Front ave the discussion will be led by virginia johnson. So grab your finest time traveling pants and lets get going. When utilizing the guided reading group questions and topics for. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet is a story about a man named henry lee and his memories of growing up during wwii, which is why the story switches from his current life as an older man to his childhood in the 1940s. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet discussion questions. Fatherson relationships are a crucial theme in the novel. At the beginning of hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet, we meet henry when hes an old man. The pageturners library book club will discuss hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet on wednesday, march 23, at 10. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet ford litlovers.
The hotel in the title of jamie fords debut novel is not just on the corner of bitter and sweet. Discussion guide for hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet. But most of the story takes place in the past, when hes a young boy living in seattle during the tumultuous years of world war ii. Use these book club discussion questions on by jamie ford to lead your book club into fords novel. Set in seattle during world war ii, 12 year olds henry lee and keiko okabe form a friendship, drawn to each other.
Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet summary shmoop. The book revolves around henrys memories of his childhood best friend and first love, a japanese american girl named keiko okabe. Book club discussion questions hotel on the corner of bitter and. These book club discussion questions reveal important details about hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet by jamie ford. 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 seattles japantown. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet peanut blossom. In hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet, debut author jamie ford depicts the. Bring on the tough stuff theres not just one right answer. Content includes books from bestselling, midlist and debut authors. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet by jamie ford. In the end, henry manages to reconnect with martyand with samantha, his new. Henry and keiko are both just twelve years old when they become friends in 1942. In hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet, henry struggles with his family both in childhood and as an adult.
One of our discussion questions asked if henry gave up on keiko too easily. And as an adult, henry struggles to connect with his only son, marty, even though he loves him dearly. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet questions and answers. Why doesnt henry ever seek out keiko after the japanese american internment is over. The characters are fully realized, the title is a real attention grabber, and the story fleshed out with plenty of local and period detail. Book with great pleasure i will be giving away free copies of the book hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet by jamie ford on wednesday, april 23 rd shakespeares birthday for world book night. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet by jamie ford teachers. In the opening pages of jamie fords stunning debut novel, hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet.
I am predisposed to liking this book since i love historical fiction, but even if you dont, this is a wonderful love story. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet by jamie ford book club. A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy. Why is marty so convinced that his father is oldfashioned and wont approve of his nonchinese fiance. The vast majority of the group however liked the book, had quite a bit to say about why as you will see. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet book club questions. It has been boarded up for decades, but now the new owner has made an incredible discovery. Jodies selection of hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet by jamie ford was so wonderful. Henry lee comes upon a crowd gathered outside the panama hotel, once the gateway to seattles. Set in seattle, hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet tells of the forbidden friendship between a chineseamerican boy named henry lee and a japaneseamerican girl named keiko okabe during the second world war. Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet themes shmoop.
As a kid, he has a lot of disagreements with his traditionalist father, to the point where they stop talking to each other. The question and answer section for hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel. Use these discussion questions on hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet by jamie ford to lead your book club into this historical fiction. I ended up cohosting with the march hostess because march got postponed due to spring break schedules.
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