“A beautiful and deeply researched novel…If you loved Pachinko, you’ll love White Mulberry.” —Lisa See, New York Times bestselling author of The Island of Sea Women

The blurb above had me sold. I loved Pachinko, and I love The Island of Sea Women. I knew I had to read White Mulberry. Rosa Kwon Easton delivers an engaging work of historical fiction that lovers of the genre will appreciate.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me.

“𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳’𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥.”

Thank you Brilliance Publishing and Netgalley for the advanced readers copies! I decided to do the advanced listeners copy rather than read the digital arc as it’s easier for me right now and I liked the narrator.

Along the veins of Pachinko and Peach Blossom Spring, this historical fiction is set in mostly Japan and is deeply influenced by the real life story of the author’s grandmother. It’s both heartbreaking and inspiring, and insightful into what circumstances were like then. It addresses identity, culture, belonging, purpose, motherhood, faith and religion, and war. Miyoung is a resilient, smart, and devoted character that you can’t help but cheer on as challenges arise that put her in difficult and emotional situations.

While I did like it, it didn’t quite enamor me like Peach Blossom Spring, or even Pachinko. I don’t like comparing stories, especially if I know that it was inspired by an author’s life or someone they know. Still, I’m grateful to have been provided copies to read and the personal author’s note at the end is worth reading too. If you like historical fiction set in East Asia, you may also like this one. There’s another upcoming release called Stone Angels that seems to fall into this same category, so keep your eye out!

Content includes a brief romantic scene (not detailed), some racial discrimination, and death of various family members. 3.5 out of 5

I really enjoyed the historical backdrop of this, and was pleasantly surprised to learn at the end that this was based on the author's grandma's true story. Truly an inspiring tale and with ode to motherhood and maternal love.

1.5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC.

Miyoung moves from Korea to Japan in hopes to further her education. She quickly learns how Koreans are viewed in Japan. In order to receive a higher paying job she pretends to be Japanese.

I was expecting this to be similar to Pachinko and The Vanishing Half. Miyoung's decisions are based on male validation re-constructed into seemingly "young and naive" thoughts. She decides to be called by her Japanese name, Miyoung, in hopes to stop her Japanese classmates from bullying her but nothing changes except now the other Korean students also ostracize her. Still, she insists on being called Miyoung. She studies Japanese and wears a kimono. She acknowledges feeling bad when she sees other visibly and openly Korean people treated badly but she doesn't do or say anything when these things happen.

I don't know what the point of this book was. I wanted to dnf at the 86% mark. Then we end off abruptly in 1943. Why not the end of WW2? I have read the same thing but done better.

The white mulberry tree is Miyoung’s favorite hiding spot by her mother’s house in a small village in North Korea. ‘Its berries were white and sweet, not red and tart like other mulberry trees. The tree was different, just like her’. At 11 years old, she knows exactly what she wants: getting an education and becoming a teacher. Not an easy task for a girl whose father is more interested in arranging a traditional marriage for her. When she has the chance to go to Japan to live with her sister, who was tricked into marriage with a Korean man living in Kyoto, she reluctantly takes the opportunity and continues school there. She quickly learns how difficult it is for a Korean to be accepted and find a job in Japan. So she takes a Japanese name, Miyoko, to blend in but soon realizes that she needs to stay true to her roots to find happiness.
The novel almost reads like a memoir (and is largely based on the author’s grandmother’s story). It spans a period from 1928 to 1943. Korea is controlled by Japan, and Japan is at war. Miyoung is a strong, courageous and strong-willed woman despite the many obstacles and limitations she is faced with her entire life. She often struggles with making the right decisions and is rattled with doubt and insecurity. Being without her mother, she often relies on her sister, Bohbeh, whom she has a strong bond with.
I was very intrigued by the description of Korean and Japanese traditions, locations and foods. I empathized with Miyoung so much, and she will stay with me for a long time. I loved the writing style and short chapters, and I was glued to the pages always wanting to know what would happen next.
The book is a great reminder of how different and difficult women’s lives were for the greater part of the last century. Miyoung was ahead of her time and different - just like her white mulberry tree.
The author’s note at the end is beautiful, and this is a breathtaking debut novel about love, family, survival, faith, hope, resilience and motherhood.
I would like to thank NetGalley, @Lake Union Publishing and the Ms Rosa Kwon Easton for the opportunity to read this advance copy. The above is my honest review and own opinion.

White Mulberry by Rosa Kwon Easton follows the journey of a young Korean girl who moved to Japan in the 1930’s. The storyline was very interesting. This is a beautifully written historical novel based on the author's own family history.
Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Miyoung is an 11-year-old girl living in Japan-occupied Korea in 1928. She lives with her mother and older sister Bohbeh on a farm/boarding house, dreaming of becoming a teacher one day. But under Japan occupation, her family’s finances are not as lucrative as they once were. So they send Bohbeh to Japan to marry. Miyoung hopes she can still fulfill her dream somehow, until her father reveals that he has similar plans for Miyoung. Facing the harsh gender inequality and lack of jobs available, her mother agrees to send her to live with her sister in Japan. But she soon notices the anti-Korean sentiments in Japan and decides to do her best to blend in. Changing her name to Miyoko, she gradually becomes immersed in Japanese culture, even though she loses a part of herself as the years go by. But Japan is still a growing power and increasing their militarism across the Pacific. And the Japanese government closely watches Korean immigrants and any resistance or activism brewing in the country. And as she gets older and more involved in her small community, she faces more obstacles than she had ever imagined. White Mulberry by Rosa Kwon Easton is a historical fiction novel that explores the choices a young woman must make in order to save herself and those important to her.

Easton delivers a well-paced and emotional journey with White Mulberry. Miyoung/Miyoko make difficult decisions throughout her entire life in order to survive, and I became invested in her story early on. Through Miyoung’s experiences and tough choices she makes, readers will understand what she and many like her were up against in Japan-occupied Korea, and as Koreans in Japan. We watch her grow older and continue to face obstacles that change her. My heart broke for her and what she endured, without any real control of her own fate. While a bit slow at times, the pace picks up towards the end of the book when she has to make one final decision to secure her life and of those she loves. And when she decides to take control of her own life, despite the risks, I couldn’t help but cheer her on until the end. Readers who love historical fiction will enjoy this one. However, White Mulberry will resonate most with readers with similar dual-culture background or ancestral history.

White mulberry is an incredible story of resilience of Love of faith of fighting for what you believe in for what you want and to protect those that you love such an emotionally charged book I thoroughly enjoy this this is definitely a must read and would absolutely recommend.

Loved this atmospheric, history-infused novel of the Koreas and Japan. The storyline was really gripping, and this is one of the books that keep living in your head rent-free a long time after you have finished reading it.

My thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC of this novel.

This three-part story opens in Pyongyang province in northern Korea in 1928, more than 20 years after the brutal Japanese colonization. The main character, Miyoung, is a tough eleven year old girl who lives in a poor rural village with her ailing mother and teenaged half sister. She surveys her world from her favourite position atop a white mulberry tree. And on this particular August day, her world is about to change abruptly.

The incident that changes Miyoung’s fate is the arrival of a Korean electrician, purportedly to measure their farm for electrification. Her beautiful sister immediately catches his eye, and he suggests to their mother that she would make an excellent wife for his brother, a wealthy electrician working in Japan. None of that is true, but Bohbeh has no say in the matter, and soon she must leave.

Miyoung is destined for a similar fate, but her mother is proud of her high standing in primary school, and her father is persuaded to let her stay until she is 13, which is all she can afford, despite her longing to go to secondary school and become a teacher. When they discover that she can attend middle school in Japan without paying fees, her sister returns to take her to her home in Japan.

What follows is a very moving story about adversity, deprivation and racist discrimination faced by the Korean community in Japan. The impending war and the Japanese commitment to domination of the Pacific merely heightens the intensity. Miyoung becomes Miyoko, hiding her identity to survive. She does not achieve her dream of teaching, but trains as a nurse-midwife, converts to Christianity, becomes involved with Korean activist, and bears a son. And she discovers that, despite her every attempt to become Japanese, her Korean origins call back to her again and again. Her need to be true to herself compels her to make decisions that come at high costs. Always, her memories of the white mulberry resurface, representing her quiet endurance.

The author’s epilogue reveals that Miyoung’s story is a fictionalized account of her grandmother’s life, as told to her as a young child after her family emigrated to the United States when she was 8. I’m sure that the ‘realness’ of this account is explained by the sort of feeling that comes of such emotional connection. World-historic events are told through great men and their doings, but they are lived by ordinary people whose stories seldom go beyond family lore. Miyoung’s story is captured with love and respect in this novel, and serves as a tribute to all those that are lost.

At the start of the book, we are introduced to Miyoung and her family. When we first meet her, she is just a kid who loves to study and she wishes that her sister, Bohbeh need not be married off to Japan. Unfortunately, education is not common for girls and she barely manages to convince her father to allow her to continue her studies before she follows her sister’s footsteps.

Eventually, Miyoung follows her older sister Bohbeh to Kyoto to continue her education in hopes of a better life. As we follow Miyoung’s journey, we get to experience life through her eyes as a foreigner in Japan, as a female who is seeking education and as a girl growing up to become a woman.

Throughout her life, various people influence her in different ways such as teacher Kim, Yamamoto-sensei and her sister Bohbeh. The story is inspired by the author’s grandmother’s true story and gives us a glimpse into the past. I enjoyed my time delving into the past as I journeyed with Miyoung through her various tribulations while she continues trusting and hoping that things will turn better.

DNF 12%

I was intrigued by the premise of this historical novel but unfortunately I was not connecting with the writing style. I have no doubt that other readers will find this novel immensely enjoyable.

I loved this work of historical fiction, revealing so much about the Japanese occupation of Korea, forcing many to hide their Korean identity and culture. Miyoung is upset when her sister, Bohbeh, leaves their small Korean village with the promise of a good life in Japan. Miyoung was not to know how her sister was tricked, and is sent by their mother to join her sister. Facing the terrible treatment of Koreans in Japan, Miyoung, now known as Miyoko, passes as Japanese to survive and hopefully fulfill her dream of an education. The characters of Miyoung and Bohbeh are strong women fighting for their survival in hostile circumstances. I highly recommend this well written and meaningful novel. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I think I enjoyed the storyline more than the actual writing, which fell flat at times. But this book sheds a lot of light on the life of Koreans in Japan at a certain time in history and it is worthwhile, even if just for that reason. I love that it is based on the author's family and my biggest issue is that I want to know the rest of the story! I do hope that the author is working on a follow-up.
This would be an excellent choice for a book group as there is plenty to discuss be it culture, family, relationships etc.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. I want to read more!

Rosa Kwon Easton’s White Mulberry is a work of pre-WWII historical fiction set in Korea and Japan. It follows Miyoung (or Miyoko as she is later called in Japan) from the Pyongan Province in northern Korea to Japan. Miyoung is 11 years old when the story first starts and lives with her mother and older sister. Within just a few chapters, the reader watches as Miyoung must say goodbye to her sister because Bohbeh is promised in marriage to a Korean living in Japan. This is the first of many times Miyoung experiences loss in this book.

Miyoung wants an education, not an arranged marriage. Because she is such a strong student, her elementary school teacher recommends that Miyoung attend free public school in Japan. Her mother, who recognizes Miyoung’s promise, agrees to let her go. At only 13 years old, she boards the train and travels away from everything she knows in hopes of a better life in Kyoto.

The author paints a picture in broad strokes of Japanese-occupied Korea in the late 1920s through the early 1940s. The story also shows the discrimination Miyoung faces as a Korean immigrant in Kyoto. Miyoung felt like she had to hide her Korean identity in order to avoid being harassed at school and shunned in the Japanese community. Miyoung learns to keep others at arm’s length to protect herself from the pain of loss: losing friends and family, losing opportunities, losing a bit of herself. Miyoung’s character is one of a brave, self-sacrificing, and resilient young woman.

Rose Kwon Easton tells the reader that Miyoung’s story is inspired by the true tale of her Korean grandmother. The author researched her family history and listened to the stories of her grandmother in preparation for this book. She states that, at first, she wanted to write her grandmother’s story as a biography. However, after her grandmother passed away in 2012, Kwon Easton decided that she wanted to explore the story through fiction.

Hearing my relatives’ stories, and reflecting on my own, raised questions: What happens to the self when you leave someplace, and what self do you meet in the new? What self do you sacrifice?
When I read the author’s note about the story’s inspiration, the writing style made a bit more sense. In this book, Kwon Easton is not highly descriptive. The sequence of events in the narrative moved quickly and, at many points, hurriedly. While reading it, the story felt very much like I was being told about someone’s life rather than invited into a connection with the characters. With the exception of Miyoung, the motivations and thinking behind the characters’ behaviors are largely unexplored. Even the dialogue felt unnatural in its flow and word choice.

This story had a lot of promise. The writing was just not as natural or as nuanced as some of the other historical fiction stories I’ve read and, so, I had a difficult time connecting with Miyoung as a character and with the book in general.

Eleven year old Miyoung leaves Korea to live in Japan with her old sister. To survive and thrive in the anti-Korean territory, she passed as Japanese but fears her true identity slipping every day.

I didn’t realize until the author’s note at the end that this was a true story of her grandmother! It was a fascinating tale and shed light on the Japanese occupation of Korea, something I knew little about. If you enjoy stories about women ahead of their times, and introductions to new cultures, this is a great one. Definitely read the author’s note at the end because it is very informative and brings the story to true life.

White Mulberry came out 12/1 and is available now.

White Mulberry by Rosa Kwon Easton was a captivating historical fiction.
Very well written it makes you feel all the emotions and turmoil of this characters time period and the people living through such times.
I was left wanting more. Inspired but true events this story is full of experience, emotion and resilience.

This girl called Mayo. U. NG was amazing how she had to survive in this book.. I can't believe all the hardship.This woman went through as a woman and as a young girl. She was very smart and people really didn't understand her. They had a lot of customs and stuff as well. Her sister went to japan to marry a man who thought was very wealthy but he wasn't. She had to go to japan because she did not have money to go to school in korea. She went to Japan to be with her sister.But she faced many obstacles because they do not want them there. She learned to have a new identity as being in Japan.But she felt lost because she had to give up her korean way of thinking. She will also want to church which was very dangerous because the japanese army do not want them to be there. Her heart was Broken many times B y two men. One of them she ended up marrying because she became pregnant but he soon died after they were married. This woman had a lot of courage because she had to leave her son behind 22 become a nurse because she had to support him and send money back to his family. We're close to our sister. This woman had a lot of courage because she had to go through a lot of hardships but things seemed to come out in the end. I could not imagine living under one name and then another name because you had to just work. Just during the thirties when japan was at war with a lot of countries. This is.
A really good book. I think it should be read in history and english because it can tide into things which were going on and create as will.. Korea was under Japan rule until afterward too.And it was like thirty years and they went through a lot of hardships because the K, o, R, e.N.
Do not want the japanese to be there. This is like a love story.History book all rolled into one

Following in the path of White Chrysanthemum by Mary Lynn Bracht, MiJa by Mark Atkinson and Pachinko by Min Jin Lee, we have another novel set during Japan’s occupation of Korea in the 1930s and 1940s. And this is a period where there’s plenty of drama to sustain many more historical novels. Our story here follows Miyoung, a Korean girl, who’s clever and wants an education - her father disagrees and wants her married off. Her mother arranges for her to go to Japan and stay with her elder sister who’s married a Japanese man. There, she encounters severe racism by the Japanese towards the Koreans. She decides to adopt a Japanese name and pass as Japanese which means always speaking Japanese in public, taking a different name, wearing different clothes and eating different food. Having discounted love, she then meets Hojoon and things begin to change in her life.

Like other reviewers, there were a few places with too much repetition but the period is evoked and the use of lots of Korean terms is a good way to highlight the differences between the Japanese and Korean cultures.

Worth reading and I look forward to the sequel. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC!

This book observes the issues of racist discrimination, colonialism and the patriarchy. It is a story about a Korean woman who moves to Japan.

If you have read or watched 'Pachinko,' 'White Mulberry' is another novel that explores the same themes but with different characters.