“With its passionate knowledge of people and places in Hawaii far off the tourist track, Honolulu is a spellbinding story of the triumphs and sacrifices of the human spirit that is sure to become another reading group favorite. “ -BookBrowse.com
Another form of arranged marriage, the “picture bride” was a way for Korean and Japanese immigrant workers to find wives. A match maker would be paid to set up a man with wife from his native country based solely on a photograph. As in most Asian cultures, women were not held in high regard. Many of the “picture brides”, as our heroine, believed that they would be able to gain freedoms not offered in their own countries. Most of these women found nothing but hard work and disappointment both in their respective husbands and the working conditions they were forced into.
In the back of my book there are some reading group questions. The first I like is:
-How do you feel about Jin’s decision to leave Korea? What might you have done in her place? How do you regard the various decisions she made after learning the truth about her fiancé in Hawaii?
The other question that interests me is:
- At the end of the novel, Jin says, “Hawaii has often been called a melting pot, but I think of it more as a ‘mixed plate’ – a scoop of rice with gravy, a scoop of macaroni salad, a piece of mahi-mahi, and a side of kimchi . Many different tastes share the plate, but none of them loses its individual flavor, and together they make up a uniquely ‘local’ cuisine. This is also, I believe, what America is at its best—a whole greater than the sum of its parts.” What do you believe? What is gained and what is lost—both in Hawaii and in the United States as a whole—in becoming a multicultural society? How might this be particularly relevant to Native Hawaiians?
While this question asked about the U.S., I believe it can be applied to both England and Australia.
Happy reading ladies, may it be thought provoking!
Hello Ladies,
ReplyDeleteI have finally received my copy of Honolulu, so I am in a reading frenzy !!!!
Miss Garnet's Angel has been keeping me company these last few weeks though and I have thoroughly enjoyed it, thanks Sue.
A quick question,
Do you feel Memoirs Of A Geisha maybe to similar to Honolulu and should I move it further down our list ?
I hope you both are well and the reno's are nearing completion as well as the baby making also nearing its finale.
Hello Nancy
DeleteGlad you enjoyed "Miss Garnet's Angel", Nancy. Just got my copy of 'Honolulu", too, so am still in the girl's childhood in Korea. The settings will be different - Honolulu and Japan. Presumably the concerns will be similar, though - the body as a financial transaction in chauvinistic societies. So, perhaps we should move it to the end of the year.
This would mean ordering "Not Wanted On the Voyage" now. I doubt our little library will carry it. It didn't even have access to "Honolulu" which came courtesy of Amazon.
Thanks for thinking of this, Nancy.
The garage still looks a lot like a garage to me. I had thought we were getting some windows in it today, which would have radically altered its appearance and made the place secure. However, it seems I was wrong. Perhaps tomorrow . . .
Hope the family are well, Nancy. My Mum's 90th in a few weeks. At the other end of life's spectrum, hope you're comfortable, Katie. Take care of yourself.
Love to you both
Sue
Hello there!
DeleteDo you ladies mind flip flopping only Memoirs and Not Wanted? I have read Memoirs already and the baby is due in August. So I won't have to read as intently while trying to juggle a new baby but still not totally neglect this wonderful book club. (Just until I get the hang of motherhood!) Would this be acceptable to you both?
-Katie
That sounds like a good idea to me Katie,
DeleteTake care of yourself in the hot weather. I had my daughter in the middle of our Summer, so thinking of you right now is bringing back lots of memories of that time for me.
Absolutely no problem. I'll try to get something on 'Not Wanted On The Voyage' to you ASAP, Nancy.
ReplyDeleteNo memories in my case, Katie, but a huge sympathy for what I imagine must be considerable discomfort and anxiety but terrific excitement and anticipation. I keep saying this - look after yourself. There can't be anything more important than you right now.
Sue
Responding to the question about Regret’s various decisions: I have difficulty in seeing Regret as a real person rather than a vehicle for the author’s re-creation of early twentieth century Hawai’i and, to a lesser extent, Korea. So, I couldn’t help but think she’d made the decisions that enabled her to go where the author wanted her to; and to suffer and prosper in ways that revealed aspects of society he had researched. For example, Regret’s research and subsequent discovery of Maugham’s short story based on May Thompson seemed an unlikely sequence of events – I can sympathise with the author wanting to include an interesting piece of information, but its inclusion is a digression. It doesn’t further the plot.
ReplyDeleteBut there were some interesting aspects. I’d love to read a more detached, retrospective account of the Joe Kahahawai case. And the discussion of multi-cultural societies was interesting. No matter what the time period or the laws, there are always people working in conditions of slavery. Here, currently, it’s Eastern Europeans: men waiting on corners to be picked up by construction companies who need casual labour, and who then pay the men a pittance; women in brothels, or perhaps worse, not in brothels. And given our present shocking attitude to migrants this won’t change any time soon.
An Afghan or an Iraqi reading “Honolulu” might well suggest that the Japanese occupation of Korea is very similar to what happened in their countries recently. I’m perhaps exaggerating the similarities: but what do the Tibetans feel about the Chinese? I don’t think we’ve moved on very far from early twentieth century Honolulu.
I’m of the view that creating multicultural societies is really, really hard work, but essential. And I think Brennert is of that view too. But we have whole movements here violently opposed to Britain being in the European Union, and to allowing migrants into the country. And when we worked in Texas, I had the feeling that a good number would rather Texas had never given up its independence. But an insular society makes little progress in terms of living standards (China, again). The loss of traditional cultures, languages, sacred places etc. is huge and enormously distressing. But very often these cultures give power to only a few (our Queen is still getting an annual 5% pay rise despite our dreadful economic situation) who may well abuse it.
I really am pontificating here – sorry ladies. Sorry. In summary, I did not think the book was a work of art, but its concerns were interesting and relevant.
But, to be honest, of greater interest is the ongoing garage conversion – guys are plastering the room as I write this: we need the electricians, the radiator men, the window people, the men to lay the flooring, the builders . . . it will be weeks yet. But of more importance and interest is the growing baby. Hope you are feeling really well, Katie. And did you enjoy the children’s visit, Nancy? Are you and Ivers still on the diet?
I’ve had difficulty obtaining “Not Wanted on the Voyage”. Amazon tells me the copy they are sending will not arrive until 26th July. I may be a little late with my review. I’ll get something to you soon, Nancy, based on stuff on the Net.
Meanwhile, take care ladies.
Hello Ladies,
ReplyDeleteHope all is well with you both.
I found our latest novel for the most part enjoyable, although at times a little contrived and perhaps too predictable at others.
I enjoyed reading the early sections of the story while Regret was still in Korea and found Alan Brennert's research on the subject very informative.
When she moved to Honolulu I found as you did Sue she seemed merely a vehicle for the story to move forward. I didn't feel her character had a lot of depth and thought perhaps the stories of her fellow picture brides may have been more interesting to pursue. Jin seemed at times a little too virtuous and her choices too contrived and this perhaps made her a bit boring. Her fellow picture brides seemed of a much more dramatic nature.
I also found I didn't like the fictionalization of real people in the story. I would much prefer to read of their real lives than Alan Brennert's interpretations to fit them into his stories.
A few contradictions in the story, and where I began to become frustrated with it are firstly when Jin is leaving Korea and her brother's give her writing materials ??
I find this amazing considering the traditional way these still young boys are being raised to be so forward thinking. One other thing that I also found a little unbelieveable was in Jin's divorce hearing was that Mr Noh, having lived in Honolulu and knowing the culture and system there better than I imagine Jin does, to go on his sexist rave in court. I felt he would have known that was not the way to get his wife back and again I agree with you Sue, so many event's and situation's seem to occur so the author can share his extensive knowledge of the topic and not for the betterment of the story itself.
Having said all of that I found it the story very interesting from an historical point of view and learned much of the history of Honolulu. The descriptions of the stockade and the business being done there seems to be true of any red light district throughout time and the racial tensions and boil over, sadly also seems to be constantly repeated throughout history
I have recently viewed a current affair program on the refugees [majority of them women] escaping North Korea today and the life threatening perils and exploitation that faces them on these journeys to freedom, very sobering viewing.
Our question on multicultural societies is an interesting on and while I whole heartedly feel it is the only way forward I am at a loss to see how we can achieve this considering the mess we seem to be making of it hear in Australia. My in-laws came in the 50's as refugees and faced many of the same prejudices facing refugees of today. The situation seems to be made so much worse by these abhorrent people traffickers and the abuse of desperate peoples lives. It makes me sick and sad to read the media hype ups in the newspapers. Australia was supposed to have come along way from the days of the Yellow Peril and the White Australia Policy but when you hear of boatloads of people drowning off our shores well within reach of rescue it makes me doubt this.
Sue, I had to order my copy of Not Wanted from an antiques and collectables site on ebay, so we must have a rare gem on our hands. I have read the first page and can't wait to begin !!!!
Katie, how's it going? I often think of you and Franklin and this most magical of times[alright I know it may not feel magical right now haha]. Ivars and I send much love and caring to you both.
Sue, how are you and Jay going with the reno ? I only wish to say on the subject of Tradies, is be clear and be specific about what YOU want. I was so lucky Ivars was very patient with me when he built our house and I kept changing my mind on colours and such like. If you can survive building projects together I feel you can pretty much get through anything !!!
Much love, Nancy
Hello! Please forgive my terrible tardiness! This is my first day off in months that hasn’t been scheduled with numerous activities.
ReplyDeleteFor the first question, “how do I feel about Jin’s decision to leave Korea”? I don’t think Jin had much of a choice. Her options were stay, have an arranged marriage and live her life exactly like her mother’s, or run away to America and try her chances at something different. It might have been nicer if she could have found some other way to gain her father’s acceptance in her decision. As for her decisions after she learned about her husband, I think she made the right decisions. Her situation was not ideal, but she made the most of it as a house wife. When money was bad, she tried to help her husband. Overall, Jin was a much better wife than Mr. Noh deserved. And when he beat her, killing their unborn child, I think she was right in leaving him.
A history teacher of mine described America as a mixed salad. You have the lettuce, tomatoes, onions, croutons, etc., each thing is different but together they make up something greater. As in Hawaii and a salad when you have too much of one item, it over powers everything else. I feel that the American people forced too much of their society onto the native Hawaiians. This caused them to lose much of themselves. So much can be gained in a multicultural society as long as each culture is contributing evenly.
I agree with both of you. Jin’s character was a vessel for the author’s motives. No one human being could be so seemingly flawless. Jin’s morals and standards were too high. She seemed to have no vices or shortcomings. And her fortunes were always on the rise even during conflicts. Her character was unrealistic. But she was a good means for the author to help us explore Hawaii during this time period. I loved Chang Apana! He may have been my favorite character! I loved him beating up Mr. Noh on the court house stairs! Sadly the story of Joe Kahahawai is one of many similar stories from this time period especially in the Southern United States. I did enjoy this novel immensely for its historical content!
Sue, how is construction going? Hope it is almost finished. Nancy, mostly I can tolerate the heat as I did pre-pregnancy. It’s only once in a while; I guess during bad hormone flairs, that I feel suddenly like I’m going to melt to death in this heat! Haha.
Hello,
ReplyDeleteGreat to hear from you Katie, it is wonderful you are feeling well and mostly comfortable.
I also enjoyed the Chang Apana character and would very much like to read his true story, he sounds like such an interesting person and so brave.
I also agree with you about Jin's choices or lack of them in Korea and in deciding to leave.
I always wonder at the desperation people must feel and the ends to which they will face danger and the unknown for freedom and an assumption of a better life. How lucky are we!
We all seem to agree on the benefits of multiculturalism and I will make the assumption that the majority of people do, so I can't help but be confused at why this seems so hard to achieve.
I feel Katie, you are correct when you say as long as we all contribute equally, but sadly this doesn't seem to happen.
Once again glad to hear all is well.
love Nancy