Silent Honour - Danielle Steel
In her 38th bestselling novel, Danielle Steel creates a powerful, moving portrayal of families divided, lives shattered and a nation torn apart by prejudice during a shameful episode in recent American history.
A man ahead of his time, Japanese college professor Masao Takashimaya of Kyoto had a passion for modern ideas that was as strong as his wife's belief in ancient traditions. It was the early 1920s and Masao had dreams for the future—and a fascination with the politics and opportunities of a world that was changing every day. Twenty years later, his eighteen-year-old daughter Hiroko, torn between her mother's traditions and her father's wishes, boarded the SS Nagoya Maru to come to California for an education and to make her father proud. It was August 1941.
On December 7, Pearl Harbor is bombed by the Japanese. Within hours, war is declared and suddenly Hiroko has become an enemy in a foreign land. Terrified, begging to go home, she is nonetheless ordered by her father to stay. He is positive she will be safer in California than at home, and for a brief time she is—until her entire world caves in.
With clear, powerful prose, Danielle Steel portrays not only the human cost of that terrible time in history, but also the remarkable courage of a people whose honor and dignity transcended the chaos that surrounded them. Set against a vivid backdrop of war and change, her thirty-eighth bestselling novel is both living history and outstanding fiction, revealing the stark truth about the betrayal of Americans by their own government...and the triumph of a woman caught between cultures and determined to survive.
taken from goodreads.com
I was never an actual fan of Danielle Steel. I only read 3 of her books before Silent Honour and was not particularly super impressed. However, I stumbled upon this book during a book sale and because it fell under the label of historical fiction thought I'd give it a go. Now that I have finished it, I can say that I'm glad I did so.
At first, I was kind of sceptic about it. The diction seemed kind of juvenile especially when compared to the witty diction used by John Grogan in Marley and Me, my previous read. However, as I immersed myself into the story, I found the diction very comfortable and flowing to read, and I would have finished it sooner hadn't I enjoyed the story so much that I did not want it to end (I willingly dragged the story myself :P)
I love how Steel tackled the themes of love, rejection and racism in the story and although the story's period is too contemporary for my taste, I was really into it. It was interesting to get a different side of Pearl Harbor's story and I thoroughly enjoyed the insights, Steel gave into the Japanese world. I found myself emphatising greatly with the character especially with Hiroko and even shed a few tears at some of the poignant moments.
All in all, I really enjoyed the book and will definitely add any of Danielle Steel's historical fiction to my growing to-be-read list anytime soon. This was my first very own book review and so I'm open to all forms of criticism. Feel free to comment.
Regarding my current read, I came across Breaking Dawn while on holiday a few days ago and being a fan of the Twilight saga, I am now shifting myself from a world of WW2 bombs to one full of vampires, in order to conclude Meyer's series :)
Tata and take care xxxx
