Stream thousands of fine art and hand-crafting classes with Creativebug. Check it out here!

Northern Waters Library Network

Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet
(Book)

Book Cover
Average Rating
Author:
Published:
New York : Ballantine Books, 2009.
Format:
Book
Edition:
1st ed.
Physical Desc:
290 pages ; 25 cm
Accelerated Reader:
IL: UG - BL: 5.7 - AR Pts: 15
Lexile measure:
850L
Rating:
850L
Status:
19 copies, 1 person is on the wait list.
Description
"Sentimental, heartfelt….the exploration of Henry’s changing relationship with his family and with Keiko will keep most readers turning pages...A timely debut that not only reminds readers of a shameful episode in American history, but cautions us to examine the present and take heed we don’t repeat those injustices."-- Kirkus Reviews

“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. Especially relevant in today's world, this is a beautifully written book that will make you think. And, more importantly, it will make you feel."
-- Garth Stein, New York Times bestselling author of The Art of Racing in the Rain

“Jamie Ford's first novel explores the age-old conflicts between father and son, the beauty and sadness of what happened to Japanese Americans in the Seattle area during World War II, and the depths and longing of deep-heart love. An impressive, bitter, and sweet debut.”
-- Lisa See, bestselling author of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan


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 belongings of 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.


BONUS: This edition contains a Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet discussion guide and an excerpt from Jamie Ford's Songs of Willow Frost.
Also in This Series
Copies
Location
Call Number
Status
Last Check-In
Ashland Adult Fiction
FORD
Available
Aug 7, 2023
Bayfield Adult Fiction
FOR
Available
Jan 11, 2020
Boulder Junction Adult Fiction
FIC FOR
Available
Apr 15, 2023
Eagle River Adult Fiction
FIC FOR
Available
Feb 15, 2024
Hayward Adult And Young Adult Fiction
FOR
Available
Aug 28, 2023
Iron River Adult Fiction
F FOR
Available
Jan 11, 2024
Lac Courte Oreilles Adult Fiction
FICTION FORD
Available
Jan 27, 2021
Lake Nebagamon Adult Fiction Paperback
PB FIC FOR
Available
May 5, 2015
Land O Lakes Adult Fiction
FIC FOR
Available
Jul 25, 2023
Madeline Island Adult Fiction
F FOR pbk
Available
Sep 9, 2020
Mercer Adult Fiction
F FOR
Available
Jan 4, 2023
Presque Isle Adult Fiction
F For
Available
Feb 9, 2022
Shell Lake Adult Fiction
FIC FORD
Available
Aug 8, 2022
Solon Springs Adult Fiction
FICTION Ford
Available
Sep 11, 2017
Spooner Adult Fiction
F FOR
Available
Jul 12, 2023
Superior Adult Fiction
FICTION Ford, Jamie
Available
Jul 22, 2023
Superior Adult Paperbacks
PB-Fiction FOR
Available
Dec 8, 2022
Washburn Adult Fiction
FIC FOR
Available
Dec 7, 2021
Winchester Adult Fiction
FORD
Available
Jul 20, 2019
More Like This
Other Editions and Formats
More Details
Language:
English
ISBN:
9780345505330, 0345505336, 9780345505347, 0345505344
Accelerated Reader:
UG
Level 5.7, 15 Points
Lexile measure:
850

Notes

General Note
Physical description based on hardcover edition.
Description
Set in the ethnic neighborhoods of Seattle during World War II and Japanese American internment camps of the era, this debut novel tells the heartwarming story of widower Henry Lee, his father, and his first love Keiko Okabe.
Target Audience
850L,Lexile
Study Program Information
Accelerated Reader AR,UG,5.7,15,145257.
Local note
Book Club choice.
Local note
Alice, in the prime of her life, plummets into a desperate battle with Alzheimer's disease.
Citations
APA Citation (style guide)

Ford, J. (2009). Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet. New York, Ballantine Books.

Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation (style guide)

Ford, Jamie. 2009. Hotel On the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. New York, Ballantine Books.

Chicago / Turabian - Humanities Citation (style guide)

Ford, Jamie, Hotel On the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. New York, Ballantine Books, 2009.

MLA Citation (style guide)

Ford, Jamie. Hotel On the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. New York, Ballantine Books, 2009.

Note! Citation formats are based on standards as of July 2022. Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy.
Staff View
Grouped Work ID:
f4dfbdee-519b-beaf-22d7-b703461d93d9
Go To GroupedWork

Record Information

Last Sierra Extract TimeMar 28, 2024 10:38:50 AM
Last File Modification TimeMar 28, 2024 10:39:41 AM
Last Grouped Work Modification TimeMar 29, 2024 04:39:12 AM

MARC Record

LEADER03742cam 22006258i 4500
008081023s2009    nyu    e      000 1 eng  
010 |a 2008044398
020 |a 9780345505330
020 |a 0345505336
020 |a 9780345505347|q paperback
020 |a 0345505344|q paperback
040 |a MvI-NWLS|b eng|e rda|c MvI-NWLS
043 |a n-us-wa
08200|a 813/.6|2 22
1001 |a Ford, Jamie.
24510|a Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet /|c Jamie Ford.
250 |a 1st ed.
264 1|a New York :|b Ballantine Books,|c 2009.
300 |a 290 pages ;|c 25 cm
336 |a text|b txt|2 rdacontent
337 |a unmediated|b n|2 rdamedia
338 |a volume|b nc|2 rdacarrier
500 |a Physical description based on hardcover edition.
520 |a Set in the ethnic neighborhoods of Seattle during World War II and Japanese American internment camps of the era, this debut novel tells the heartwarming story of widower Henry Lee, his father, and his first love Keiko Okabe.
5218 |a 850L|b Lexile
5260 |a Accelerated Reader AR|b UG|c 5.7|d 15|z 145257.
590 |a Book Club choice.
590 |a Alice, in the prime of her life, plummets into a desperate battle with Alzheimer's disease.
650 0|a Fathers and sons|v Fiction.
650 0|a Japanese Americans|x Forced removal and internment, 1942-1945|v Fiction.
650 0|a Widowers|v Fiction.
651 0|a Seattle (Wash.)|v Fiction.
655 7|a Historical fiction.|2 lcgft
907 |a .b16729948
940 |a MARCIVE 01/2019
945 |y .i25080313|i 30165000123765|l lofic|s -|h |u 40|x 1|w 0|v 7|t 100|z 090109|j 07-25-2023 18:31|r l|a FIC FOR
945 |y .i25105826|i 39576100486012|l asfic|s -|h |u 54|x 1|w 0|v 9|t 100|z 090122|j 08-07-2023 17:37|r l|a FORD
945 |y .i25135685|i 3 0075 00041 6285|l wafic|s -|h |u 47|x 0|w 0|v 5|t 100|z 090204|j 12-07-2021 18:38|r l|a FIC FOR
945 |y .i25137177|i 30245000034749|l spfic|s -|h |u 67|x 3|w 0|v 12|t 100|z 090205|j 07-12-2023 23:17|r l|a F FOR
945 |y .i25152014|i 30205000242767|l mrfic|s -|h |u 32|x 0|w 0|v 3|t 100|z 090211|j 01-04-2023 16:47|r l|a F FOR
945 |y .i25191573|i 30062000342158|l slfic|s -|h |u 54|x 0|w 0|v 5|t 100|z 090227|j 08-08-2022 14:31|r l|a FIC FORD
945 |y .i2521715x|i 36120002966681|l sufic|s -|h |u 71|x 4|w 0|v 21|t 100|z 090311|j 07-22-2023 15:14|r l|a FICTION Ford, Jamie
945 |y .i25286250|i 30055000728277|l erfic|s -|h |u 65|x 2|w 1|v 19|t 100|z 090413|j 02-16-2024 00:21|r l|a FIC FOR
945 |y .i25748695|i 30255000138796|l wnfic|s -|h |u 26|x 0|w 0|v 2|t 100|z 091102|j 07-20-2019 13:29|r l|a FORD
945 |y .i25844179|i 30265000280514|l irfic|s -|h |u 41|x 1|w 0|v 8|t 100|z 091215|j 01-11-2024 17:07|r l|a F FOR
945 |y .i25913438|i 30005000304249|l bjafi|s -|h |u 32|x 1|w 0|v 2|t 100|z 100121|j 04-15-2023 16:01|r l|a FIC FOR
945 |y .i26439384|i 30035000433136|l piafi|s -|h |u 25|x 0|w 0|v 2|t 103|z 100920|j 02-09-2022 18:45|r l|a F For
945 |y .i26590748|i 30135001240496|l hafic|s -|h |u 60|x 1|w 0|v 29|t 100|z 101129|j 08-28-2023 15:33|r l|a FOR
945 |y .i27048123|i 30175000287809|l lcfic|s -|h |u 9|x 0|w 0|v 2|t 100|z 110629|j 01-27-2021 16:13|r l|a FICTION FORD
945 |y .i27386260|i 36120003420886|l ssfic|s -|h |u 6|x 0|w 0|v 3|t 100|z 111129|j 09-11-2017 18:24|r l|a FICTION Ford
945 |y .i28321017|i 36120002235194|l lnapb|s -|h |u 4|x 0|w 0|v 0|t 103|z 121204|j 05-05-2015 16:44|r l|a PB FIC FOR
945 |y .i29214506|i 30185000206964|l mific|s -|h |u 4|x 0|w 0|v 0|t 103|z 131231|j 09-09-2020 21:04|r l|a F FOR pbk
945 |y .i30208737|i 36120001118052|l suapb|s -|h |u 10|x 0|w 0|v 3|t 105|z 150401|j 12-08-2022 17:28|r l|a PB-Fiction FOR
945 |y .i32766695|i 30105000590662|l bafic|s -|h |u 5|x 0|w 0|v 0|t 100|z 190208|j 01-11-2020 20:32|r l|a FOR
998 |h r|e l |f eng|a as|a ba|a bj|a er|a ha|a ir|a ln|a lo|a lc|a mi|a mr|a pi|a sl|a ss|a sp|a su|a wa|a wn