What readers think of The Island of Sea Women, plus links to write your own review.

Some books we read for entertainment. Some books we read for information. And some books, such as this one by Lisa See, provide both. Actually, there is so much factual information in this book that it is almost a novel masquerading as nonfiction.

Spanning 70 years from 1938 to 2008, this book takes place on Jeju Island, South Korea, home of the haenyeo, who are women who dive deep into the sea to harvest by hand everything from abalone to octopus—without oxygen tanks. On Jeju, it was the women who worked every day in the sea—no matter the season or the temperature—while the men stayed home to care for the children and cook the family meals.

The story follows two young girls who become best friends, Young-sook and Mi-ja, as they learn to become "baby divers" in the time-honored tradition of the haenyeo. They grow up, marry and have children—and then an event that is so incredibly tragic and absolutely horrific tears them apart. Can Young-sook ever forgive Mi-ja for what she did? But just as important as the story of the women's friendship is the factual story of Jeju Island as its longstanding traditions and culture are threatened first by World War II and the Japanese occupation of the island and later by the Korean war, culminating in the bloody, terror-filled Jeju uprising beginning in April 1948 when thousands upon thousands were tortured and killed.

Caution: The descriptions of the violence, torture, death and destruction that took place during the Jeju uprising are explicit and graphic. While this is quite difficult and disturbing to read, it is a vitally important part of both the story arc and the history of the island. In fact, information about this "incident," as it is called, was suppressed for decades. People who survived and witnessed the gruesome bloody brutality of April 3, 1948 on Jeju Island were forbidden from ever discussing it, and those who did could face beatings, torture, prison, and even death.

Rich in historical detail and filled with vivid descriptions, this book will supercharge your imagination as it transports you to an unfamiliar place, time, and culture.

I enjoyed this book much more than I expected. I probably would not have picked this book to read if it had not been for the book club. I had never heard of the haenyeo before, but then I know very little of the Korean traditions. This book not only helped to educate me on the culture of the female deep sea diving of Jeju, that provided their families income, but also on the horrific Japanese invasion and occupation of the Korean peninsula and islands.

This story tells the lives of two young Korean girls, from the 1930s up to the present day. It tells of their friendship, their life path, their misunderstandings and of their families that follow. Love, loss, friendship, death, and forgiveness are all themes in this book.

As is normal Lisa See delivers when she authors a book. She takes on subjects and traditions that I am unaware of and in her easily flowing way teaches, always hidden inside a good story.