Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
A Novel
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Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
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Narrated by:
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Feodor Chin
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By:
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Jamie Ford
About this listen
In the opening pages of Jamie Ford's stunning debut, 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 Japan-town. 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 on scholarship 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.
©2009 Jamie Ford (P)2012 Audible LtdListeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
What listeners say about Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- chickensnr
- 08-10-16
Well crafted lovestory with a bit of history thrown in for good measure
Enjoyable well paced read with good develpment of the central characters. Providing desire to see their eventual outcome
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Mrs. T. R. Phillips
- 17-07-23
Easy read
Sweet story although my mind kept wandering. In truth a bit disappointing considering it’s high rating
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- sue
- 18-03-14
Easy listening
I enjoyed this book very much and it covered some issues that i really was not aware of.
Lovely narration just a very nice book, i am sorry its finnished.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Kim Driver
- 15-08-20
Lovely and interesting story
Captures ypur heart, some wonderful characters in a great story which is informative and entertaining at the same time
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 26-05-13
unexpected
Another beautiful, funny and interesting story giving a different perspective on a well known theme. Again extremeley well read
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- SHEILA
- 15-11-17
Japanese and Chinese in WWII in USA
This is a combination of a love story and a History lesson. Two young high school pupils form a friendship, but are torn apart when the Japanese citizens are interred.
Wonderful narration, I got a real sense of the time and place. It is set over two time frames, both of which totally immersed me in the era. There is so much unsaid in the story, which adds beautifully to it poignancy .
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