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Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet |  | Author: Jamie Ford
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Category: Book
List Price: $15.00
Buy New: $8.00
as of 3/18/2010 07:59 CDT details
You Save: $7.00 (47%)
New (43) Used (15) from $7.50
Seller: treebeardbooks
Rating:  224 reviews
Sales Rank: 160
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1st Edition/1st Printing
Pages: 320
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.7 x 5.1 x 0.8
ISBN: 0345505344
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN: 9780345505347
ASIN: 0345505344
Publication Date: October 6, 2009
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | ISBN13: 9780345505347 | | • | Condition: NEW | | • | Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark. |
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Product Description
"Sentimental, heartfelt….the exploration of Henry’s changing relationship with his family and with Keiko will keep most readers turning pages...A timely debut that not only reminds readers of a shameful episode in American history, but cautions us to examine the present and take heed we don’t repeat those injustices."-- Kirkus Reviews
“A tender and satisfying novel set in a time and a place lost forever, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet gives us a glimpse of the damage that is caused by war--not the sweeping damage of the battlefield, but the cold, cruel damage to the hearts and humanity of individual people. Especially relevant in today's world, this is a beautifully written book that will make you think. And, more importantly, it will make you feel."
-- Garth Stein, New York Times bestselling author of The Art of Racing in the Rain
“Jamie Ford's first novel explores the age-old conflicts between father and son, the beauty and sadness of what happened to Japanese Americans in the Seattle area during World War II, and the depths and longing of deep-heart love. An impressive, bitter, and sweet debut.”
-- Lisa See, bestselling author of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
In the opening pages of Jamie Ford’s stunning debut novel, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, Henry Lee comes upon a crowd gathered outside the Panama Hotel, once the gateway to Seattle’s Japantown. It has been boarded up for decades, but now the new owner has made an incredible discovery: the belongings of Japanese families, left when they were rounded up and sent to internment camps during World War II. As Henry looks on, the owner opens a Japanese parasol.
This simple act takes old Henry Lee back to the 1940s, at the height of the war, when young Henry’s world is a jumble of confusion and excitement, and to his father, who is obsessed with the war in China and having Henry grow up American. While “scholarshipping” at the exclusive Rainier Elementary, where the white kids ignore him, Henry meets Keiko Okabe, a young Japanese American student. Amid the chaos of blackouts, curfews, and FBI raids, Henry and Keiko forge a bond of friendship–and innocent love–that transcends the long-standing prejudices of their Old World ancestors. And after Keiko and her family are swept up in the evacuations to the internment camps, she and Henry are left only with the hope that the war will end, and that their promise to each other will be kept.
Forty years later, Henry Lee is certain that the parasol belonged to Keiko. In the hotel’s dark dusty basement he begins looking for signs of the Okabe family’s belongings and for a long-lost object whose value he cannot begin to measure. Now a widower, Henry is still trying to find his voice–words that might explain the actions of his nationalistic father; words that might bridge the gap between him and his modern, Chinese American son; words that might help him confront the choices he made many years ago.
Set during one of the most conflicted and volatile times in American history, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet is an extraordinary story of commitment and enduring hope. In Henry and Keiko, Jamie Ford has created an unforgettable duo whose story teaches us of the power of forgiveness and the human heart.
From the Hardcover edition.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 224
 Review of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet March 18, 2010
Lydia Presley (Georgia)
Wow. I mean.. wow. This is another of those books that you see so much hype about and think there's no way it could be as good as people are saying. Just a moment while I pause and wipe away the tears.
I've read my fair share of World War II stories. I've seen it from all sorts of angles, but this was the first time I'd seen this side of it. It's so easy to get caught up in what was going on in Germany ( and there's nothing wrong with that) that other things lose the spotlight when they don't deserve to. The treatment of the American Japanese was horrifying and heartbreaking and this book spotlights that in the most intimate of ways.
This is a love story, most of all. Not your typical harlequin romance, but a story of deep, abiding love. There's patience, hope, despair and more all wrapped up in the love that begins between, of all people, two 12 year old children.
I read this book only because the book club I plan on attending for the first time tomorrow has chosen it for their book of the month. Even if I don't enjoy the club I'll be thankful to it for introducing me to this story. It's a beautiful one and one I'll be reading again.
Awesome book March 11, 2010
D. R. Connolly (Upstate NY)
Jamie Ford's first novel is one of the best I've read in years and I read at least one book a week. You will remember his characters long after you've finished the book.
The aspect of World War II that's often ignored March 9, 2010
S. Vincent (Denver, CO)
I recently read this book for my book club. It was a wonderful read and everyone finished it (which doesn't happen often). This book reveals the often untold story of the prejudice that took place in the United States during World War II. The history is coupled with a lovely story about young love, life, and second chances.
Uplifting March 7, 2010
Healthy Cook (Dickinson, ND United States)
This is one of the best books I have read in a long while. The characters were very true to the personality the author created for them. Of course, I love happy endings. Henry deserved happiness. Life wasn't easy for him, but he was a true person, loyal to those to whom he made promises. I hope Mr. Ford will continue writing other books of this quality.
An Extraordinary Book !!! March 3, 2010
Mary M. Miller (near L.A., CA)
This wonderful book covers many genres. It is a period piece of WWII and the late 80s. It is about teenage angst. It is about parent/child relationships throughout the stages of life. It is about culture clash. Above all, it is about love. I did not want the book to end and consider it a perfect gift now.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 224
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