So, I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand I was eager to read about Korean picture brides. It’s a period of history I knew nothing about and an important period in world history. Korean women were brought to Hawaii to marry men who had come to the island to work sugarcane. It was a difficult time in Korea; poverty was abundant as the population strove for independence against Japanese oppression. Willow agrees to be a picture bride and forms a bond with other Korean women. Unfortunately the other women find themselves married to men much older than believed and are trapped in their marriages. Willow is more fortunate but she finds herself married to a cold man who is more interested in fighting for Korean independence and Willow is left alone to fend for herself. I didn’t feel much connection to the Korean women and I didn’t like the shift in focus of the book to Willows daughter. I’m not sure if that’s a cultural thing or just a failure of the author to create relatable characters.