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The Buddha in the Attic

By Julie Otsuka
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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka traces the experiences of Japanese "picture brides" who journeyed to America in the early 20th century. It vividly depicts their lives, from the ship's passage to their new challenges in an unfamiliar land, providing a collective narrative of hope, resilience, and identity amid cultural and personal transformation. The story captures the poignant realities of assimilation and the ever-present longing for a distant home.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This poignant and beautifully crafted novel may appeal to you if you appreciate stories that weave multiple perspectives into a seamless narrative, exploring the immigrant experience in early 20th century America. The book delves deeply into the lives and struggles of Japanese "picture brides" as they navigate cultural displacement and personal transformation, offering a moving exploration of identity and belonging.

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Between the first and second world wars a group of young, non-English-speaking Japanese women travelled by boat to America. They were picture brides, clutching photos of husbands-to-be whom they had yet to meet.

Julie Otsuka tells their extraordinary, heartbreaking story in this spellbinding and poetic account of strangers lost and alone in a new and deeply foreign land.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka tells the extraordinary, heartbreaking story of young Japanese women brought to San Francisco as mail-order brides in the 1940s.

After the First World War, a group of young women is brought by boat from Japan to San Francisco. They are picture brides, promised the American Dream, clutching photographs of the husbands they have yet to meet, and imagining uncertain futures on unknown shores.

Struggling to master a new language and culture, they experience tremulous first nights as new wives, backbreaking work in the fields and in the homes of white women, and, later, the raising of children who will ultimately reject their heritage and their history.

And then war arrives once more.

Julie Otsuka tells their extraordinary, heartbreaking story in this spellbinding and poetic account of strangers lost and alone in a new and deeply foreign land.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Julie Otsuka's The Buddha in the Attic is celebrated for its sweeping and symphonic narrative, with a tender and poignant exploration of the immigrant experience. It masterfully employs the first-person plural to weave a chorus of voices, creating a haunting and lyrical portrait that is both powerful and evocative. The prose is noted for its keen observations and almost poetic quality, offering a moving and empathetic depiction of a generation of women.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780241956489

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 07 February 2013

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Penguin Books Ltd

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 10.0mm

Width: 130.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 109g

Pages: 144

Collections

Fiction General Fiction Julie Otsuka Literary Fiction Penguin Books

About the Author

Julie Otsuka was born and raised in California. She pursued a career as a painter for several years before turning to fiction writing at age 30. She is the author of When the Emperor Was Divine, which was longlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction, The Buddha in the Attic, which won the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction in 2012, and The Swimmers. She is a recipient of the Asian American Literary Award, France's Prix Femina tranger, and a Guggenheim Fellowship, and was a finalist for the National Book Award, the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. She lives in New York City.

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