Historical fiction.
Set in the the early part of the 20th century, a young Korean woman travels to Hawaii to marry a Korean working in the booming sugar industry there. The marriage is based on an exchange of photos, with the ceremony taking place after arrival.
The book paints a picture (no pun intended!) of life in Korea (as a Japanese colony) and in Hawaii for imported farm workers. It is a moving story, but avoids melodrama.
Excellent stuff. ( )

Lee Geum-yi's The Picture Bride is a mildly interesting historical novel from Korea, published in translation in Australia by Scribe. It's commercial fiction from a best-selling Korean author of YA so the main focus of the novel is the story of three women who migrate from Korea to Hawaii to marry a man they've seen only in a photo.

Globally and historically, it's not an uncommon story. From the days predating photography women were married off for diplomatic or trade reasons to men who they'd seen only in a portrait. See Andrea Hotere's The Vanishing Point (2023) for a recent example from 17th century Spain, but there are any number of historical novels from the UK and Europe about aristocratic women and girls married off to disappointing men in this way.

And sometimes the bridegroom was duped too. Henry VIII was not best pleased about the appearance of one of his wives, though I forget now which one it was.

After the arrival of photography, in places where men migrated for a better life but wanted a wife from the old country, matchmakers and/or family members organised a bride to marry a man they've seen only in a photo. (Tinder et al are the modern equivalent, as depicted so well in Never Look Desperate (2023), by Rachel Matthews where the problem persists: people project their best selves, or some other self in order to attract attention. At least now people get to choose whether to swipe right or left and can escape if the first meeting turns out to be a dud.)

The best of historical novels using this trope use the fate of these women as a vehicle for some other issue of historical interest, as Hotere does so successfully, Lee Geum-yi, less so. Her agenda is to shed a light on the 20th century Korean struggle for independence from the Japanese Occupation. By characterising the young women as suffering under the combined effects of Japanese oppression and traditional attitudes towards women, Lee Geum-yi provides a convincing reason for them to risk everything since they have no future in Korea. Once they arrive in Hawaii and one of the husbands turns out to be an independence activist who becomes a freedom fighter, she is able to depict the political divisions among Koreans which hampered independence movements.

However...

These historical aspects are planted awkwardly into the novel in a slightly didactic way. Whether this awkwardness derives from the original in Korean or the translator has inserted them to make it easier for those without any background in Korean history, I can't tell. But there is a lot of telling about Korean cuisine, which (I'm guessing) would be largely redundant for Korean readers?

To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2023/11/06/the-picture-bride-2022-by-lee-geum-yi-transl... ( )

Willow, a poor Korean girl, was promised education, food, clothing and prosperity, if only she would become a picture bride, and marry a Korean man unseen in Hawaii. Along with two other girls from her community, she is shown a photograph, is given some money and is sent across the ocean. Upon landing in Hawaii, many of the picture brides find that their husbands lied about their age and financial status. Separated, the girls become distraught as they struggle to adapt to the poverty in Hawaii.

This was a well written and engaging book. Willow was a very dynamic and multi-dimensional character. The author handled the passage of time very well and kept the story moving and interesting. At the end, the book switched to Willow's daughters point of view, which was a bit jolting. I felt Pearl's chapters could have been handled in an epilogue. Overall, highly recommended. ( )

Willow, a young woman in early 20th-century Korea, has a lot of hope when she agrees to be a picture bride for a young man who has immigrated to Hawaii. These hopes (especially the one that she will be able to go to school) are quickly dashed when she arrives to find her husband and his situation somewhat different from her expectations. Her story, and that of the fellow brides she traveled with, form the core of this novel. Willow struggles, both in her marriage and living in a new place, but she ultimately is able to make a home in Hawaii. I found this novel interesting (I'd never known much about the Korean immigration to Hawaii or picture brides), but I struggled a little to engage with the story or the characters. ( )

I was so excited to read The Picture Bride by Lee Geum-yi, and I must say, I was not disappointed! The story takes place over many years, but starts off in 1917. It is about three young girls from Korea who are looking for better lives, and end up in arranged marriages through pictures of themselves and their future husbands sent to and from Hawai'i, hence the name, The Picture Bride. They soon learn that everything is not what it seemed.

I enjoyed many aspects of this novel. First off, I appreciated learning details about Korean culture that I had not known prior to reading this book.

Furthermore, I also liked that the three girls had different experiences, but ultimately leaned on each other for support. This was a great use of the found family trope! Related to that, they also had their own unique stories, and grew throughout the novel. Each of the three main characters showed a lot of character development throughout the course of the book.

Overall, I loved The Picture Bride! ( )