Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

A Novel

By: Jamie Ford

Narrated by: Feodor Chin

Length: 10 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

New York Times best-seller.

“An impressive, bitter, and sweet debut that explores the age-old conflicts between father and son, the beauty and sadness of what happened to Japanese Americans in the Seattle era during World War II, and the depths and longing of deep-heart love.” (Lisa See)

In 1986, Henry Lee joins a crowd outside the Panama Hotel, once the gateway to Seattle's Japantown. It has been boarded up for decades, but now the new owner has discovered the belongings of Japanese families who were sent to internment camps during World War II. As the owner displays and unfurls a Japanese parasol, Henry, a Chinese American, remembers a young Japanese American girl from his childhood in the 1940s - Keiko Okabe, with whom he forged a bond of friendship and innocent love that transcended the prejudices of their Old World ancestors. After Keiko and her family were evacuated to the internment camps, she and Henry could only hope that their promise to each other would be kept.

Now, 40 years later, Henry explores the hotel’s basement for the Okabe family’s belongings and for a long-lost object whose value he cannot even begin to measure. His search will take him on a journey to revisit the sacrifices he has made for family, for love, for country.

Praise for Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet:

“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. This is a beautifully written book that will make you think. And, more important, it will make you feel.” (Garth Stein, best-selling author of The Art of Racing in the Rain)

“Mesmerizing and evocative, a tale of conflicted loyalties and timeless devotion.” (Sara Gruen, best-selling author of Water for Elephants)

“A wartime-era Chinese-Japanese variation on Romeo and Juliet.... The period detail [is] so revealing and so well rendered.” (The Seattle Times)

“A poignant story that transports the reader back in time...a satisfying and heart-wrenching tale.” (Deseret Morning News)

“A lovely combination of romantic coincidence, historic detail and realism that is smooth and highly readable.... Ford does wonderful work in re-creating prewar Seattle.” (The Oregonian)

©2009 Jamie Ford (P)2009 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“An impressive, bitter, and sweet debut that explores the age-old conflicts between father and son, the beauty and sadness of what happened to Japanese Americans in the Seattle era during World War II, and the depths and longing of deep-heart love.” (Lisa See)

“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. This is a beautifully written book that will make you think. And, more important, it will make you feel.” (Garth Stein, best-selling author of The Art of Racing in the Rain)

“Mesmerizing and evocative, a tale of conflicted loyalties and timeless devotion.” (Sara Gruen, best-selling author of Water for Elephants)

Excellent

Being a native of Seattle I could picture the places that were so well described. The story, part fact and part fiction, was so touching and a sign of current times. The stories need to be told so we teach the young and remind the older generation of what was and what should not happen again. A story well told. One note-the author made reference to the Seafair parade in 1942. Seafair did not begin until 1950. Other than that it was perfect. I highly recommend this wonderfully written book.

loveable characters in a backdrop of tragedy

how dignified heartbreak is treated in this beautiful told love story that reveals much more about the U.S. government's violation of Japanese Americans during WWll I have ever known.

Lovely Story

This was a very enjoyable book and a nice heartwarming story. The reader also did an excellent job.

The Ripple Effects of War.

 An emotionally heavy-handed novel that is well told

I really loved this book! Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet is a beautiful, fascinating, tender and moving story from beginning to end. Like the title suggests, the story is such a bitter-sweet tale, which is incredibly heartbreaking at times.  

I appreciated the author's ability to tell another important aspect of WW2 that is frequently overlooked. He eloquently handled the tough subjects of cultural identity and racism. I commend and thank him for giving a voice to the many that were stripped of theirs.

Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet

It was very good and I really enjoyed it. My favorite part was when they would meet Chaz

wonderfully sad and

happy account of some of our almost forgotten history. I was not taught about this in school. I wonder if it's taught now.

An Outstanding telling of the internship of WWII

I grew up near Seattle, and lived there during the period when those Japanese that were interred during the war were coming back to the area. Later, I was in a church with several families. This book brought tears to my eyes several times....but it's a good read.

Lovely, emotional story

What did you like best about this story?

It was a beautiful story about a terrible time in US history. This should be a must read for middle school or high school.

Any additional comments?

I cried my eyes out many times. Very heart warming and touching. I love how the lives of the characters evolved overtime.

A must read

So much packed in this book. It was a pure pleasure. It is good to be reminded off our country’s history and the effect on every citizen.

well done story

Very interesting story, well written and non-judgemental during an embarrassing time in the US. it weaves a beautiful love story into a story of the Japanese internment and the racial conflict between the Chinese and the Japanese.