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)

Surprisingly really good

I wasn't expecting to enjoy this as thoroughly as I did. Great work of fiction that could have truly happened.

Sweet story, but a little far fetched for me

I thought this was a sweet love story and a very enjoyable read. I only gave it three stars for "story" because some parts seemed a little too far fetched for my taste, but overall I really did love the book.

Romance and Internment

What did you love best about Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet?

The book moves between two time periods, the second world war and the 1980s, and focuses on Henry as a 12-year-old and then as a 50 something who has just lost his wife. Ford does a great job of drawing the reader into Henry the boy and seeing how he became the man that he did. It is a complicated story of father/son relationship and, most importantly of the internment of Japanese citizens during the second world war. I learned a lot.

What did you like best about this story?

That I learned so much about the internment of Japanese citizens during World War II through a well-plotted, well-developed novel.

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

I can't think of a particular moment--there were many.

Heartwarming

Heartwarming story set in troubling times. Shows us how love sees through the prejudices of society. Highly recommend it.

Great author! Great BOOK! :)))))

This book is AMAZING!! The ending is emotional and very touching✨. The beginning of the book is quite boring and not very interesting but then when it gets in the middle of the book it get really interesting and emotional and romantic but I really liked this book. It does foreshadowing and flashbacks through every chapters.

Great Listen; beautiful story.

Thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook. Heartfelt story that would make readers cry sad and happy tears. Characters you root for. The reader was good too, though I didnt like that the audio uses the same male reader to do keiko's voice as well. That was weird.

This book makes me want to visit Seattle and take a stroll in the old Nihonmachi. Looking forward to hearing/reading more of Jamie's books.

Grabs you and never lets go

This was recommended to my by a dear friend. I must say... I couldn't do anything but listen to this story... Amazing story! Thank you.

My review

this is a amazing book you need to get this if you read the reviews. the great display of love and affection without the sexual desire aspect of most novels. its clean and you should get this book

Audio junkey

I spend a lot of time in the car & have done several audio books. I play it over Bluetooth so I am able to concentrate on driving. I choose books with foreign characters or locations. The readers so enrich book enjoyment by using various accents & actually pronouncing unusual words or names. This reader was great!

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!