As quoted by Marcia:
I love beautiful, and interesting, cover art so every Wednesday I post my 'Cover Attraction' for the week along with a synopsis of the book. Everyone is welcome to stop by and, if they'd like, post a link to their favorite weekly book cover.
My find this week is Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford. (I ordered this copy last week and I can not wait to receive it!)
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: January 2009
In the opening pages of Jamie Ford’s 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 Seattle’s Japantown. It has been boarded up for decades, but now the new owner has made an incredible discovery: the belongingsof Japanese families, left when they were rounded up and sent to internment camps during World War II. As Henry looks on, the owner opens a Japanese parasol.
This simple act takes old Henry Lee back to the 1940s, at the height of the war, when young Henry’s world is a jumble of confusion and excitement, and to his father, who is obsessed with the war in China and having Henry grow up American. While “scholarshipping” at the exclusive Rainier Elementary, where the white kids ignore him, Henry meets Keiko Okabe, a young Japanese American student. Amid the chaos of blackouts, curfews, and FBI raids, Henry and Keiko forge a bond of friendship–and innocent love–that transcends the long-standing prejudices of their Old World ancestors. And after Keiko and her family are swept up in the evacuations to the internment camps, she and Henry are left only with the hope that the war will end, and that their promise to each other will be kept.
Forty years later, Henry Lee is certain that the parasol belonged to Keiko. In the hotel’s dark dusty basement he begins looking for signs of the Okabe family’s belongings and for a long-lost object whose value he cannot begin to measure. Now a widower, Henry is still trying to find his voice–words that might explain the actions of his nationalistic father; words that might bridge the gap between him and his modern, Chinese American son; words that might help him confront the choices he made many years ago.
Set during one of the most conflicted and volatile times in American history, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet is an extraordinary story of commitment and enduring hope. In Henry and Keiko, Jamie Ford has created an unforgettable duo whose story teaches us of the power of forgiveness and the human heart.
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To find out more or participate go to The Printed Page every Wednesday.
Posts
This book has been on my radar for awhile. And the cover is charming. I will often buy a book just because of its cover, God bless the marketing people!
Melody, your blog looks absolutely awesome! I love the new design template! As for the cover on this book I agree. I've loved this cover since I first saw this book.
I won a copy of this book and I love the cover. Can't wait to read it. Thanks for alerting me to this weekly feature. And I really like your new look, very cosy.
fun meme for wednesdays :)
and that cover is very nice, sounds like a great read. i'm a sucker for a nice book cover.
http://thebookworm07.blogspot.com/
Thank you for posting a Cover Attraction. I have this book in an ARC format and you won't be disappointed. Both the cover and the story are wonderful. Please stop by tomorrow and post your link so that everyone can see what a great selection you've made. Love, love, love your blog look.
Sandy - Me too! Even if I've one edition, I'll buy another if the cover attracts me! :P
Dar - Thank you! I can't wait to read this book soon! :)
Sandra - Thanks! You're so lucky! Enjoy your book! :D
Naida - I'm a sucker for pretty covers too, hehe.
Marcia - I love your idea of this meme, so cool and fun! Yes, I'll be posting this link! :) And I'm glad you liked my new template!
Wow! Fancy new look!! I like it!
This book sounds fabulous! I received a copy after having forgotten I requested one, so I'll have to move it up on the list. Great review!
This book has been on my radar since bloggers first talked about it. It seems like a very touching story. How can you resist such a lovely title, right?
Trish - Thanks! I'm glad you like it. :) I'm really looking forward to reading this. Plus, the cover is just gorgeous!!
Matt - Me too! I checked the bookstores after reading all the raves but since most of the bookstores don't have it, I've to order it online! And yes, I like the title!
That is indeed a very beautiful book cover. I'm adding it to the wishlist now!
Very nice cover, Melody! I saw this at Kino but didn't pick it up. On book ban. On book ban... LOL
Kim - I'm glad you're adding this book to your wishlist!
Alice - Forget the book ban! LOL.
As much as I've heard about this book it's hard to believe that it's a debut novel! Have you seen the behind the scenes video? Beautiful pictures.
Jen - No, I haven't. I've to check out your link! Thanks!
Funny - when I went book shopping yesterday, a lady who worked there were trying to get me to buy this book. I told her at the times, that I would take a look at it and make the decision about buying it. As much as I did want to get it, because the back blurb interested me, I end up going home without it. The price was not on the budget plan. And I weren't be able to get the other books that I want. I figure I come back another time and get it when I go next time :)
Happy reading the book, Melody and please let me know how you like the book :)
Julia - I didn't know about this book until I'd seen it mentioning in several bookblogs and that really piqued my interest. I read the blurbs and the reviews and it sounds this book is right up my alley, so I bought it, that's it. :)
I hope you'll get this book and that it'd be released in paperbacks soon.
For some reason I thought it was already released in paperbacks, from Border online when I was checking info on the book. I mean the book that the lady shown me at the store is probably a hardcover. *shrug*
If there is reviews on this book, can you give me the link to the blogs where I can read the reviews? I would like to read it :)
Julia - Mine is a HC, and I've to order it from Amazon since I couldn't find any here. Must be the late shipping.
I'll have to look around and will forward you the links. :)