Find books like hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet from the worlds largest community of readers. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet is an historical novel by jamie ford. One of bookbrowses top 3 favorite books of 2009 in the opening pages of jamie fords 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 seattles japantown. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet book densho. While walking, henry remembers his world war ii childhood. Henry lees search into his past is triggered by a discovery, at the panama hotel, of belongings from japanese families who were sent to internment camps during wwii. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet summary shmoop.
Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet by jamie ford, is fiction at its best, but you find yourself thinking that it could be true. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet by jamie ford. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet ebook by jamie. While growing up in seattle, washington, henry struggles to understand the bad treatment during wwii of american citizens who are japanese. Henrys life is shown in the past and in the present, and in both instances he experiences many complications and hardships. So grab your finest time traveling pants and lets get going. For fans of book hotel at the corner of bitter and sweet. Jamie fords hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet was an easy book to get swept into. Jamie fords hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet is a seattleset novel that comes at the japanese internmentcamp experience during world war ii from an unexpected angle. The hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet read and.
Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet panama hotel film. It is seattles panama hotel, where an old man named henry lee stands as the book. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet by jamie ford goodreads. Jamie ford has done his part, and done it brilliantly. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet open library. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet jamie ford. It is set against the politically tumultuous period of world war ii, where we experience the alienation forces between the chinese, japanese and america people as they live together in the united states. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet introduction shmoop.
Home hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet uwsslec. These citations may not conform precisely to your selected citation style. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet begins with a reallife event. Lisa see 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. In the opening pages of jamie fords 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 seattles japantown. Especially relevant in todays world, this is a beautifully written book that will. The hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet for a long time, america has allegedly treated its immigrants negatively. Talk about some of these relationships and how they are shaped by culture and time. Set in seattle, the story unfolds in chapters that alternate between the two time periods. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet by jamie ford while out walking one day, henry lee passes an old hotel in seattle and spots a woman holding a parasol. The 1986 discovery in seattles panama hotel of the belongings of thirtyseven japanese families, stored there for safekeeping in 1942. I just finished this book and i loved it i was a little skeptical because of the title but it was a really great read. Please use this display as a guideline and modify as.
Henry is the main character in hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet. The hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet presents the case of how america treats the japanese and chinese immigrants prior and after the second world war. Praise for hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet 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 warnot the sweeping damage of the battlefield but the cold, cruel damage to the hearts and humanity of individual people. Questions for book club discussion on gone girl by gillian flynn. Before the new owner, the hotel had been boarded up since 1950, and in those years, chinatown had become a ghetto gateway for tongsgangs from hong kong and macau. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet ford, jamie on. Lisa see in 1986, henry lee joins a crowd outside the panama hotel, once. This edition contains a hotel on the corner of bitter and. Jodies selection of hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet by jamie ford was so wonderful. Set during one of the most volatile times in american history, hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet is a love story about two people who come from totally different worlds. The items were stored by japanese families who were forced into interment during world war two.
The seattle times praised the book as a wartimeera chinese japanese variation on romeo and juliet. Perfect questions for book club discussion on to kill a mockingbird. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet deals with a past event that weve heard about again and againworld war ii. Different immigrant groups continue to raise their continue reading the hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet. Lisa see, bestselling author of snow flower and the secret fan. An extraordinary story of commitment and enduring hope. 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 seattles japantown. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet hotel on the corner of bitter paperback by aa. Hotel photos hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet images of true events that inspired hotel, courtesy of the national archives.
In the opening scene of jamie fords debut, hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet, 50something henry lee watches as a crowd gathers around the panama hotel. The novel follows henry lee, an american citizen of chinese ancestry. 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. This is a beautifully written book that will make you think. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet by jamie ford paperback.
Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet audiobook by. The hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet by jamie ford. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet by jamie ford tells the story of lost love and the power of prejudice. The story is told in two parallel storylines, one following 12yearold henry lees experiences during the second world war, and the other depicting henry 44 years later as a widower with a collegeaged son. To outsiders, the demarcations between chinatown and japantown might not be readily apparent. The city blocks south of king street had a charming trashiness by day. Goodreads members who liked hotel on the corner of. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet summary and study. Review of hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet by jamie.
Among the treasures they have uncovered are a number of framed diplomas, some. For twelveyearold ernest young, a charity student at a boarding school. An impressive, bitter, and sweet debut that explores the ageold conflicts between father and son, the beauty and sadness of what happened to japanese americans in the seattle era during world war ii, and the depths and longing of deepheart love. Lisa see, bestselling author of snow flower and the secret fanin the opening pages of jamie fords stunning debut novel, hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet, henry lee comes upon a crowd gathered outside the panama hotel. Presently, the new owner of the hotel has found items in the basement that were stored by. The hotel is being renovated, and the new owner has found a room full of belongings left behind in the early 1940s, when the japanese families in the neighborhood were forced into camps. Rank hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet by jamie ford on a scale of 1 to 5. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet chapters 2832. The hotel in the title of jamie fords debut novel is not just on the corner of bitter and sweet. It is set against the politically divisive period, world war ii, where we experience the alienation forces between the chinese, japanese and america people. As the novel hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet begins, henry lee, a recent widower, is walking by the panama hotel in seattle, washington.
Learn hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet with free interactive flashcards. Sketchbook 1986 henry, marty and samantha have been sorting through the belongings in the basement of the panama hotel. It has been boarded up for decades, but now the new owner has made an incredible discovery. I had read the book hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet by jamie ford, and i just wanted to see the hotel. Im so glad blog reader clare recommended this book to me multiple times. When the panama hotel in seattle, an actual hotel which catered to japanese families is reopened, a number of items are discovered in the basement. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet is a work of such wisdom and compassion that if enough people read it, it could change the world. I really enjoyed this touching novel and give it five stars. Printerfriendly format although seattles chinatowninternational district has been disrupted several times by the suppression of the asian american community, it has persisted as an important neighborhood for new immigrants and their americanborn descendants. In 2009, author jamie fords first novel entitled hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet was released, quickly becoming a new york times best seller as the author shared with us during our interview, the idea for the book started with the i am chinese button he found in some of his fathers belongings and worn by his father as a kid. Jamie ford writes novels of the chineseamerican experience. Lisa see, bestselling author of snow flower and the secret fan in the opening pages of jamie fords 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 seattles japantown.
Fatherson relationships are a crucial theme in the novel. For example, how is the relationship between henry and his father different from that between henry and marty. Their story is about the conflicts between generations and cultures and how, decades later, they can heal the barriers and betrayals that separate them. Praise for hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet follows henry lee at two pivotal stages in his life in 1942, when he is a twelveyearold with a crush on a japanese girl, and in 1986, when he is recently widowed.
Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet recalls world. I learned about this book from an article over the panama hotel in seattle national parks magazine. I am predisposed to liking this book since i love historical fiction, but even if you dont, this is a wonderful love story. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet is a story about a man named henry lee and his memories of growing up during wwii, which is why the story switches from his current life as an older man to his childhood in the 1940s. The new owner of the longabandoned building has discovered something in the basement. Everyone encounters this big old war in history books or during classroom lectures, but we dont often think about how warfare actually affects the lives of everyday people, particularly those living outside the line of fire. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet reading with bru ch.
Books similar to hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet by jamie ford youtube. Choose from 255 different sets of hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet flashcards on quizlet. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet, is an absorbing story of hope and love. Lisa see 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. From the bestselling author of hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet comes a powerful novel, inspired by a true story, about a boy whose life is transformed at seattles epic 1909 worlds fair. Henry lee searches for keiko, his longlost love during world war ii. As one would expect, much of the novel revolves around events just before and just after american residents of japanese descent were. The hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet is an actual place. In the opening scene of jamie fords debut, hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet, 50something henry lee watches as a crowd gathers around the panama. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet is an absorbing story of hope and love. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet vocabulary.
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