White Chrysanthemum cover art

White Chrysanthemum

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White Chrysanthemum

By: Mary Lynn Bracht
Narrated by: Greta Jung
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About this listen

Random House presents the audiobook edition of White Chrysanthemum by Mary Lynn Bracht, read by Greta Jung.

'Look for your sister after each dive. Never forget. If you see her, you are safe.'

Hana and her little sister Emi are part of an island community of haenyeo, women who make their living from diving deep into the sea off the southernmost tip of Korea.

One day Hana sees a Japanese soldier heading for where Emi is guarding the day's catch on the beach. Her mother has told her again and again never to be caught alone with one. Terrified for her sister, Hana swims as hard as she can for the shore.

So begins the story of two sisters suddenly and violently separated by war. Switchbacking between Hana in 1943 and Emi as an old woman today, White Chrysanthemum takes us into a dark and devastating corner of history. But pulling us back into the light are two women whose love for one another is strong enough to triumph over the evils of war.

A riveting, immersive read in the vein of The Kite Runner and Memoirs of a Geisha.

©2018 Mary Lynn Bracht (P)2018 Random House Audiobooks Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Small Town & Rural War & Military War Heartfelt Imperial Japan

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Critic reviews

"A hugely affecting, captivating read - I cried for most of the second half." ( Stylist)
"Beautifully written... In elegant but emotionally devastating prose Bracht conveys the heartbreaking impact of brutality and war upon women." ( Sunday Express)
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Sometimes a book can be difficult to listen to, it was a book club choice and a friend who started it before me said she wasn’t sure she could continue reading it. I was not far in and enjoying it, then the tone got worse and I realised this story wasn’t for the faint hearted. But I ploughed on and with the switch back and forth between the sisters knew I had to continue. The atrocities inflicted on one human by another is beyond comprehension but these things happen and Mary Bracht and story tellers like her are helping us to understand and learn about things we don’t learn in school or later. Well written and narrated but so sad on many levels. The hope is that Hana had a good life in the end.

Difficult listen

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This story had my full undivided attention from the beginning. I've always been intrigued by societies where women are recognised as by all as much more able to endure arduous, physically challenging and ultimately bread winning vocations like the Haenyeo female divers in the Korean province of Jeju.
To open with this wonderful information of one said family and then traverse into the life of their eldest daughter, stolen and forced into prostitution by Japanese soldiers, I have to say I was aghast and desperately hooked on her plight and my need for her to prevail. It was harrowing but excellently written.
I do feel and I don't like to criticise narrators but in this case, I do feel the narrator needed more passion at times and certainly lacked textural layers in her vocal delivery for the complexities of such a whirlwind of emotional and often threatening moments depicted in the book.
I felt she approached most sentences with the same intonation and luckily I'm able to tune this sort of reading out, lending my imagination to flavour the sentences. It does though make for more effort on the part of the listener. One wants to immerse one's self and hear the heart of the real writing from the story teller.
The author in my book is excellent and thank you for writing this little known or spoken about type of story in such and engaging and genuinely cared for manner.

Riveting often painful, emotionally provocative.

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This beautiful book is emotional and life changing. Needs to be shared so people know this important history. Fantastically written.

Deep and powerful story

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This was an excellent but heart breaking book. I didn't know anything about the Comfort Girls. The audio book is beautifully presented.

Excellent

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This had me in tears, both sad and happy. There’s not much more to say.

Absolutely beautiful

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