A must-read for those who are unaware of the horrors that Korean women were subjugated to at the hands of the Japanese army... the Ja-hee parts were the strongest and the most captivating... the Anna parts and timeline were kinda like an afterthought and didn't seem plausible. The effort to make Anna sound like an American youth was awkward as well. After reading other reviews for the following books in this series....I read this weak frame story continues for the other stories as well, but the ...

Zdecydowanie jednak z najlepszych książek, jakie przeczytałam w tym roku! Bardzo żałuję, że nie wydano u nas kolejnych tomów :( Będę musiała polować na angielskie wydania. Jestem szalenie ciekawa tego, jak ta historia się rozwinie. Dodam, że niektóre fragmenty były dla mnie zbyt mocne. Chodzi zwłaszcza o opisy tego, co działo się w stacjach komfortu, gdzie gwałcono i mordowano młode Koreanki :(

Angry. This book made me angry. The story is an important one to tell and one that was, in abstract, moving. I am not minimizing the horrific things that happened to Ja-hee. The voice was not, however, from that woman but from a white man detailing the gratuitous violence done. Anna was just a prop and even her struggles were brushed over. At no point did I feel the hearts, the Yi, of any of the women. One star for the overview of Korean history and Japanese (and American) oppression.

My first 5-star book of the year. What a profound and emotional account of the horrors perpetrated against Koreans, especially women, throughout that nation's history. I learned so much from this book, and will be thinking about it for some time to come. I have read a lot of historical fiction, but this is the first time I have read about the comfort stations and what those women suffered through.A word to those just starting the book - look at the pictures at the back of the book before you sta...

Addendum to my review: The issue of comfort women continues to haunt South Korea to this day. Japan continues to try to skirt responsibility. From today's New York Times (12/27/17): "SEOUL, South Korea — A South Korean government-appointed panel faulted on Wednesday a “final and irreversible” deal struck with Japan in 2015 to resolve a decades-old dispute over Korean women who were forced into sexual slavery during World War II" In the deal, "Japan expressed responsibility (subject to terms--Jap...

“If we don’t learn from history, we are doomed to repeat it.” George SantayanaDaughters o the Dragon opened my eyes to ‘Comfort Women’, a term I had never heard. During World War II, thousands of young women were abducted from their homes and forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese Imperial Army. They were unnervingly called ‘comfort women’ and the brothels ‘comfort stations’. The stations were set up during the war to keep up morale of Japanese soldiers and discourage their rape of local wom...

A part of history that needs to be taught to every student, just like the holocaust. Only apparently Japan does not acknowledge this horrific atrocity. The afterword of this book will forever be seared in my brain- 80 and 90 year old women victims march every Wed at the Japanese Embassy in Seoul. Trying to make sure the world knows what happened and with a list of demands for the Japanese Govt. I stand in solidarity with these courageous comfort women

I didn't stop til I read the entire book

I'm not sure how I've never heard of this terrible time in history. This book and the story caused a very visceral reaction. I was sick. I cried. I was beyond angry. The author does a wonderful job weaving the story. It makes me want to read more from the author and certainly more on the subject. These women deserve so much more and I agree that until these atrocities are acknowledged by every nation it will almost certainly happen again.

I had never heard of the comfort women. This story opened my eyes to this dark part of Korean/Japanese history and pushed me to learn more. The story is so well told that I often forgot it was a novel. I couldn't put this book down and my thoughts always came back to the treatment of these women and how humans can justify such treatment of other humans. Loved this book for the truths in it.

Four stars for the main story retelling the past. Two stars for the present day story, which at times was cringe-worthy. Averaging that gives three stars, but I'll add another star for the Korean history lesson. Perhaps if I were better versed in Korean / Japanese history beforehand it wouldn't have been as interesting, but it was an accessible way to learn some basic dynamics of the region's history and culture and make me eager to read further on the subject.