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Jul 11, 2019Bookworm2228 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
4 stars. Lisa See writes interesting books and this was no exception. Set on the Korean island of Jeju, we meet two young girls Mi-ja and Young-sook who begin learning how to be haenyeo, members of the island's all female diving co-operative. The two girls come from very different backgrounds but become best friends. At the time they met, Jeju had been under the rule of the Japanese and the book follows the girls through the Second World War and afterwards. The girls go through so much together and are tested over and over again by circumstances. The friendship is fractured and the women endure a long period where they were estranged. It was interesting reading about the culture of the island, distinct from that of Korea proper and what they endured. I also found the culture of the haenyeo very interesting. Very much set up on matriarchic lines, it was also interesting to hear how the women thought of the men in their lives. An interesting read all in all.