The Picture Bride

Lee Geum-yi (trans. An Seon Jae)

‘It’s a compelling story and Lee Geum-yi movingly describes the women’s journeys.’

Eithne Farry, Daily Mail

‘A transporting and immersive story that will enthral historical fiction readers. Poignant and moving, its unforgettable characters will stay with you long after you’ve finished reading.’

Chanel Cleeton, New York Times bestselling author of The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba

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‘A fascinating journey into the world of Korean “picture brides” whose lives take unexpected turns as they land on distant shores. A beautiful testimony to those women bold and determined enough to leave behind all that was familiar, seeking a better life.’

Lisa Wingate, #1 New York Times bestselling author Before We Were Yours and The Book of Lost Friends

‘The stories of these women's lives in Hawai’i and the sugar industry there becomes, in Lee’s skilled hands, a vehicle for a narrative about the Korean struggle for independence from Japan and how it was refracted through the diaspora.’

Asian Review of Books

‘This novel honours those powerful Korean women, who took a chance on a new life in a distant land … Told in gentle, empathetic prose that sheds new light into a neglected corner of American history, The Picture Bride is an immigrant story, but it is moreover a love story.’

Asymptote Journal

‘Heartfelt, beautiful, and immersive, The Picture Bride is a fascinating historical fiction book.’

The Register-Herald

‘An engaging picture of a time and a place.’

Publishers Weekly

‘Written with great historical detail about Korean immigrants in Hawai‘i, Geum-yi’s beautiful novel weaves an extraordinary tale.’

Booklist

‘This work of historical fiction is Korean novelist Lee’s first book to be translated into English … Historical fiction buffs and readers interested in little-known history will enjoy.’

Library Journal

‘This moving novel takes readers into the world of Korean “picture brides” … [A] total must-read.’

Katie Couric Media

‘The Picture Bride is an accessible and moving read, no matter your prior knowledge of Korean culture or history in the early 20th century. … Though their tale is marred by hardship, [it] is ultimately an inspirational story that celebrates the enduring bonds of female friendship.’

Better Reading

‘An impeccably written piece of historical fiction, The Picture Bride presents an exquisite portrait of womanhood and the bonds of friendship and family.’

Alastair Mabbott, The Herald

‘The Picture Bride shines … illuminating crucial but obscure events along Korea’s turbulent path to nationhood.’

Cameron Woodhead, The Sydney Morning Herald

‘Lee Geum-yi has a gift for taking little-known embers of history and transforming them into moving, compelling, and uplifting stories. I loved Willow from the first page to the last. Loved her courage, and her tenacious, yet caring, beautiful soul. The Picture Bride is the ultimate story of the power of friendship — a must read!’

Heather Morris, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Tattooist of Auschwitz and Three Sisters

Could you marry a man you’ve never met? Three Korean women in 1918 make a life-changing journey to Hawaii, where they will marry, having seen only photographs of their intended husbands.

Different fates await each of these women. Hongju, who dreams of a marriage of ‘natural love’, meets a man who looks twenty years older than his photograph; Songhwa, who wants to escape from her life of ridicule as the granddaughter of a shaman, meets a lazy drunkard. And then there’s Willow, whose 26-year-old groom, Taewan, looks just like his image …

Real life doesn’t always resemble a picture, but there’s no going back. And while things don’t turn out quite as they’d hoped, even for Willow, they do find something that makes their journey worthwhile — each other.

‘It’s a compelling story and Lee Geum-yi movingly describes the women’s journeys.’

Eithne Farry, Daily Mail

‘A transporting and immersive story that will enthral historical fiction readers. Poignant and moving, its unforgettable characters will stay with you long after you’ve finished reading.’

Chanel Cleeton, New York Times bestselling author of The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba

View all reviews

Lisa Wingate, #1 New York Times bestselling author Before We Were Yours and The Book of Lost Friends

Asian Review of Books

Asymptote Journal

‘Heartfelt, beautiful, and immersive, The Picture Bride is a fascinating historical fiction book.’

The Register-Herald

‘An engaging picture of a time and a place.’

Publishers Weekly

‘Written with great historical detail about Korean immigrants in Hawai‘i, Geum-yi’s beautiful novel weaves an extraordinary tale.’

Booklist

‘This work of historical fiction is Korean novelist Lee’s first book to be translated into English … Historical fiction buffs and readers interested in little-known history will enjoy.’

Library Journal

‘This moving novel takes readers into the world of Korean “picture brides” … [A] total must-read.’

Katie Couric Media

Better Reading

‘An impeccably written piece of historical fiction, The Picture Bride presents an exquisite portrait of womanhood and the bonds of friendship and family.’

Alastair Mabbott, The Herald

‘The Picture Bride shines … illuminating crucial but obscure events along Korea’s turbulent path to nationhood.’

Cameron Woodhead, The Sydney Morning Herald

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Details

Format:Paperback

Size: 234mm × 153mm

Extent:320pp

ISBN (13):9781922310859

RRP:$32.99

Pub date:5 Oct 2022

Rights Held: UK & Commonwealth

High-res cover:Download Image

AWARDS

2021 Nautilus Book Award for Historical Fiction - Winner

CATEGORIES / tags

AUTHOR

Lee Geum-yi

Lee Geum-yi is a bestselling YA author in Korea. Her debut adult novel, The Picture Bride, was published in 2022.

TRANSLATOR

An Seon Jae

An Seon Jae has lived in Korea since 1980. He was born in Cornwall in 1942, and since 1969 has been a member of the Community of Taizé, where he is known as Brother Anthony. He has published some 50 volumes of translated Korean poetry, as well as translations of several Korean novels.