Comments (44)

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Sep 14, 2023pacl_teens rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
"Julie Otsuka's, The Buddha in the Attic, is a novel that tells the story of picture brides that come to America from Japan. The novel follows the perspectives told by Japanese immigrants, when they first leave their homes in Japan by boat…
Mar 14, 2023jeannettekeir rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
The unusual style of the writing heightened the sense of disruption and hardship that the characters endured. Their lives were all sharp edges. This was a topic I had very little knowledge of. Even though it is tough subject matter I…
Jan 10, 2023zenbuddies rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Such an unusual read: more poetry than prose. And with a use of characters that is unusual but I think works wonderfully well. I love this book.
Dec 15, 2022mebacher rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Brilliant. Heartbreaking and unforgettable.
May 16, 2022saman_kaluarachchi rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Beautifully and uniquely written. I enjoyed Julie's unique narrative style. The whole book is written in the first person plural style. I was feeling magically a part of it and highly enjoyed this book.
Mar 10, 2022
Suggested by ML
Sep 27, 2021
This novel is a marvel, svelte at 129 pages but crammed full of poignant characters whose stories are followed over several decades. Otsuka details the lives of Japanese picture brides - young women who sailed to the US to marry Japanese…
Jul 20, 2021Dobymoby rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
This was an eye-opening read…I never knew of the unfortunate experiences of these poor women who came to find a hopeful and happier life in America. It was heart wrenching and revealing in so many ways, emotional without lending the…
Dec 06, 2020rclane rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
The assemblage of fragments to create an overall narrative was a strong way of conveying the spectrum of experiences of the Japanese brides
Nov 17, 2020Andrew Kyle Bacon rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
This is a phenomenal work of historical fiction. The prose is elegant, the narrative fascinating, and the presentation incredible. The entire story is written in first-person-plural, meaning the whole story is told from the collective…
Jul 28, 2020EljayJohnson rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
An interesting and emotional literary historical fiction about Japanese "picture brides" who immigrated to the U.S. in the two decades just prior to World War II. I read a lot of complaints in reviews about the 1st person plural…
Jun 08, 2020
This is a short but powerful book. Told from one perspective, and yet from many perspectives of the Japanese young women who came to America for marriage and a hopeful future. This book broke my heart. Although this book is not written…
May 21, 2020DBRL_IdaF rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
This is maybe the third novel I've ever read that was written in the collective first person point of view (we instead of I), and the first one where it worked for me as a reader. A group of picture brides comes from Japan to the U.S.,…
Apr 26, 2019slowrunnerjb rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
I found the rather unusual format and voice an excellent means to tell the various stories of the "picture brides" and all they experienced coming to a new country and a new husband. I completely enjoyed this book, and will look at others…
Apr 10, 2019Magicworld rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
A slim book that packs a big punch. It tells the collective story of a group of Japanese 'picture brides' starting with their arduous journey by boat to America, through their lives full of back breaking farming or other labor, to the…
Feb 28, 2018ginger_48 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Written as a list of things that mail order Japanese brides felt about their lives each chapter is both wonderful and disturbing. It is like seeing into the minds and lives of these brave strong women. It gives a picture of the culture…
Sep 19, 2017
This was an interesting premise but the use of the first person plural tense made it utimately frustrating. We did this and we did that so that by page 65 I had lost interest. By trying to cover every Japanese experience in America she…
May 04, 2017
Otsuka has written a hauntingly poetic, concisely crafted, and stylistically pioneering work that memorializes the collective voice and experience of Japanese brides arranged to marry unmet and unknown immigrants earlier in American…
May 02, 2017JCLSamS rated this title 2.5 out of 5 stars
While the subject matter was thoroughly interesting and important, I found the use of the first person plural tense and lack of focus on any one person or character to be too distancing. It somehow made the stories feel less real or…
Feb 25, 2017Jennie_d05 rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
My book club enjoyed this title. Themes of immigration, assimilation, and a woman's place in the world are explored by Japanese brides of American men.
Jan 19, 2016TheresaAJ rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
In spare, almost lyrical prose, Otsuka shares the history of Japanese "picture brides" from the early 20th century through the early years of World War II. Written in 8 sections in the third person, the author shares the immigrant…
Jun 16, 2015Wong_Anne rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
Although only 129 pages long, this novel packs a punch. It is the story of mail order brides from Japan who travel to San Francisco. Each of the 8 chapters deals with a different adjustment and historical period: Come Japanese!, First…
Apr 21, 2014uncommonreader rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
This short novel is about the "picture brides" who came to California from Japan in the early 1900s and their lives and their families' lives up to the internment of the Japanese during WW II. Like other readers, I did not find that the…
lorna2511
Sep 12, 2013lorna2511 rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
A quick read on an interesting topic but too simplistic - the multiple use of the first person for many voices was a little annoying. I understand the author's goal or wanting to achieve a wide perspective but I found it lacked the ability…
Jul 05, 2013pattyloucor67 rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
This extraordinary little book tells the story of Japanese mail order brides who come to San Francisco prior to WWII. Told in the "we" tense, we experience their treacherous journey, their disappointment with husbands and new homeland,…