Author: Jamie Ford
Genre: Fiction, Standalone
Published: 2009
Personal Rating: 4/5
Yearly Count: 33
Henry's story is told through two timeframes - 1986 and the 1940s. In the 40s, Henry is a Chinese-American boy whose parents send him to the local Seattle American school, and there he meets Keiko, a Japanese-American girl. They become fast friends. To their dismay, World War II brings the Japanese Internment and Keiko and her family are taken away. In the year 1986, as an adult, Henry reflects upon his choices as a young man after he loses his wife to cancer.
When I closed this book for the final time, I thought it was very good. Prior to that, I often just thought of it as "good". There were a few places that I felt were contrived or just plain shallow, and I did not care for the past and present style for this book. However, I did become attached to Henry and a few other characters, along with the general story line. Also, learning more about the Japanese Internment from another perspective was interesting, so . . . at the end, it earned its 4 rating.
*I was unable to obtain this ARC on my own, but my friend Bonnie at Redlady's Reading Room was extremely generous in sending me a copy. I'm so, so thankful, Bonnie! :)
Happy to see you enjoyed this story; I did too --great review.
ReplyDeleteI think the cover is nice, but the title puts me off a bit. Your review makes it sound like a book I'd enjoy.
ReplyDeleteI'm anxious to read this one!
ReplyDeleteWell 4 isn't so bad. I actually appreciate your review as I've heard such glowing things about this one so far. I have it on the shelf and I'll be going into it with much more realistic expectations.
ReplyDeleteI saw this at Borders the other day and was going to get it but I don't do well when there is a shift in time....it's why I never read the Time Traveler's Wife.
ReplyDeleteDiane ~ I'm so glad I enjoyed it, too! :)
ReplyDeleteBooklogged ~ Really? Out of curiosity, what is off-putting about the title? I do think you'd like it, though. And, the cover is what drew me to the book in the first place. However, I didn't notice that they were children until much later. That made no difference to me, but I didn't notice that.
Lynne ~ It's a fast read. I think you'll like it, too.
Trish ~ "Well 4 isn't so bad." What?! A 4 is "very good", Trish!!! :) :) :) I know, I know. Everybody else thinks it's a 5. I'm happy to know that I have kept you grounded. *grin*
Danielle ~ Interestingly enough, I have really grown to like a story being told in the past and present (used to not like it at all), but for some reason I would have preferred this story to be told from the 40s, then jump to when he was an older adult. Big chunks of time would have been better (for me) than alternating several chapters at a time.
I'm not a fan of time travel, but I did read TTW and wasn't surprised when I didn't care for it very much.
Glad you had a chance to read this one Joy. I'd sure like to.
ReplyDeleteDar ~ I don't try to snag books too often, but when I do I really have an interest. This was one of them and it didn't work out - until Bonnie saved the day! :) I think you'd like it.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad that you liked this Joy!! I didn't mind the switching between past and present and thought it enhanced the story as it was done fairly smoothly. I found it flowed nicely. I got attached to Henry also, he was an endearing character.
ReplyDeleteThis one's been on my wish list for a while. Everyone seems to love it. I don't know where they all got a copy! I'm not on that ARC list, either, wherever it may be.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you were able to get a copy of this, Joy. You and I gave it the same rating. Do you agree that it read a bit like a Young Adult book? Something just felt too simplistic. However, I still enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteBonnie ~ I think I liked the 40s story better, so I wanted it to stay there. :)
ReplyDeleteBookfool ~ I'm thankful to Bonnie, for sure. :) Even with the typos, I'm happy to have this one housed on my shelf.
Les ~ After I posted my thoughts, I went browsing around to those reviews that I didn't read thoroughly and yours was one of them. For some reason I thought you had rated it higher and was surprised. Yes, I did think it read like a YA book and that it was simple. For the majority of the book, I was only at a 3.5 probably for that very reason. I wanted more depth. But, in the long run, I really liked it. I have sweet memories. :)
This is one of those books I'll probably be the last person to read! ha. It sounds like a good story and I do like books that go back and forth between time so maybe that'll work for me. Thanks for a great review!
ReplyDeleteIliana ~ I usually like the time change, too, but I would have preferred staying with Henry when he was younger. Anyway, the story is a good one and whether you are the last one to read it or not, you will probably enjoy it along with all of us before you. :)
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to read this one. I'm glad you liked it. The Revenge of the Middle-Aged Woman came today. Thanks so much!
ReplyDeleteI've seen a couple reviews of this now, and I admit that just the title has me intrigued! And like Iliana, I like stories that shift timeframes, so I have a feeling I will enjoy this one (I loved TTW). The last novel I read about the Japanese interment camps was Julie Otsako's When the Emperor was Divine, which I reviewed on my blog. Thanks for your comments!
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like an interesting book. I love the cover and the title. I'm a shallow book buyer, I consider the title and cover first before anything else.
ReplyDeleteBermudaonion ~ You're welcome. :)
ReplyDeleteMindy Winthrow ~ I read When the Emperor was Divine and was about the only one that wasn't overly impressed. For some reason I expected more.
Angie ~ That seems natural to me - that's the first thing we see! The title and cover definitely drew me to this book. :)
I wasn't impressed with When the Emperor Was Divine, either, Joy. It fell flat for me.
ReplyDeleteLes ~ It really had great potential. I think "flat" describes it well.
ReplyDelete