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Title details for The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See - Wait list

The Island of Sea Women

'Beautifully rendered' -Jodi Picoult

by Lisa See
Jennifer Lim
Audiobook
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Wait time: At least 6 months
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Wait time: At least 6 months
The beautiful novel of female friendship and family secrets on a small Korean island, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane

Mi-ja and Young-sook, two girls living on the Korean island of Jeju, are best friends that come from very different backgrounds. When they are old enough, they begin working in the sea with their village's all-female diving collective, led by Young-sook's mother. As the girls take up their positions as baby divers, they know they are beginning a life of excitement and responsibility but also danger.
Despite their love for each other, Mi-ja and Young-sook's differences are impossible to ignore. The Island of Sea Women is an epic set over many decades, beginning during a period of Japanese colonialism in the 1930s and 1940s, followed by World War II, the Korean War and its aftermath, through the era of cell phones and wetsuits for the women divers. Throughout this time, the residents of Jeju find themselves caught between warring empires. Mi-ja is the daughter of a Japanese collaborator, and she will forever be marked by this association. Young-sook was born into a long line of haenyeo and will inherit her mother's position leading the divers in their village. Little do the two friends know that after surviving hundreds of dives and developing the closest of bonds, forces outside their control will push their friendship to the breaking point.
This beautiful, thoughtful novel illuminates a world turned upside down, one where the women are in charge, engaging in dangerous physical work, and the men take care of the children. A classic Lisa See story—one of women's friendships and the larger forces that shape them—The Island of Sea Women introduces readers to the fierce and unforgettable female divers of Jeju Island and the dramatic history that shaped their lives.
'For centuries, women on Korea's Jeju island have been free-diving into the sea, a practice explored through this fictionalized story of two friends who struggle to stay close amid war, family rivalries, and a shifting cultural landscape. It's riveting, historical, and heartbreaking all at once' Marie Claire
'Lisa See excels at mining the intersection of family, friendship and history... This novel spans wars and generations, but at its heart is a beautifully rendered story of two women whose individual choices become inextricably tangled' Jodi Picoult, author of A Spark of Light
'I was spellbound the moment I entered the vivid and little-known world of the diving women of Jeju... No one writes about female friendship... with more insight and depth than Lisa See' Sue Monk Kidd, author of The Secret Life of Bees

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    May 16, 2019

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781471184727
      • File size: 385120 KB
      • Duration: 13:22:19

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      February 25, 2019
      See (The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane) once again explores how culture survives and morphs in this story of a real-life Korean female diving collective. Young-Sook and Mi-Ja meet as young girls in 1939 in Hado, a village on the island of Jeju, where traditionally the women earn a living while their husbands care for the children and home. The two girls begin training as haenyeo, divers who harvest oysters, sea slugs, and octopi from the sea. But after WWII when American occupation of southern Korea begins, the two grow apart. While Young-Sook struggles to make ends meet for her family, Mi-Ja’s husband’s role in the government spares her the economic suffering endured by most of the country. But after Mi-Ja’s family betrays Young-Sook, Young-Sook struggles for decades to reconcile her anger with fond memories of her friend, even after their families cross paths again. Jumping between the WWII era and 2008, See perceptively depicts challenges faced by Koreans over the course of the 20th century, particularly homing in on the ways the haenyeo have struggled to maintain their way of life. Exposing the depths of human cruelty and resilience, See’s lush tale is a wonderful ode to a truly singular group of women.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Narrator Jennifer Lim underscores the multiple layers of this audiobook about two friends who grew up in Jeju Island, Korea, where women have a unique cultural status. Lim's expressive delivery highlights protagonist Young-sook's personality and complex feelings as she recounts her lifelong relationship with the orphan Mi-ja and how they were differently shaped by social traditions, wars, bloody uprisings, the American occupation, and encroaching modernization. Lim's clear and sensitive portrayals, complete with believable accents, make it easy for listeners to keep track of the characters. This well-researched, affecting story introduces listeners to the cultural institution of women ocean divers and how they provided for their families. It also offers a tough look at little-known incidents in Korean history from the 1930s into the 21st century. C.B.L. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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