13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson

13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson

Date Started: March 21, 2009 Date Finished:March 31, 2009

Summary: Ginny has been left 13 envelopes to read by her runaway aunt. The first envelope states to fly to Europe. Ginny meets new people along the way and becomes a brand new person.

Likes: I loved that the whole story was in Europe and in London. I believe that the author capture the different places wonderfully and I loved to remember different parts of London that I had been to before. I enjoyed the different places that Ginny traveled and the different people that she came in contact with. There is a noticable change in Ginny and that is appreciated.

Dislikes: I liked it well enough, but something was missing for me. We don't really get to see Aunt Peg alive very often through memories and recounts of her life. The stuff we do get is very interesting, but I want more of it. I wasn't really sad that the aunt died because we don't get any emotion from anyone other than Ginny. Most people don't know she's dead, other than a few people and even then there emotions seems to be the same. It seemed about the places she traveled most of the time, not exactly the people she met. Or rather, the places outweighed the people.

Overall: It was an enjoyable read. Quick (though it took me longer than most because of school and whatnot and the fact that I was trying to read another book at the same time.) and light hearted without being melodramatic, given the subject matter. I just wish I had gotten to read more about the Aunt when she was alive. Ginny remembers things and situation, but there's no big concrete detail that I read about. They were mostly generalizations. I enjoyed the book though and look forward to reading more of Johnson's works.

Five Years on a Rock by Milton Murakami

Five Years on a Rock by Milton Murakami

Date Started: March 12, 2009 Date Finished: March 12, 2009

Summary: Sawa is a young woman who is traveling to Hawaii to become a picture bride. She first moves in with her in-laws and is having trouble living with with her mother-in-law (isn't that just a universal theme.). This story spans about fifteen plus years through the Great Depression, the Japanese diaspora to Hawaii, the labor riots and unions of the sugar cane plantation, along with Sawa's own woes of her impulsive husband and her rapidly 

growing family.

Likes: The voice that Murakami uses for Sawa is likeable and entertaining. The prose is simple and unadorned. It was an extremely easy read and it was interesting. The characters are real and accessable, regardless of ethnicity. The family deals with trials and tribulations just like every other family. The family is driven into debt by the father, who is a stern and impulsive man. His family rejects him and in turn, he begins treating his older son in a cold and aloof manner while playing favorites. Sawa is a strong character, despite the stereotype of Asian women being subservient and submissive. Like all families, the mother is the rock of the family and it is through her character and inner strength that this family stays alive and stay together. The juxtaposition between the two cultures, Sawa's traditional upbringing, the "laid-back" lifestyle of her inlaws, and the blending of these two cultures in Sawa's children shows different aspects of assimilation and acculturation.

Dislikes: The ending is awkward and it sort of trailed off. I also wanted to know more about the children, but since it's a first person narrative we just see the children through the mother's point of view.

Overall: I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. I finished it about 2 and a half hours which is a record for me. It was an enjoyable read and it's interesting to see the parallels between the Japanese American culture and my own. I will be reading the sequel Plantation Boy and trying to find the prequel story All I Asking For Is My Body. It mentions that this story is supposed to be a tetralogy, so I'm curious what the other book is.