Henrys life is shown in the past and in the present, and in both instances he experiences many complications and hardships. Lisa see in 1986, henry lee joins a crowd outside the panama. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet by jamie ford book. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet characters jamie ford this study guide consists of approximately 82 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet. The hotel in the title of jamie fords debut novel is not just on the corner of bitter and sweet. Books similar to hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet. The hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you. To outsiders, the demarcations between chinatown and. This aside, hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet is an exceptionally wellwritten historical fiction novel with many complex themes intertwined throughout the narrative.
Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet is a story about a man named henry lee and his memories of growing up during wwii, which is why the story switches from his current life as an older man to his childhood in the 1940s. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet characters from litcharts. A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet summary and study. Hotel at the corner of bitter and sweet is as saccharine and overly sentimental. So grab your finest time traveling pants and lets get going. Summary in the opening pages of jamie fords stunning debut novel, hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet, henry lee comes upon a crowd gathered outside the panama hotel, once the gateway to seattles japantown. The hotel represents the bitter and the sweet components of the book s title because it is bitter because of the memories it holds with keiko and her belongings that he knows he cannot get back and the sweet because it makes him remember the times we had with keiko, his best friend and childhood sweetheart. Jamie ford, quote from hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet so henry found himself stepping off the bus three stops early and wandering over to the panama hotel, a place between worlds when he was a child, a place between times now that he was a grown man. Marty lee character analysis in hotel on the corner of. The hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet quotes below are all either spoken by keiko okabe or refer to keiko okabe. It is set against the politically divisive period, world war ii, where we experience the alienation forces between the chinese, japanese and america people. Henry and keiko are both just twelve years old when they become friends in 1942.
Marty lee quotes in hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet the hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet quotes below are all either spoken by marty lee or refer to marty lee. New york times bestseller an impressive, bitter, and sweet debut that explores the ageold conflicts between father and son, the beauty and sadness of what happened to japanese americans in the seattle era during world war ii, and the depths and longing of deepheart love. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet essay 2599 words. Its multifaceted, wellpaced plot is sure to put it at the top of many a book clubs reading list, and it. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one. It is set against the politically tumultuous period of world war ii, where we experience the alienation forces between the chinese, japanese and america people as they live together in the united states. Cussys patrons refer to her as bluet or book woman, and she delights in bringing them books as well as. Jan 30, 2009 the hotel in the title of jamie fords debut novel is not just on the corner of bitter and sweet.
When the book opens up, henry lees wife, ethel, is. The whole doc is available only for registered users open doc. Discussion questions book club recommendationsdiscussion. It has been boarded up for decades, but now the new owner has made an incredible discovery. Keiko and henry experience many hard times, many times where it would have been easy to simply give up and accept the fact that their friendship can never work out. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet by jamie ford goodreads. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet major character analysis. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet hotel on the corner of bitter paperback by aa. This theme is shown throughout hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet. The book begins as henry lee stands in front of the panama hotel.
In 1986, henry lee joins a crowd outside the panama hotel, once the gateway to seattles japantown. A tender and satisfying novel set in a time and a place lost forever, hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet gives us a glimpse of the damage that is caused by. Advance praise for hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet jamie fords novel hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet is deeply informed by an intimate knowledge of seattle during world war ii, of the tribulations of asian peoples during the time of japanese internment, and even of the seattle jazz scene of that time. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet is a work of such wisdom and compassion that if enough people read it, it could change the world. Goodreads members who liked hotel on the corner of. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet by jamie ford teachers.
Review of hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet by jamie. Through intertwined timelinesone in the 1940s and one in the 1980s hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet tells the love story of a chinese american boy, henry lee, and a japanese american girl, keiko okabe. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet is an absorbing story of hope and love. The corner of bitter and sweet is a book about addiction and the impact that this has not just on the addict but the people around them. Pdf hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet book by jamie. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it each theme is. They published the book in english on 1st february 2009. There are several bitter, sweet as well as poignant memories as well as scenes in this tale. The story is told in two parallel storylines, one following 12yearold henry lees experiences during the second world war, and the other depicting henry 44 years later as a widower with a collegeaged son.
Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet ford litlovers. Books are seen by some as a throwback to a previous world. I learned about this book from an article over the panama hotel in seattle national parks magazine. Content includes books from bestselling, midlist and debut authors. The hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet is an actual place. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet jamie ford writes hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet and the publisher of the book is ballantine books. No one has time to read them all, but its important to go over them at least briefly. It has been boarded up for decades, but now the new owner has. A chinese doctor who makes house calls in chinatown, and cares for henrys father after his strokes. The books chapters smoothly transition from 1942 during wwii where henry and keiko are 12 and are best of friends to 1986 where henry is middleaged, his son is in college and getting married, his wife has passed away after a long battle with cancer, and keiko had been forgotten for the past 40 years. Students will want to research the bombing of pearl harbor on december 7, 1941.
This is a beautifully written book that will make you think. The main characters of this historical, historical fiction story are henry lee, keiko. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet character list. Ethel is the wife of henry who, by the time the novel takes place, has passed away.
One of bookbrowses top 3 favorite books of 2009 in the opening pages of jamie fords stunning debut novel, hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet, henry lee comes upon a crowd gathered outside the panama hotel, once the gateway to seattles japantown. At the start of the novel, he is stricken by grief due to the recent death of his wife. Start your 48hour free trial to unlock this hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet study guide and get instant access to the following summary. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet setting 10 terms. Henry is the main character in hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet. Themes and symbols on the corner of bitter and sweet. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Use these book club discussion questions on by jamie ford to lead your book club into fords novel. Praise for hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet a tender and satisfying novel set in a time and a place lost forever, hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet gives us a glimpse of the damage that is caused by warnot the sweeping damage of the battlefield but the cold, cruel damage to the hearts and humanity of individual people. Henry and keiko are the only asian kids at an otherwise allwhite school, and theyre harassed. Pretty much the whole world might be stacked against him, but henry lee, a chinese american boy growing up in seattle, is still the star of our show. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet test flashcards.
Feb 01, 2009 hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet jamie ford, 2009 random house 290 pp. I am predisposed to liking this book since i love historical fiction, but even if you dont, this is a wonderful love story. Sheldon is an important character in the book hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet. Jamie ford has done his part, and done it brilliantly. The story begins in 1986 with henry, an elderly chineseamerican man walking past the panama hotel in seattle. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet is an historical novel by jamie ford. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet story sets during one of the most conflicted and volatile times in american history. It is seattles panama hotel, where an old man named henry lee stands as the book. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet characters. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet book densho.
Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet test flashcards quizlet. Be loyal to your friends, even in times of hardship. Jodies selection of hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet by jamie ford was so wonderful. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet movie on the way. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet summary gradesaver. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet characters shmoop.
What does the adult henry have in common with his younger self, and in what ways does his character change over the course of the novel. These book club discussion questions reveal important details about hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet by jamie ford. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet introduction shmoop. Before the new owner, the hotel had been boarded up since 1950, and in those years, chinatown had become a ghetto gateway for tongsgangs from hong kong and macau. While growing up in seattle, washington, henry struggles to understand the bad treatment during wwii of american citizens who are japanese. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet chapters 1722. Chicago turabian humanities citation style guide ford, jamie, hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet. The average student has to read dozens of books per year. The novels protagonist, henry lee, is an old man living in seattle. Find books like hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet from the worlds largest community of readers. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet characters flashcards.
Pdf hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet book by. The main characters of this historical, historical fiction story are henry lee, keiko okabe. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet characters by chapter. The first edition of the novel was published in january 27th 2009, and was written by jamie ford. Rank hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet by jamie ford on a scale of 1 to 5. Buy a cheap copy of hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet book by jamie ford.
The hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet this is one of those books that got some buzz when it came out and ended up on those buy 2 get 1 free shelves at barnes and noble that i used to find so hard to resist. Because the book s set around hollywood and acting sets, theres a bit of exploration about how a kid growing up around that kind of culture would be affected too. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet, is an absorbing story of hope and love. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet book by jamie ford. Henry as a young boy is caught between worlds the allwhite children at his elementary school, his chinesespeaking parents, his friendship with. Jamie ford hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet audiobook. This opens up the memories from the 1940s as well as starts a search for the fact of what took place in the 1940s. Old news 1986 in three hours of searching in the basement of the panama hotel, henry doesnt find anything related to the okabes. Feb 27, 2012 hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet, is an absorbing story of hope and love. The story is told in two parallel storylines, one following 12yearold henry lees. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet summary shmoop. Analysis of hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet. Henry and keiko meet in seattle during world war ii.
Without the character of sheldon in jamie fords hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet, henry would never have learned how to fight for what he wanted. Lisa see, bestselling author of snow flower and the secret fan in the opening pages of jamie fords stunning debut novel, hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet, henry lee comes upon a crowd gathered outside the panama hotel, once the gateway to seattles japantown. Its multifaceted, wellpaced plot is sure to put it at the top of many a book clubs reading list, and it is likely to attract a wide audience. Jamie ford writes novels of the chineseamerican experience questions for book club discussion on gone girl by gillian flynn. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet by jamie ford. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet by jamie ford tells the story of lost love and the power of prejudice. The following version of the novel was used to create this study guide. Set in seattle, hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet tells of the forbidden friendship between a chineseamerican boy named henry lee and a japaneseamerican girl named keiko okabe during the second world war. Plot summary hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet follows henry lee at two pivotal stages in his life in 1942, when he is a twelveyearold with a crush on a japanese.
Jan 27, 2009 an impressive, bitter, and sweet debut. To outsiders, the demarcations between chinatown and japantown might not be readily apparent. Free download or read online hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet pdf epub book. See, jamie ford came up with the idea for his debut novel, hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet, from a story his father told about growing. This study guide consists of approximately 82 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet. Readers circle hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet. Some character relationships off kilter as far as likely or believable. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet audiobook free. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet paperback october 6, 2009. A tender and satisfying novel set in a time and a place lost forever, hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet gives us a glimpse of the damage that is caused by war not the sweeping damage of the battlefield but the cold, cruel damage to the hearts and humanity of individual people. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 290 pages and is available in hardcover format. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet symbols 4 terms. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet chapter 2 summary. The novel follows henry lee, an american citizen of chinese ancestry.