Weekly Wrap-Up

Five Wives by Joan Thomas
4.5 stars

 

This novel is based on a true story about a group of missionaries living in Ecuador in the 1950's who decided to attempt to convert a native tribe living deep in the rain forest.  Little was known about the Waorani and they were viewed as a savage people in need of Jesus by the missionaries who conceitedly attempted to make contact with them which ended with disastrous consequences.  I thought this book was fascinating and I had never heard this story before.  The author does a good job of portraying the missionaries deep belief in what they were doing while also subtly demonstrating how their ideas were so wrong.  I thought this was well written and the plot propelling.  While the story was told by different perspectives, the author says in her note that she didn't feel comfortable speaking from the Waorani perspective which I appreciated even if it means that is a missing piece of the story.  I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am grateful to have received a digital ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  

The Last Story of Mina Lee by Nancy Jooyoun Kim
3.5 stars

Margot is traveling home to Los Angeles to help a friend move and to also check on her mother who hasn't been answering her phone.  She discovers that her mother has been dead for days and she must unravel the mystery of her mother's life in the process of understanding the mystery of her death.  This is told through alternating perspectives of her mother Mina Lee when she first arrives in the United States from South Korea and Margot as she digs into her mother's past.  I enjoyed Mina Lee's sections so much more than Margot's.  Mina Lee is a fascinating and complex character who has dealt with immense grief and is trying to get through life.  Margot, on the other hand, comes off a shallow and I struggled to read her narrative.  Overall, though, I enjoyed this book and especially the evocative writing about Korean dishes and the comfort they bring to Mina Lee and the other immigrants trying to start over the United States.  I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.