I really enjoyed this debut! I appreciated learning the different aspects of the Japanese culture as well as just enjoying the grandmother granddaughter relationship. I also really enjoyed how the author structured the book. It was very well written and how both timelines would weave together and reveal little pieces at a time made for a very engaging story. Thank you Cindy and Thoughts From a Page and Harper Books for this advanced copy.

This is not your typical WW2 historical fiction. I enjoyed a unique take on the genre with this story that centers around Mineko, a Japanese woman who grew up during WW2 and how the war dramatically affects the course of her life. The book alternates between two story lines, the past and present as Mineko relays her story to her granddaughter. The granddaughter’s story line was not as captivating to me as Mineko’s story and the two story lines seemed like two different books to me. I wanted to hear more about Mineko’s life. Overall this was well written, interesting, and informative. I would recommend to historical fiction readers.

Thank you to Cindy Burnett from the Thoughts From a Page podcast and Harper books for the advanced reader copy.

A very lovely novel which is the love story between Mineko and her granddaughter Lia. The setting is very unexpected for the relationship between these 2 women. It is 1999 in a small Texas town where the 2 women are thrown together after Lia’s life and career implode while Mineko has burned her house down.

During this period Mineko shares the story and her early life in Japan with Lia. The story revolves around Mineko’s great loves Akio and the TURTLE HOUSE. I loved both the timeframes and the women. This is a beautifully written story with glorious descriptions of Japan and Japanese society before the war.

I found it enchanting. I really enjoyed the stories of these women of different generations and their incredible connection.

Thank you Netgalley for this heartwarming novel. I think most reading groups will enjoy it and find a great deal to discuss. I also think that there are valuable lessons in social history. Setting the novel in 1999 and pre-war Japan allows the reader to see the changes in women’s lives during this period of less than a century.

This is a winner!