this is a memorable story about the courage of Korean women during the Second World War Publishers' Weekly Masterfully crafted, Bracht's mesmerizing debut novel is rich with historical detail and depth of emotion. A bold, devastating, important novel shot through with hope and beauty Rachel JoyceĪ deeply moving read about the savage cruelty of war, and the perseverance of love Alice O'Keefe, The Bookseller I read Hana and Emi's story with my heart in my mouth. Beautifully written, it’s an impressive debut novel from a writer with a sensitive heart and gifted mind Xiaolu Guo

Hana’s tragic life is just one of an estimated 200,000 Korean comfort women’s stories. White Chrysanthemum is a powerful account of a little discussed subject about the Second World War - comfort women enslaved by the Japanese army - but it’s also about the courage of the women involved who want to speak about their suffering and their cry for justice, peace and love. Mary Lynn Bracht reveals the unfathomable cruelty of Japanese sex slavery during World War II through the unbreakable love of Korean sisters Blaine Harden, New York Times bestselling author of Escape From Camp 14 Brave, bold, important, this book is beautifully written with characters that will stay with you long after the final, unforgettable paragraph Jackie Copleton, author of A Dictionary of Mutual UnderstandingĮlegantly written, emotionally shattering, and historically accurate, White Chrysanthemum is a feat of literary alchemy. Suspenseful, hopeful, and ultimately redemptive, White Chrysanthemum tells a story of two sisters whose love for each other is strong enough to triumph over the grim evils of war.A captivating, controlled and devastating book about the lives of two Korean sisters during the Second World War… Allows us to look at the immediate travesty of the so-called 'comfort women' and the unresolved consequences of sexual slavery for the victims' families. Seeing the healing of her children and her country, can Emi move beyond the legacy of war to find forgiveness? Emi has spent more than sixty years trying to forget the sacrifice her sister made, but she must confront the past to discover peace.

But haenyeo are women of power and strength. There she is forced to become a 'comfort woman' in a Japanese military brothel. Until the day Hana saves her younger sister from a Japanese soldier and is herself captured and transported to Manchuria. As a haenyeo, a female diver of the sea, she enjoys an independence that few other Koreans can still claim. Hana has lived her entire life under Japanese occupation.

For fans of Min Jin Lee's Pachinko and Lilac Girls, the heartbreaking history of Korea is brought to life in this deeply moving and redemptive debut that follows two sisters separated by World War II.

Mary lynn bracht white chrysanthemum