Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet

a novel

1st ed.
  • 3.7 (7 ratings) ·
  • 28 Want to read
  • 1 Currently reading
  • 7 Have read

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  • 3.7 (7 ratings) ·
  • 28 Want to read
  • 1 Currently reading
  • 7 Have read

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Last edited by ImportBot
December 19, 2023 | History

Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet

a novel

1st ed.
  • 3.7 (7 ratings) ·
  • 28 Want to read
  • 1 Currently reading
  • 7 Have read

Set in the ethnic neighborhoods of Seattle during World War II and Japanese American internment camps of the era, this debut novel tells the heartwarming story of widower Henry Lee, his father, and his first love Keiko Okabe.

Publish Date
Publisher
Ballantine Books
Language
English
Pages
290

Buy this book

Previews available in: English

Edition Availability
Cover of: Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
2009, Random House Publishing Group
Electronic resource in English
Cover of: Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet
Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet: a novel
2009, Ballantine Books
in English - 1st ed.
Cover of: Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet
Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet
2009, Thorndike Press
in English

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Book Details


Edition Notes

Published in
New York
Genre
Fiction.

Classifications

Dewey Decimal Class
813/.6
Library of Congress
PS3606.O737 H68 2009, PS3606.O737H68 2009, PS3606.O737 H68 2011

The Physical Object

Pagination
p. cm.
Number of pages
290

ID Numbers

Open Library
OL22658536M
Internet Archive
hoteloncornerofb00ford
ISBN 13
9780345505330
LCCN
2008044398
OCLC/WorldCat
229027205
Library Thing
6006690
Goodreads
3367956

Work 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 FanIn 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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History

Download catalog record: RDF / JSON
December 19, 2023 Edited by ImportBot import existing book
December 26, 2022 Edited by MARC Bot import existing book
August 5, 2021 Edited by New York Times Bestsellers Bot Add NYT bestseller tag
August 15, 2020 Edited by ImportBot import existing book
December 11, 2009 Created by WorkBot add works page