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)

I Loved This Book!!!

What a wonderful story! I never really thought about the treatment of the Japanese during WWII - there isn't much in the history books at school. This book really brought it to life. It is a heartwarming book that immerses you in Chinese and Japanese cultures on the West Coast of American during the WWII. It is a truly fascinating story!

Heartwarming Story

Could not think of a better way to describe this story. It deals with racism, prejudice love and loss all with a happy ending!

Beautiful story, wonderfully told

An absolutely beautiful, heartfelt story about love, loyalty, and life. I couldn't stop listening!

On My List...

It is on my list of all time favorite books. I am a voracious reader. I can read 3-5 books a week, or listen to them. I do not listen to music in my car-I listen to Audible. So...when I say this is on my list of all time favorite books, that means it is in the top 25 of thousands of books read over 55+years.

I love this story. It lets us into a world that many of us didn't really know existed. I had read 'Farewell to Manzar' in elementary school, and was aware of the Internment camps. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet takes it out of the book of dry historical facts and adds a human component. Historical fiction is one of my favorite ways to learn history. Henry and Keiko's world becomes very real. An excellent story, and an excellent reminder that history happens to real people.

Well narrated, an overall great listen!

Outstanding Book!

Thoroughly enjoyed listening to this book on Audible! A very heart warming story. This book was selected for our next Book Club meeting. One of our Book Club members Is a dear friend and her husband lived through this period of time in our American History at an Interment Camp during the war. He eventually joins the Army and worked his way up to become a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army! He is a Retired Officer and he & his wife went in to become highly successful Entrepreneurs ! Both will be sharing their personal stories with our Book Club members in August! We can’t wait to hear all about it!

Good Book

I liked the book honestly just extremely sad. Honestly all i can say at this point. Boring for a while but what a tremendous climax and finish. Wow

Age of main characters is a major problem

Although this book was interesting, the believability of the story was greatly undermined by the fact that the author chose to cast the main characters as 12 and 13 year old children when they first met and started caring for each other. The feelings they felt for each other, their actions towards one another, and the boy's actions within his family seemed to be vastly too mature for children aged 12 and 13. Oftentimes I found myself feeling that the actions being taken by the boy and girl, the language that they used and the feelings they expressed (especially in the case of the boy) were not authentic, given their age. This obvious "miscasting" continually interfered with my enjoyment of the book.

Life as a Chinese American in the 1940s

I would highly recommend this book! Growing up on Bainbridge Island in the 1960s, this helped me understand what life was like for Asians in the 40s.

Nice Love story

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

This book was a nice love story. I guess I need to find an actual history book to read more about the day to day lives in the relocation camps.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The most interesting aspect was the fact that so much of the Japanese people's belongings had to be left behind or destroyed when they were relocated.

What does Feodor Chin bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The intonation of the character's voices was very good

Could you see Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Yes on the movie or TV show. No comment on the actors.

Any additional comments?

I was hoping to hear more about the day to day life in the relocation camps.

Delightful and truly bittersweet accounting

Where does Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of the best

What other book might you compare Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet to and why?

Unbroken

Which scene was your favorite?

THe music event at the Black Elks Club

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Meeting Keiko in the camps, and still optimistic