Joie Sumby

I found this book to be extremely well written and informative. My friends and I (in our 80s) often comment on the life changes that we have had to deal with over our lifetimes, and we live in a highly civilised country. It must have been so much harder for people living in this quiet backwater of Korea, but the Author handles this very well. Apart from the lifestyle and the social situations, the Author skillfully engaged my empathy for the friendships between the various groups of women. She showed us, once again that no matter what our circumstances, under the skin we are all the same. Working hard, caring and nurturing our families, giving our children the best start possible, with or without a loving, supportive partner, forming strong ties with those with whom we work, and striving to improve the conditions and future for womanhood in general. When I had Korean neighbours, I looked up the history of Korea. There's been a very long and contentious pattern of conflict between these two nations. Knowing this, I was not surprised at the animosity between Korean and Japanese. What I was not expecting was the graphic description of the apalling atrocities perpetrated by the Japanese. I found that part of the story very, very hard to read. This made me wonder if books, like films, should come with a coding eg "Strong violence " Nowhere in all the descriptions praising the book and encouraging readers to choose it, is any reference made to the distressing scenes of the atrocities and massacres so vividly described.