I first learned about the Korean island of Jeju and the Haenyeo, the female divers, the fisher women who were the major providers of food and income for their families, when I read White Chrysanthemum. It was a story of the Japanese occupation of Korea and the horrors of young women being taken by the Japanese to be a “comfort workers” and a young haenyeo is taken. See’s novel focuses specifically on the lives of the Haenyeo spanning decades and is a much more in depth look. She gives wonderful

this is such a heartfelt, if not tragic, story about two best friends and how the challenges of life work against them and their relationship.while the fragile connection between mi-ja and young-sook is the heart of this novel, i think the thing i found most interesting was learning about the haenyeo and the semi-matriarchal society that was established on jeju island because of their significance. definitely something i would love to witness in person!but i will say that, because this story spa...

Rating 3.75I'm sure I'm in the minority on this one. And to be honest, I'm torn. I'm a big Lisa See fan. I've read a number of her books. Some I've loved, some not so much. I've attended numerous talks by her and will always try and see her speak when I can. I have one of her books, Peony in Love, that I've been holding on to years to read. I just always want to have one of her books in reserve. (Yup, weird book habits). But with this one....I'm just wavering in my thoughts.First, love, love, lo...

5 stars!On the tiny island of Jeju in South Korea, live the “Sea Women”, the haenyeo. Starting at a young age under the tutelage of their elders, girls undergo rigorous training to dive the depths of the ocean and harvest sea urchins, octopus, and other delicacies from the ocean floor. And they do it in icy waters wearing only a thin, homemade cotton swim costume, with no oxygen tank or other diving apparatus. In a role reversal uncommon for the times, the women provided for their families whil...

Update: Happy Publication Day! (Today, March 5th, 2019)Haenyeo is the Korean name for the sea women who, through careful husbandry, harvest the sea through various seasons of production and restoration. On Jeju Island, south of mainland Korea, they called themselves jamsu, jamnyeo, or jomnyeo, which are all Jeju words. The haenyeo culture is characterized as matrifocal; that is, focused on females. They did all the difficult and dangerous work in their families and had to be in top physical form...

For the first third of this novel, though I was liking the story, I felt like I was observing from afar, wasn't connecting emotionally with the story. I was enjoying learning about the life of the haenyo and their diving collective on the Korean island of Jeju. A matriarchal society is rare, so that was intriguing. The friendship between Mi ja and Young Sook was just beginning, so there was definitely enough to keep me reading. Also this was my monthly read with Angela and Esil, and up to this p...

Update: $2.99 kindle special. The history of these women - is fascinating! A great price - worth reading!! 🤿🐟“As the Korean saying goes, *Haenyos* do the work of the dead in the land of the living”. “Every woman who enters the sea carries a coffin on her back. In this world, the undersea world, we tow the burdens of a hard life”. Women harvest together, sort together, and sell together. The sea itself is communal. With no breathing equipment, the deep-sea diving Korean women (*Haenyos*), hold th...

"If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other." (Mother Teresa)The threads of time, commitment, connection, and honor run deeply through this latest offering by the highly talented Lisa See. We follow her to the Korean volcanic island of Jeju in the Korean Strait. Jeju is filled with jutting cliffs, white sandy beaches, and the deafening roar of the sea. But the beauty of these surroundings is far outmatched by the resilience of its people.....and in particul...

4.5****“How do we fall in love? ... How different it is with friendship. No one picks a friend for us. We come together by choice. We are not tied together through ceremony or the responsibility to create a son. We tie ourselves together through moment. The spark when we first meet. Laughter and tears shared. Secrets packed away to be treasured, hoarded, and protected. The wonder that someone can be so different from you and yet still understand your heart in a way no one else ever will.”This wa...

[3.4] I can usually count on Lisa See to deliver an engrossing story along with a history lesson. In The Island of Sea Women, See certainly delivers the history lesson! I learned about the haenyeo, the courageous diving women who live on the island of Jeju in South Korea. I knew nothing about them and was fascinated. I was also horrified to learn about the 4:3 Massacre where thousands of citizens were murdered by the government in 1948. Unfortunately, the novel felt like scaffolding for the hist...

Set on the South Korean island of Jeju, under Japanese occupation when the narrative begins this novel investigates the enigmatic and traditional collective of haenyo - groups of women who deep sea dive with rudimentary equipment while their husbands stay at home looking after the children. In other words, we have a role reversal here. The novel focuses on the deep friendship between Young-Sook and Mi-Ja, a friendship which will be broken asunder when civil war breaks out and Korea enters the da...

3.5 StarsI read The Island of Sea Women for the Goodreads Summer Reading Challenge and read it with a couple of my Traveling Friends. I used it for the prompt for Not from around here: Read a book set in a different culture from your own. I was completely drawn into the setting here to the remote Jeju Island in South Korea that is home to haenyeo “sea woman” who all are female free drivers. I was fascinated by these strong, proud women who took risks and made sacrifices to feed their families an...

What a beautiful, haunting, and inspiring story! Lisa See never fails to impress or educate me through her stunning storytelling. This is the story of two friends Mi-ja and Young-sook who Live on the Korean island of Jeju. Jeju is the home of the Haenyeo, Women who spend their days diving in the sea holding their breath for an unbelievable amount of time and harvesting shellfish and see creatures. This is a matriarchal society where the women go out and work and the men stay home and take care o...