Welcome to Litsy!

This beautiful, thoughtful novel illuminates a world turned upside down, one where the women are in charge, engaging in dangerous physical work, and the men take care of the children. A classic Lisa See story—one of women‘s friendships and the larger forces that shape them—The Island of Sea Women introduces readers to the fierce and unforgettable female divers of Jeju Island and the history that shaped their lives. #islandinthesun #songsofsummer

Lisa See never disappoints. The rich cultural detail that she includes in her books add a layer of complexity to the plot that makes me feel I‘ve learned something when I‘ve finished reading. The island of Jeju, part of Korea, has a fascinating history especially the haeneyo-or women deep sea divers. The society is run by women-men take care of the kids and the home. There is sadness as well, Japanese/American colonizers did terrible things.

So far I'm half way through #Fahrenheit451 & finished one book in one sitting. And started a new audio book. A roughly 9.5 hours. Not great but going for more hours tomorrow. Speaking of more, saw this book sales at news agent and I just have to! All these for AU$18!
Been wanting to read Heroes & the tagged book. Read Lenny's Book of Everything & absolutely love it. This hardback was $25 now $3! Can't wait to read them
#bookhaul #24B4Monday

Started this today. Fascinating look at a culture focused on women. . . #currentlyreading

I loved the story of the Haenyeo and the setting of this novel. Lisa See brought my attention to events that I had never heard of throughout Korean history. While this one I did find to be a little slow in parts it is a beautiful story about forgiveness, family and friendships. Plus the cover is so pretty it doesn't even need a filter!

This well researched novel about the culture of the strong amazing Haenyeo, sea women, of Jeju Island in Korea is quite powerful and heartbreakingly emotional.
“Her house is a nest where she hides the joy, laughter, sorrows and regrets of her life.”
**Can you believe that I still have my copy of Heidi from when I was a very little girl!!!**

Before reading this book, I had never heard of the island of Jeju, where gender roles were reversed and abelone diving was the way most women made their living I also never knew anything about the atrocities that occurred during the April 3rd incident back in 1948. While I learned a lot, this engrossing story is so much more than a history lesson. It's about generations of a family and the importance of culture, friendship, and forgiveness.

#BookNDinner! #TexasRoadhouse Edition! Accompaniment this optimally temperate and sunny evening is: NY strip medium with sautéed mushrooms, loaded baked potato (minus sour cream), garden salad with ranch (already finished), rolls, and peach iced tea. MMMmmm ?! Happy reads & happy eats! ???

Great list for historical fiction fans! 😁

https://www.bookbub.com/blog/best-historical-fiction-spring-2019-publishers-blur...

On the blog today, my 5 star review of this beautiful and emotional historical fiction novel The Island of Sea Women by @lisasee_writer ❤️📚I learned so much reading this book, and loved this story of strong women, family, and friendships. One of my favorite reads of 2019 so far! Thanks @breannetuttle for the recommendation! #theislandofseawomen #mustread #historicalfiction #books #reading #pageturner @ScribnerBooks

1. Yes. When my dad died, I stopped reading and knitting for three years.
2. I retired and joined a book club. I was “forced” to read the book and I haven‘t looked back.
3. I love London or a beach as a setting for books.
4. I love The Island of Sea Women.
5. Consider yourself tagged if you are reading this.

#wonderousWednesday

It is a slow start but once I got started I ended up reading the last 50% in one day. It follows the life of 2 best friends on the island of Jeju. It‘s a story that challenges you, making you think what would you do if you were each of these girls. They are caught up in some horrific situations that challenges their very core. I found the story beautifully moving, as it pulled at my heartstrings. “To understand everything is to forgive.”

❤️

I love how rich and well-researched Lisa See's books are. How you can be completely immersed in a culture and world so foreign to you but the human relationships bridge the distance. I love how she writes about female friendships and how loving, difficult and complicated they can be. And if that weren't enough I got to learn about fascinating, strong, brave women divers I'd never even heard of!

I‘ve loved Lisa See since Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. This one did not disappoint. I loved listening about this island and the collectives of diving women. The narrator did a great job of bringing the characters to life. And the messages of love and forgiveness resonate through the book. And that no matter how close two people are, we never truly know their whole story. A great read!

I really loved this book. The setting and story were unlike anything I have read before. Such a cool look at a small culture and how it was changed by the world and politics over time.

I love it when people are late for dinner! A margarita and a book while I wait 🤗📖🍹

This is such a good book. Lovely & brutal, heart-warming & heart-breaking. Be warned there is brutality, abuse, rape, massacre...all of that; after all, these are lifetimes filled with war. But the story of the women...their strength, love, traditions, power & powerlessness, freedom & restriction. This story will wring every emotion out of you & it‘s so beautifully told. I want to know these women; I want to@reread this again for the first time.

This book is amazing. The ties between the women in this good are almost unbreakable. The history is accurate. Its definitely a page Turner.

Do you ever finish a books and just have to sit there for a minute? This book rocked my world.
Anyone have any ideas for companion books to this one?

This is...fine. See has stuffed the book with research and the pacing of the novel is glacial. I also often stopped to wonder - was See the right person to write this story? A lot of the overstuffed feel stems from the fact that this is a historical novel written for an overwhelmingly American and white audience and the narrator does not trust the reader to follow. There was an instance where this worked...

See's novel is incredibly rich in culture and history, both of which are marred by grief and a monumental historic event. Her writing is intricate and moving, and innately female. She explores the relationships between women: mother-daughter, sister, coworker, and best friend. The best friend dynamic is a particular kind of intimacy that opens you up to betrayal because there are things that you would only tell your best friend.

Dare I say it....... Spring.... is here...!!!?!? 🌞😻📖

#bookswithbohemianyogini #currentlyreading #selfiesunday

Lazy Sunday morning. I sadly can't read all day though, I need to get a 7 mile run in to prep for a May 11th half marathon.

If you get a chance to see Lisa See during her book tour for this book you should! It's a really interesting talk. I'm excited to finally be able to start this 😊

Wonderful book about friendship and forgiveness. Also a great lesson in the history of the Korean island of Jeju. It‘s a painful book to read, but worth every heartbreak.

Add me to the quickly growing list of Littens who love this book!

A story of friendship and family set on the Korean Island of Jeju, in a matriarchal society run by these diving fisher women. I knew nothing of this society or brutal history. I fell in love with See‘s characters, as always. She writes amazing leading ladies.

I‘m excited to go to the B&N bookclub next week to talk about this!

Bookish.com book recommendation for March 2019.
#bookishbingo

Gorgeous writing about friendship, family and forgiveness. Set on a South Korean Island, this story spans from 1930- 2008. I learned a tremendous amount about the matriarchal society of the Jeju haenyeo. Lovely. I will recommend this with 4.5 stars ⭐️ #BarnesandNobleBookClub

A captivating story of a truly deep friendship, but one event divides the two women tearing their friendship apart. Young-sook can't forgive or forget what happened in Jan 1949, but Mi-ja tries to make amends, even from afar, for decades. Will Young-sook find it in her heart to finally forgive her friend?

All I have to say is make sure you have a box of tissue, and ice-cream, on hand before finishing this one. #uglycrying #bnbookclub

This is a beautifully told story of love, friendship, and heartache. Told through the eyes of two girls whose journey through the tumultuous years of Japanese colonization, WWII, the Korean War and beyond tests the strength of their friendship. Extremely interesting is an in-depth look into the culture of the haenyeo, an all-female diving collective on Jeju Island, where women work and men stay home to care for the children.

I‘m going to give an #unpopularopinion. Lisa See is one of my favorite authors and I have loved everything of hers until this book. I just couldn‘t engage with the characters or the story. The detailed life of a haenyeo is interesting and shows that See did a lot of research. However, beyond that, it just wasn‘t for me. I‘ll give a 3/5🐚s so-so.

#24B4Monday Happy Sunday morning! I‘m at about 13 hours and 50 pages in to a new book. I wish you all could hear Froedrick purring.

Happy reading today friends!

This book was mostly wonderful. Learning about these amazing brave women was so interesting and heartbreaking. The ending was a big nothing burger, but the story on the whole is worth the read.

Easily my favorite book so far this year. Just beautiful!

This should have been an epic sprawling book that spanned multiple generations. However this fell a little short for me. I never felt I connected with any of the characters, so therefore I personally cannot give that next level up. The story was interesting and well written, but it just was lacking the luster I wanted.

I don't know if it's the fact that I have a new *SUPER* comfortable mattress, or if he's still adjusting to our new home, but Domino has been more snuggly lately. I know it may not last long so I won't complain.

Time to get some reading in before going to bed for my 7am shift. SEVEN. A. M. I just may die. #coffeeplease

Admittedly, I didn‘t know much about Juju Island, and this historical fiction book did a great job of mixing history with a good storyline. The characters deal with so much hardship and grief, and struggle with dealing with all of instances. Good book about friendship, family, culture, and diving.

Next up!

*drying my eyes* Wow. This was such a heart stirring story. I was in tears near the end when Mi-ja‘s recorded voice to Young-sook just broke my heart in two. 💔 You‘ll come away with how much meaning the love of family + friends really is over disputes causing bitterness + distance. There‘s times what we see in our own mind isn‘t true reality in another‘s as in Young-sook + Mi-ja‘s story. Amazing + well-written. I highly recommend reading it. 5 ☆

I was going to give this book 4 stars until the last two chapters, and now I‘m giving it 5. What a beautiful story about friendship, forgiveness, and understanding. I‘ve never heard of Jeju Island but this book gave a glimpse into life on the other side of the world, the women on this island are amazing! I also don‘t know anything about the Korean War so those parts were a little more difficult for me to completely understand. Overall, wonderful.

I just liked this stack of books with it's pretty cover from the Lisa See book signing a couple of weeks ago 😊

✨This beautiful, thoughtful novel illuminates a world turned upside down, one where the women are in charge, engaging in dangerous physical work, and the men take care of the children. A classic Lisa See story—one of women‘s friendships and the larger forces that shape them—The Island of Sea Women introduces readers to the fierce and unforgettable 🏊🏽‍♀️female divers of Jeju Island and the dramatic history that shaped their lives.✨

Meeting Lisa See.

Seeing Lisa See at Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh, NC. #independentbookstore #books #localbookstore

Another great #AuthorEvent at #indiebookstore #OxfordExchange in #TampaFL — @WanderingBookaneer and I enjoyed the tea tasting, the talk by #LisaSee, and of course, meeting the author herself!

Geeking out over a book event!