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)

Sweet and Informative

The understanding that can be found in this book, brings to life the mistreatment of humans because of the color of their skin. It reminds us of how we can and must do better to be allies with people instead of enemies! Too much time, too many lives and too much money, land and relationships are destroyed through our fear of people being different. When we could be learning to be better and more understanding. That is what makes a great country! Thank you for the human feelings and the good things that happen when we choose to love others.

wonderful

I loved this story. I loved reading the human side of the Japanese encampment during WW2. It was quite the revelation

Bittersweet Indeed

I listened to this story because my daughter had to read it for High School English. I didn't have to help her much at all but we could engage of story details. a nice read of an important history that shouldn't be forgotten.

Sad

Sad story. Not a book that I would normally read. This book was recommended to me by a family member.

Good Story

I liked the book, didn't love it. I thought the plot was good, the performance was excellent. However, some of the plot elements were a bit implausible, e.g., the age of the main characters made no sense.

very good historical fiction

wonderful narration
enjoyed the story and the history refresher
touching, kind, respectful
good storytelling

Chop chop

I really enjoyed the story and being told in Henry’s perspective was excellent. However, the narrator spoke very slow & choppy. I was trying to figure out if it was meant to sound foreign to American ears or not. I tried to speed up the narration a bit to make it flow smoother, but usually the sound is worse when you do. It seemed like Henry & Keiko were wise beyond their age in many respects, but that didn’t bother me. Children of war, I suppose, grow up fast.

Heartbreaking & Heartwarming,

It’s a lovely story about friendship, racism, long lasting love that is deep and sincere without commitment. It’s heartwarming and heartbreaking and speaks to a reality of American history that is somewhat embarrassing.

Great read!

Loved the historical background. Also the story just drew you in. I would most definitely recommend it!

Wow! What a book! What a narrator!!

This was one of the best books I've heard since The History of Love. The narration was spot on (except for perhaps when speaking a couple of the Japanese phrases, but this may have been intentional). Feodor Chin's ability to vary his voice across the years and for each of the characters, not only in tone and accent, but in the more subtle matters of "how" something would be said, made listening to this book a rare pleasure. Jamie Ford's writing is crisp, engaging, and insightful. It allows the listener/reader into a world seldom seen by outsiders, and events of our nation's history that are still rarely spoken about. The diverse cast of characters is three-dimensional and believable, and Ford skillfully avoids stereotypical portrayals and easy solutions to diffucult issues. The book is already on order to join my hardback collection, but I will keep the audiofiles with the very short lists of books worth another listen.