A gripping tale of sisterhood and of the fate of young girls in Korea in the 1910 era. This story follows three brides as they make their way from Korea to Hawaii to marry a native Korean living in Hawaii. All of the brides encounter disturbing surprises when they meet their husbands and live a life than they didn’t sign up for or could have anticipated.

What was most interesting about this story is that the final section of the book is from the perspective of one of the daughters of these brides. She goes on her own journey to discover more of her mother’s story and how it relates to her present. Overall, this is a well told story that I couldn’t put down. An easy 5 star rating!

Content Notes: Descriptions of abuse are present in the book, but the victim is able to get help.

I received an Advance Readers Copy of the audiobook from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The Picture Bride is an intriguing translated Historical Fiction story that follows several young women known as picture brides that travel from Korea to Hawaii to be married to Korean men that they've only seen pictures of. Willow is the primary narrator in the story, and we start her story as a young girl and the only daughter of a widowed mother.

I really enjoyed that the narrative weaves accurate historical information about the tension between China, Korea, Japan, and the Pacific region in that period. It's a glimpse into the probable lives of the Korean people during that time. Willow is an admirable character, especially considering how young she was when she went to Hawaii. Her relationship with her husband was initially reserved, but watching her find her voice was inspiring.

The familial relationship she has with the other picture brides, Hongju and Sanghwa, was very sweet and lovely to read. The narrator also did a great job reading and dramatizing the story. As a translated work most of the dialogue flowed, but there were some areas where the narrative was clunky.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Willow is one of many girls leaving Korea for Hawaii as a picture bride. The matchmaker has filled their ears with the riches and wonders of Hawaii and shown them each handsome photos of their husbands-to-be. But when they arrive in the U.S., Willow learns that much of what she was told was lies. Doing her best to make the most of her new life, she becomes increasingly upset as new truths about her husband come to light and as the fight for Korean independence reaches closer to her new home than she ever thought it would.

This work is set during the early 20th century and explores the fascinating concept of picture brides. There were so many historical details included that were relevant and added much depth to the setting – the amount of research that went into this work was evident. It was fascinating to learn about the struggles for Korean independence during this time, and how it still affected immigrants in Hawaii. The politics, economics, and insights into the lifeways of Korean immigrant women during this time were all well done.

However, the depth of those aspects caused the characters to strongly lack. There was no real emotional depth to the characters – the way they were written caused them to feel flat and devoid of real feelings, which made it impossible to become connected to any of the characters. It’s possible that this is because this work wasn’t originally written in English. However, this is a story of hardship, struggle, and learning to love and make a new life for oneself – this should have been intensely emotional and personal, but Willow was one of the blandest protagonists I’ve ever encountered. Things constantly happened to and around her, but there was no real connection or emotional aspect incorporated.

Unfortunately, since this is supposed to be a novel and not a work of history, I’m giving it a lower rating. I found it to be a boring novel, but I still recommend it due to its historical insights. My thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to read and review this work, which was published today. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

The Picture Bride was a look into a part of history I had never heard of before. This book was told from the perspective of a young picture bride named Willow who left Korea to meet her new husband and live in Hawaii.

There was so much culture and history in this story. It was fascinating how different things were just 100 years ago. Willow was somewhat fortunate that her new husband was exactly like his picture. Her friends weren't so lucky as it was common practice for a man to send a photo from years before to entice a prospective bride to choose him to wed. Willow's friends, who were all late teens to early twenties, ended up marrying men who were their father's age or older!

Willow travels with a group of picture brides who become her friends for life. Willow doesn't have an easy life in Korea or Hawaii. Her new husband isn't warm to her and they struggle to find their way together and a means to thrive. Willow's husband also has strong political feelings that take him from her and eventually their children, leaving Willow to survive without many resources from him.

Willow's story is very transparent. She tells about every part of her adventures, good and bad. I loved learning about the cultures and climate of this time as the author was very descriptive and seemingly honest about situations. There was an unexpected twist at the end that proves the depth of the friendship between the brides.

Beautiful writing, rich descriptions, just what I want out of historical fiction. Really enjoyable on audiobook, reminded me of Julie Otsuka's the Buddha in the Attic.

Willow is living with her mother and brothers in a small Korean village, fighting a daily battle for enough to eat under the occupation of brutal Japanese forces in 1918, when the matchmaker brings the offer: a Korean man in far-off Hawaii is looking for a wife.

He’s a landowner, the matchmaker says, in a place where food and clothing grow on trees. And if Willow goes to Hawaii, she’ll be able to continue the studies she’d had to abandon years ago.

Although her only contact with him has been the photo she’s seen, Willow decides to make the trip, along with two other women from her village. What they find in Hawaii is far different from what the matchmaker promised.

But in this novel — Lee Geum-yi’s first to be translated into English, after writing more than 50 books in South Korea — Willow learns to build a life in Hawaii, amid conflict in the Korean community over the country’s competing independence movements.

This little-known period in the history of what would come to be part of America is interesting, though Willow sometimes seems to be more an example of historical forces at work than a flesh-and-blood person.

Joy Osmanski transcends the occasionally plodding prose, however, delivering a performance that makes Willow and the friends who sustain her on her journey into distinct and compelling characters.

Absolutely loved this. One of my favorite books of the year. I live in Hawaii (Maui) and have read several books about Hawaii's Picture Brides and this ranks right up there as one of my favorites. I was surprised to realize it was not originally written in English, but this was a translation of the original - beautiful translation. I alternated between reading the e-book and listening to the audiobook, and it was a seamless transition. The narrator of the audiobook was fantastic and she continued to narrate in my head when I would switch to the e-book. The characters were well-developed and came alive through the author's voice. The story was obviously well-researched and true to the history of Hawaii's immigrant families. Many people who live in Hawaii today - my friends and neighbors - are the children and grandchildren of these Picture Bride marriages and Hawaii's economy was built on their backs. I highly recommend this book to any fan of historical fiction, Hawaiian history, immigrant history, or just good literature. 5-stars.

The Picture Bride by Lee Geum-yi and translated by An Seonjue was a very gripping and uplifting story. I had read some books about the people of Korea during this time period but I was not aware of this particular practice of picture brides. As life for young women in Korea became increasingly more restrictive and offered fewer opportunities for them to better themselves many opted to leave Korea. A Pusan Ajimue or matchmaker would try and entice these young women with pictures of men that could potentially become their future husbands. Korean men that that lived in Hawaii and worked on sugarcane plantations saved enough money to pay these matchmakers to find them young brides back in Korea. These matchmakers tried to lure young women and their families into accepting marriage proposals by painting an unrealistic picture of Hawaii as a place where clothes and food grew on trees. The young women were promised opportunities to further their education and were often told that their new husbands were land owners. It was difficult to imagine how these sheltered young women, some barely eighteen years of age, felt about leaving the only home they had ever known. They would be separated from their families and friends and be expected to enter into a marriage with a man they knew only from his picture. It would require a young girl who recognized their own limitations, was unhappy with them and was willing to start a new life in a new country. The Picture Bride was the story about these women.

Willow was the only daughter of a widowed mother and sister to several brothers. When Willow’s father died fighting the Japanese, she was made to dropout of school even though her dream was to continue her education and make something of her life. Her mother needed her at home to help take care of her younger brothers, and help clean, cook and sew. Willow’s dreams for her future were ended with her father’s untimely death. Then, one day, the Pusan Ajimue came to her mother and Willow and offered Willow the chance for marriage. Willow was shown a picture of a man a bit older than her. He was pleasant looking and she was told he was a land owner in Hawaii. If Willow agreed to marry this man she was told that she would be able to continue her education. After some thought, by both her and her mother, Willow decided to agree to the marriage. Two of her friends, Hongju and Sunghwa also accompanied Willow as picture brides as well. The three, along with numerous other picture brides made the long journey by boat from Korea to Hawaii. When the boat finally docked in Hawaii, Willow’s friends were about to receive the biggest shock of their lives. The pictures their almost to be husbands sent to the matchmaker or Pusan Ajimue, were a farce. These men’s pictures looked nothing like the men that came to meet their brides to be. The men were at least thirty to forty years older than they claimed to be. Not one of them owned land and the dream of pursuing an education was out of the question. The Pusan Ajimue had fed them a pack of lies but all the brides were stuck where they were. It turned out that Willow’s husband looked exactly like his picture but there was a coldness in his eyes. She later found out that her future father-in-law had arranged Willow’s marriage without his son’s consent. A group marriage ceremony was performed and before Hongju, Sanghwa, and Willow departed with their husbands they hugged each other tightly. They did not know when they would see each other again. Each new bride accompanied her husband to wherever he lived and worked. This was not what any of them had hoped for or imagined. What would happen to Willow, Hongju and Songhwa?

Willow was a strong, brave, resourceful and determined woman. She was left on her own for over ten years to bring up her children independently and figure out how to make enough money to feed her children and keep them safe. Her husband felt it was his duty to see to the escalation of Korea’s independence. He took no responsibility in helping to raise their children. Willow, Hongju and Songhwa found their way back to one another. They loved each other as sisters, supported one another over the years and looked out for one another. Each one of them experienced disappointments. From the moment they stepped off the boat, they discovered that their husbands were not the men they were led to be, none of their husbands owned land, Willow would not be allowed to follow her dreams and continue her education and that clothes and food did not grow on the trees in Hawaii. Each of them struggled and were met with various set backs. It was a hard life that they had to endure. This was a story about friendship, family, disillusionment, struggles, marriage, making the best of difficult situations and shattered dreams. The ending was a bit of surprise. Overall, I enjoyed listening to the audiobook of The Picture Bride and I highly recommend it.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to this audiobook through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Publication is set for October 11, 2022.

The Picture Bride uses several moving individual women's stories to tell the larger story of the Korean Independence movement that gained momentum in the United States after Korea was annexed by Japan in 1910.

The annexation and previous war had left Koreans suffering from great poverty and a shortage of marriageable men, so impoverished young Korean women agreed to arranged marriages via picture exchanges with Korean men living in Hawaii. Many of the men lied and used false photos, but by the time the brides had crossed the ocean on a trip paid for by the groom, who also often paid a dowry, the women were trapped. The scene showing the three central women characters arriving includes great gusts of hysterical tears as two of the three women discover their grooms are old men who look nothing like their photos.

This could be a young-adult novel used in classrooms. There is no sex in the book -- barely even an allusion to sex, despite the fact that there must have been a lot of sexual terror perpetrated against the deceived young brides. But rather than showing us this, we merely see the women resigning themselves to their fates and attempting to find what happiness they can in their new lives. They were promised easy riches and access to an education, so even the ones whose grooms match their photos are disappointed by how different Hawaii is from the Hawaii that had been portrayed to them by matchmakers.

I listened to this advanced-copy audiobook thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio. The narration by Joy Osmanski is authentic sounding but a bit flat, which may bea reflection of how subdued the main characters were in expressing emotion rather than a reflection on the narrator.

The main character, Willow, seems lucky to have been matched with a man who does match his photo. Although initially resistant to her as he is still grieving a dead girlfriend, the two build a strong relationship and seem to fall in love. They have a baby boy and are building a happy life when suddenly her husband becomes so caught up in the independence movement he starts giving them all his money and eventually goes off to join an army fighting in China.

I had to Google for a bit of background to understand the division in the Korean community: Wikipedia explains that while Korea suffered under Japanese rule, Korean governments were established in exile. There quickly developed a division between Park Yong-man, who advocated for military action to liberate Korea, and Syngman Rhee, who hoped to achieve liberation through education and diplomacy.

In the novel, most of the women follow Rhee, but Willow's husband is an ardent supporter of Park, which causes some fallout for Willow. When her husband goes off to fight, Willow finds herself pregnant with their second child, a girl named Pearl, and needing to support her family on her own. The novel shows the many inventive ways women supported one another through hard times.

The last bit of the novel jumps forward to after Pearl Harbor and takes on the perspective of Pearl, a thoroughly Americanized young girl who gives us her version of her family and uncovers some secrets in the process. Overall, a quick, informative read.

This book follows Willow (and eventually, her daughter), who left Korea for Hawaii as a “picture bride” in 1918. This practice meant that a man and woman used a matchmaker to arrange their marriage, never meeting until the new bride arrived in her new location.

Although this details an interesting history, I wish it had focused on a shorter time span, and had deeper plot. The story just seemed to meander with no real destination in mind.

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan for my complimentary review copy.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

This was a wonderfully interesting read. I loved the characters, the setting, the history everything. The narrator was perfect as well.

This historical fiction novel centers around Willow. Along with two other young women from her village in Korea, she makes her way to Hawaii as a picture bride -a sort of arranged marriage/mail order bride marriage. Spanning from just before WWI to WWII, Willow is the main narrator as she shares her fascinating story - along with those of her friends and her community. Well-performed, this makes for an engaging listen that I was always eager to pick back up. My laundry has never been so meticulously folded!

The Hawaiian setting and the Korean culture combine to make this a fresh and original read. The translation feels smooth. My only complaint is the last section - it shifts abruptly forward 18 years and moves from Willow's voice to Pearl's. This makes the book feel somewhat uneven - though I imagine that the revelations contained within this section will certainly lead to lively discussion amongst readers and listeners! And while there is a major surprise revealed, it makes the book feel somewhat unfinished because it isn't throughly explored.

Overall, however, I enjoyed this one and certainly felt like all of the characters and the setting came fully to life. This is a part of Hawaii that I don't think is often highlighted in fiction. I am surprised that this wasn't an October BOTM choice, as this is the type of strong debut novel that I feel like they gravitate towards selecting. I definitely think it would make for a great book club choice and I am curious to see what the author will write next!

Spanning through several decades and multiple settings, we follow various "picture brides" as they leave behind everything they know in Korea to become brides in Hawaii. Promised young Korean husbands that own land in a place flowing with opportunities, the group of young women are struck with the reality that this new life is unexpectedly hard and not all that was promised. Their friendships are forged in the fire of their shared struggles. Their friendships are also tried throughout the events of the Korean Revolution. While we primarily follow Willow, who shows strength through all the trials in her life, her fellow picture brides have their own stories to tell, too. The last section of the book is narrated by Willow's daughter, Pearl. This part at the end was fun to hear because it gives a different perspective to a character you come to love. Throughout the entire novel, you cannot help but want a happy ending for all the picture brides and their children. It is a captivating journey to find out how their story unfolds.

As far as the audiobook narration goes, I was so pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the narrator. Joy Osmanski does a fantastic job with authentic pronunciation of words I was totally unfamiliar with. Her different voices for characters were appropriate and gave great depth to the varying characters. I would have liked to see more detail in between the jumps in times, but overall, this was a solid historical fiction novel that taught me a lot. This book covers the topics of picture brides, Korean Revolution history, and the general lives of Korean plantation workers in Hawaii. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in a unique historical fiction with focuses on Korean history and the ties of strong female characters.

In 1918, three Korean young women set off as picture brides to Hawaii. They’ve been promised all the things one could dream about life in the U.S., plus handsome and rich land-owning husbands. When they arrive, they soon learn that they were lied to.

The novel covers a few decades and shares a lot of information about Korean immigration to Hawaii, Hawaiian history, and Korean/Japanese relations, plus the Korean Revolution.

However, I was hoping for a more immersive read. The sense of place was lacking, and there’s a distance between the reader and the prose. There was a lot of “telling” Vs, “showing,” causing it to read more like a summary of the novel. It was still nice to contrast the Korean experience with the more popular stories of Japanese picture brides.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the access to this book.

THE PICTURE BRIDE by Lee Geum-Li and translated by An Seonjae is a lovely Korean historical fiction story, narrated by Joy Osmanski.

Willow is a young girl born in 1900 who is struggling with her family in Korea. By 1918, she is convinced by the matchmaker to become what is called a Picture Bride to a Korean Man in Hawaii, where growing settlements of Koreans have formed to work the sugar cane plantations. Reality is far different from the promises made, but Willow finds a way forward in this new world and its divisive ties to her homeland.

This story is a glimpse into a culture about which I have been learning more. The effects of the first World War on the people of Korea, the Japanese occupation and the Hawaiian migration was given a story framework that helped me understand how difficult this path had been for many.

I was definitely engaged in Willows narrative, and when it jumped to her daughter Pearl's POV 2/3rds through (ish), it felt a little jarring. The story skipped a significant block, and then had the revelations come out to Pearl. Having Pearl share how her mother's decisions affected her was an interesting choice, but I missed Willow's voice in it.

Speaking of voice, Joy Osmanski did a really great narration. I felt all the different characters easily and the emotions they emanated. Her voice was smooth and clear, easily carrying the story.

Overall, this was a good historical fiction audiobook for me. 3.5 Stars. I would absolutely recommend this for Histfic fans who are looking for a character driven story. It will be available on October 11th.

Thank you to @netgalley
@macmillan.audio for the advanced listening copy. It was a fascinating look into an immigration story that was full of hardship, grit, and grace.

Willow leaves her life in Korea to become a picture bride in Hawaii with her best friend and another girl from her village. Together the 3 forge a sisterhood that endures through the disappointments of their marriages and the geographical separations. But was it worth it? What will her daughter discover when she finds a box of memories? A story of survival and building a life and a family.

The narrator gave voice to the characters and brought listeners into Willow's life.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I LOVED this book. I have always been extremely interested in Korean history, specifically during the time of the Japanese occupation of the peninsula and the Korean War afterwards. However, I had never known anything about the Korean population in Hawaii, or about picture brides. I learned a lot of history from this book, but the characters were always extremely compelling, and I felt for them a lot. The main character, Willow, was such a strong wife and mother, and you could feel her strength and conviction as you read. I can't imagine how strong you need to be to travel by boat from Korea to Hawaii to marry someone you've never even met before.

I am very glad I was able to read this book early before its publication, and I hope it gains success. Fans of Pachinko and The Mermaid from Jeju would absolutely love this book!

Pub date 10/11/22
Genre: historical fiction
Thank you @forgereads and @macmillan.audio for my e-ARC and ALC!

Willow has no future in Japanese-occupied Korea, so she agrees to become a "picture bride" to a Korean man in Hawaii in hopes of a better life. I loved getting to know Willow as she dealt with the adversity in her life, and Joy Osmanski did a wonderful job bringing her to life on audio. Her relationships with fellow picture brides and her father-in-law were a highlight. The Hawaiian setting and coming of age elements reminded me a bit of Molokai, another favorite.

The Picture Bride by Lee Geum-Yi
Narrated by Joy Osmanski

Willow, a young Korean girl, leaves home for Hawaii to marry a man she has only seen in a picture. She arrives in Hawaii, along with two friends who are also “picture brides” to find that her new husband did not want to marry her and that life is not as easy and plentiful in this new land as she was promised. Willow puts her head down and works relentlessly to build a happy marriage and a bright future for her children against the backdrop of the Korean independence movement.

I was interested in this book after learning about picture brides from Julie Otsuka’s brilliant Buddha in the Attic. I wanted to learn more about the practice and what life was like for picture brides who travelled from Asian countries to marry men they’d only seen pictures of. While this historical practice can make for moving stories, I struggled through some parts of this book.

The writing in this book was very simplistic. The subject matter was clearly adult but the writing felt like middle grade, very straight forward and plain. Perhaps the author’s personality and nuance was lost in translation. I also found myself confused about the political aspects discussed in relation to the Korean independence movement. It took some time and concentration to get the characters straight, but this is mostly my own problem, being unfamiliar with Korean names.

The last twenty percent, when we travel forward to Willow’s 19-year-old daughter’s perspective, was by far the most engaging part of the book. I would have liked if more time was spent with her.

The narration was decent, I felt like the narrator wasn’t given much to work with in relation to vocabulary and sentence structure. Overall, it was an interesting story that isn’t particularly well-executed…at least when translated into English.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the ALC.

This book paints a stunning picture of a young picture bride’s journey from Korea to Hawaii. The plot is interesting and it includes a lifelong friendship that evolves between the picture brides through the course of the book.