Books Set in Asia and the United States

Honolulu, by Alan Brennert (2009)

Honolulu is a novel about a young Korean girl named Regret who traveled from her native country to Hawaii in 1914 at age 17 as a "picture bride."  She has dreams of being able to go to school and make something of herself.  Together with several other young women, they boarded a ship to meet their handsome young husbands, only to find once they land in Hawaii that the prospective grooms are not what they seemed.  Regret discovers that her husband is much older and, instead of being a prosperous businessman, is a drunken laborer.

After being abused by her husband, Regret runs away to Honolulu, where she now calls herself Jin and begins to make a new life.

Honolulu is the story of Hawaii after the islands became a US territory.  It describes the difficulties of Native Hawaiians and Asians as the white began to take over and govern the islands.  Many of the characters in the latter portion of the novel are historical figures. 

4 Stars

Read:  October 20, 2014

Books Set in Europe and Asia

The Orchid House, by Lucinda Riley (2011)

4 Stars

Read:  October 15, 2014

Books Set in the United States: Missouri

A Good American, by Alex George (2012)

I loved this novel, which is a saga of a family that immigrated from Germany and ended up in a small rural town in Missouri in the early 1900s.  Frederick and Jetta left their native Germany when Jette became pregnant and her parents disapproved of her future husband.  Planning on heading to New York, they boarded a ship bound for New Orleans.  Once they arrive they are encouraged to head north, up the Mississippi River.  They ended up Beatrice, Missouri when Jetta goes into labor and gives birth to Joseph.  His sister, Rosa, is born a few years later.

The novel follows the lives of Frederick and Jette.  When the United States entered World War I, Frederick enlisted and went to fight against his native land.  The novel follows the lives of Frederick and Jette, their children, Joseph and Rosa, then moves on to the next generation.

The novel is narrated by James, the second son of Joseph and Cora.  He retells the events of his and his brothers’ lives, including their religious crises, their friends and tribulations.  This part of the novel has some very funny moments.

In the end, there are family secrets that are revealed.  Some twists in the plot I never saw coming.

5 Stars

Read:  October 11, 2014