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Overview
Overview
THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER "A mesmerizing new historical novel" (O, The Oprah Magazine) from Lisa See, the bestselling author of The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane, about female friendship and devastating family secrets on a small Korean island. Mi-ja and Young-sook, two girls living on the Korean island of Jeju, are best friends who come from very different backgrounds. When they are old enough, they begin working in the sea with their village's all-female diving collective, led by Young-sook's mother. As the girls take up their positions as baby divers, they know they are beginning a life of excitement and responsibility--but also danger. Despite their love for each other, Mi-ja and Young-sook find it impossible to ignore their differences. The Island of Sea Women takes place over many decades, beginning during a period of Japanese colonialism in the 1930s and 1940s, followed by World War II, the Korean War, through the era of cell phones and wet suits for the women divers. Throughout this time, the residents of Jeju find themselves caught between warring empires. Mi-ja is the daughter of a Japanese collaborator. Young-sook was born into a long line of haenyeo and will inherit her mother's position leading the divers in their village. Little do the two friends know that forces outside their control will push their friendship to the breaking point. "This vivid...thoughtful and empathetic" novel (The New York Times Book Review) illuminates a world turned upside down, one where the women are in charge and the men take care of the children. "A wonderful ode to a truly singular group of women" (Publishers Weekly), The Island of Sea Women is a "beautiful story...about the endurance of friendship when it's pushed to its limits, and you...will love it" (Cosmopolitan).
- Format: TradePaperback
- Author: See, Lisa
- ISBN: 9781501154867
- Condition: Used
- Dimensions: 8.30 x 1.20
- Number Of Pages: 400
- Publication Year: 2020
Customer Reviews
Rating Snapshot
5 ★
83%
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6 Ratings
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The author makes her characters very real. Incredible information relating to Korean War. Very interesting story & history!
Deborah K. - 5 years 1 month agoExcellent service, excellent book! Highly recommended for the story & the history.
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Best book I read last year
Mary H. - 5 years 8 months agoA fascinating story of women. I got caught up in the lives of these sea driving women, I couldn’t put the book down. It was a bit confusing keeping all the names and relationships straight, so it is a bit slow, but once that is settled the book is great. #ResolvetoRead
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Island of Paradise?
Kyle M. - 6 years 1 month agoWe label many places as a "paradise" but more often than not that paradise has a bloody and tragic History. So it is with Jeju Island. I visited the island in 2008, which when you read the novel, is a year that is significant in the story timeline. Let me just state, when I return I will be visiting the Haenyeo Museum and the Jeju 4.3 Peace Park. I may even consider a "dark tour" of some of the Japanese Colonial sites and places connected to atrocities committed between Apr 3, 1948 – Aug 17, 1949 while the island was "ruled" by the United States Army Military Government in Korea. With only about 2,000 Haenyo left, there is a feeling throughout the novel of modernity's relentless pace and how traditions can be lost or changed generation to generation (admittedly not always in a negative sense). In this regard, Korea's Industrialization (1960's - 1980's) and Democratization (1980's - 1990's) has left its mark. Young-sook (heroine) lives through it all as the novel spans 70 years. Like Min Jin Lee's "Pachinko", Lisa See blends historical drama with the personal drama of everyday life, and its done masterfully. #RequiredReading
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Celebrates the Strength of Women through a Tale that is Both Tragic and Triumphant
Kimberly F. - 6 years 4 months agoFor anyone who enjoys Lisa See's books, her latest, The Island of Sea Women, should not disappoint. It focuses on the haenyeo of Jeju Island, the Korean name for the sea women who, through careful husbandry, harvest the sea. In this matrifocal culture, the women do the difficult and dangerous work, requiring them to be in top physical form and creating lifelong bonds as they rely on and support each other. The book follows two young women, Mi-ja and Young-sook as they begin working with their village's all-female diving collective. The girls are close friends though they are from very different backgrounds. Young-sook comes from a long line of haenyeo and is expected to assume her mother's role leading the collective, while Mi-ja is the daughter of a Japanese collaborator and therefore is treated with distrust. We follow the girls from their first meeting when they are seven years old as they grow to be the closest of friends, sharing their love of diving and many adventures along the way. When they are 21, a fracture occurs in the girls' friendship. Although their bond cannot be broken, the seeds of suspicion have been sown. As the girls grow into women with their own lives and families, they suffer catastrophic loss and endure heartbreaking events including the Japanese occupation of their island, but yet manage not only to survive but to triumph. I'd definitely recommend this book! #SummerReading
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Lisa See's....The Island of Sea Women
HPB S. - 6 years 4 months agoI am a BIG fan of Lisa See and The Island of Sea Women did not disappoint. This Historical Fiction tells the story of two friends. They are a part of the Haeyneos Women Divers on the island Jeju in South Korea. This takes place during the Japanese occupation of Korea. The story is rich in traditions,culture, and it is a powerful read. Amazing...as I have found all of Lisa See's books.