned above, I think you'll also enjoy "The Picture Bride"!

I really enjoyed learning about the Korean culture and especially the histrory of Hawaiians before it became a state. The narrator was enjoyable to listen to. The only problem I had was remembering all of the names of the characters and who they all are.

I really enjoyed the first 2/3 of this but the last part left me lost and confused. One of the strengths of the book was the detail and the author’s ability to frame a scene so that I felt like I was watching a movie, but the last part of the book lost that with its attempt at covering a chunk of time without describing any of it. The time jump of the last few chapters also left me perplexed as it seemed random and not to really fit with the rest. If there had been more to the last part, maybe more build up, I would have enjoyed it, but it seemed tacked-on rather than planned-on.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of the audiobook.

The Picture Bride (Hardcover)
by Lee Geum-yi
the story of a picture bride from Korea before the second world war. Many years after the first immigrants to Hawaii from Korea, the men wrote back to Korea for brides. They exchanged pictures and were matched in traditional manors. The Men sent money for the brides to be transported to Hawaii. It was a grueling long trip from their small towns to Hawaii, aboard ocean liners and many days travel on foot. Willow, was a poor girl with beardly enough food to feed her family. She went to Hawaii with the dream of learning to read, and becoming wealthy enough not to beg for her next meal. But many picture brides were lied to, their husbands not as young as their pictures, or had little wealth and influence as they described in their descriptions. It was not a happy time for the brides. They mourned the loss of not only family but the hopes they had. The story shows' the struggle of the women as they attempted to work, make money, send money home, and connect to their husbands. The Story is full of hard times, personal struggles, and political divisions that affect the friendships, and lives of these women. The books shows so much the bravery of these women, and ingenuity of their ability to find work, and find a place in the restricted society of Hawaii.

I am sharing my honest opinion after receiving a free copy of the audio book from Netgalley.

Three stars because I learned about a period of history I didn't know about: the politics of Korean independence movement and the young women who came to Hawaii as picture brides. I liked the strong women in the story and learning more about Korean culture and customs. I thought the narrator did a great job and also clued me in on pronunciation.

I wasn't as much of a fan of the time jump toward the end of the book. I found it too abrupt.

Overall this book encouraged me to learn more about this history of Korean independence, which is great.

I had the privilege of listening to this as an audiobook, and thought the performance was solid. I don't know that I would have known how to pronounce the names otherwise.

I love a historical drama, especially an immigrant story set against a time period I don't know much about.

I enjoyed Willows story, her triumphs and heartbreaks, love and loss. She felt very flawed and human to me. This story did a great job of illustrating the importance of community to immigrant communities.

****Spoilers Ahead*****

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First off it broke my heart that Willow never got her chance to study!

The final portion of the book is where it lost me. After spending so much time with Willow and her journey I couldn't understand why we had a time skip and switched to the POV of her "daughter" Pearl. The "plot twist" of Pearl being the daughter of Sunghwa just felt off. I would have much rather have been with Willow for longer in her timeline or end it with the birth of the child looking towards the future. I felt robbed of her reconciliation with her husband, and his with their children. I understand the desire to include the USA entering WW2 after Pearl Harbor, but it felt rushed and disjointed to me. I don't know how to care about Pearl's struggle and feelings of otherness after being with Willow for so much longer

I can probably keep chewing on it and having other conclusions, but that's it in a sense. I didn't understand the reason for the switch and missed the point.

Overall I still enjoyed it, and listened non stop while I did all kinds of chores.

Thank you NetGalley and McMillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for my copy of The Picture Bride by Lee Geum-yi Narrated by Joy Osmanski in exchange for an honest review. It published October 11, 2022.
First off, I want to say that this book was narrated very well. I felt like the narrator really gave life to all the characters, and made it easy-listening.
This book was so fascinating to me. I haven't come across any literature about the topic of Picture Brides before, especially regarding Koreans immigrating to Hawaii. I also have not come across a lot of literature about the Japanese, Korean conflict in the 1910's and on. I found this book to be very informative and a good educator. On top of that, it was well-written, interesting, and I was glad to be on the journey.
It definitely opened my eyes to some history I didn't know much about and plan to learn more about it the future.

A moving multigenerational family drama following a Korean 'paper bride' who travels to Hawaii to wed a man not really looking for a wife. Willow's journey is incredibly brave and admirable as she fights for the life she's dreamed of, one of education, motherhood and love. Perfect for fans of Peach blossom spring or Pachinko. I really enjoyed learning about the Korean American immigrant experience in Hawaii during the mid-20th century - it's not a place/time period t hat I've read about much in fiction and I found this book incredibly well written and interesting! Great on audio too narrated by Joy Osmanski! Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

The Picture Bride is a book that really will take you into the past when Asian women used to have the picture bride system. Where women and men will exchange letters and pictures in order to get married in the future.

This is the story of Willow and her friends who embark on a journey to the islands of Hawaii to meet their new husbands who are waiting patiently for them to arrive and start a new life. not all of them will find what they were looking for some of them will find lies and men who were not even close to the picture they send. but at the same time, this experience made them grow and become better in life.

Willows's character was my favorite not only she is the heroine of this book but also she was the strongest one and she was always proving everybody around her wrong, she was determined to win her new family and in the end, she fell in love with all the members. she even had time to help her friends and reason with them when things weren't going as they should.

Willow proved to many that she was strong and worth it and that she was ready to help her husband even if that meant to sacrifice many things in her life. I really love how willow was this was a great book that show us how women can be so strong and resilient went things around them treated the family or their lives.

without giving too much away I really recommend this book, it was fascinating to learn about that tradition of women sending pictures across the ocean to meet men and get married.

The narrations by Joy Osmanski were great I really enjoy her work

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the advanced audio copy of The Picture Bride in exchange for an honest review.

When Willow‘s daddy passed away she had to stop going to school her mom could only afford one child and her sibling was a brother and of course the male must be educated. So that left Willow at home working hard with her mom but luckily for Willow The neighbors had a daughter her age who she attended school with it she would go over every night to sit and sell and talk to her friend. When her friend left home to get married this left Willow thinking of her own future and while visiting her mom‘s friend she found out about picture brides at first she disregarded it but when she heard she could be educated in America she was all excited and then when she found out her possible husband wasn’t ancient at all with 12 years her senior she was all about it. Then to top it all off her neighbor Hong-Ju’s new passed away a month into their marriage. It didn’t take long with her living in her new life only existing at home to decide to also become a picture bride with her best friend Willow. Although their lives would be Basley different being good Korean girls they try to make the best of it but circumstances changed in the lives they would have an America didn’t resemble the dreams they Hayden career at all. This book was a good book I love the historical aspects I have been reading a lot about Koreans fighting for the rights in America and in Korea and I thought this was a really great book. If you aren’t a historical fiction you definitely love this book me and my best friend love romance is that have to do with the Asian community and this is right up there in our top three totally great read. I listen to the audio version and thought the narrator did a great job I love the way she did Hong-Ju’s voice she has a good voice for narration. I was given this book from NetGalley and a publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for accepting my request to audibly read and review The Picture Bride.

Author: Lee Geum-Yi
Published: 10/11/22
Narrator: Joy Osmanski
Genre: Historical Fiction

I had a few issues with this story and one problem. First, my problem, there is an 18 year jump to the future. What happened during that period is what I was waiting for. The author climbed the ladder, I followed and she jumped off. My issues most likely are differences in culture. However, I was waiting for the Author to address the differences and she never did.

I am not repeating the synopsis and I'm trying not to spoil. Is it Asian? Korean? When a woman works tirelessly for years by herself only to let a man back in her life and bed? Nothing was explained.

Some of the book was readable and enjoyable; however most of it was just made up words with no explanations and thus I'm going with 2 stars.