I was so excited to win my first book from BookishFirst, The Picture Bride by Lee Geum-yi, and I must say, I was not disappointed! The story takes place over many years, but starts off in 1917. It is about three young girls from Korea who are looking for better lives, and end up in arranged marriages through pictures of themselves and their future husbands sent to and from Hawai'i, hence the name, The Picture Bride. They soon learn that everything is not what it seemed.
I enjoyed many aspects of this novel. First off, I appreciated learning details about Korean culture that I had not known prior to reading this book.
Furthermore, I also liked that the three girls had different experiences, but ultimately leaned on each other for support. This was a great use of the found family trope! Related to that, they also had their own unique stories, and grew throughout the novel. Each of the three main characters showed a lot of character development throughout the course of the book.
Overall, I loved The Picture Bride!
I enjoyed many aspects of this novel. First off, I appreciated learning details about Korean culture that I had not known prior to reading this book.
Furthermore, I also liked that the three girls had different experiences, but ultimately leaned on each other for support. This was a great use of the found family trope! Related to that, they also had their own unique stories, and grew throughout the novel. Each of the three main characters showed a lot of character development throughout the course of the book.
Overall, I loved The Picture Bride!