White Chrysanthemum

By: Mary Lynn Bracht

Narrated by: Greta Jung

For fans of Lisa Wingate’s Before We Were Yours and Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko, a deeply moving novel that follows two Korean sisters separated by World War II.

Korea, 1943. Hana has lived her entire life under Japanese occupation. As a haenyeo, a female diver of the sea, she enjoys an independence that few other Koreans can still claim. Until the day Hana saves her younger sister from a Japanese soldier and is herself captured and transported to Manchuria. There she is forced to become a “comfort woman” in a Japanese military brothel. But haenyeo are women of power and strength. She will find her way home.

South Korea, 2011. Emi has spent more than sixty years trying to forget the sacrifice her sister made, but she must confront the past to discover peace. Seeing the healing of her children and her country, can Emi move beyond the legacy of war to find forgiveness?

Suspenseful, hopeful, and ultimately redemptive, White Chrysanthemum tells a story of two sisters whose love for each other is strong enough to triumph over the grim evils of war.

Some little known casualties of military conflict

This book starts a little slow, but don’t give up. It picks up and is absolutely compelling, shedding light on a situation of which most Westerners have been unaware. And it does so in a first person relatable narrative.

Must Read!

Loved this book so much! Very sad and tough story but a part of history that we must remember. Much love goes out to the Korean women who were subjected to such harsh treat by the Japanese during WWII.

Excellent

Excellent book on a disturbing part of history. Narrator was very easy to listen to. I highly recommend this book.

fierce

bringing light to things that want to stay in the dark … women pay a steep price for war

Outstanding!

I finished this book in 2 days! It hooked me in from the very beginning. This is only the 2nd book I've encountered about this group of Korean sea diving women. It was an excellent plot alternating between 2 sisters in different points in their lives, one during WWII and one much later as an elderly woman. The characters are very well developed and it shows an entirely different aspect of the war, one that unfortunately is a tragedy seen in all wars. I have to say this is one of the best Audible books I've listened to and I highly recommend it.