This novel started off strong - I was immediately invested in Willow's life and her journey to Hawaii to become a picture bride. She was a likable albeit naive character, and I was engrossed in the time period. I found the language a bit odd, although I'm sure that is due to the translation (The explanation of the translation found at the end of the book was fascinating).
As the story went on, it lost steam. It's almost as if the author decided she had enough of writing, and was in a hurry to wrap it up. The time jump was jarring, and I feel like we missed so much in the intervening years. The characters I was following disappeared and reappeared as minor players in a plot that had fast-forwarded without me. I appreciated the ending, but it's almost like 100 pages of plot was missing.
Overall, I'd recommend the novel - it's a decent piece of historical fiction, and I learned things I didn't know before. That's something I always appreciate in a book!
As the story went on, it lost steam. It's almost as if the author decided she had enough of writing, and was in a hurry to wrap it up. The time jump was jarring, and I feel like we missed so much in the intervening years. The characters I was following disappeared and reappeared as minor players in a plot that had fast-forwarded without me. I appreciated the ending, but it's almost like 100 pages of plot was missing.
Overall, I'd recommend the novel - it's a decent piece of historical fiction, and I learned things I didn't know before. That's something I always appreciate in a book!