The Island of Sea Women
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The Island of Sea Women
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Narrated by:
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Jennifer Lim
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By:
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Lisa See
About this listen
The beautiful novel of female friendship and family secrets on a small Korean island, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane
Mi-ja and Young-sook, two girls living on the Korean island of Jeju, are best friends that come from very different backgrounds. When they are old enough, they begin working in the sea with their village’s all-female diving collective, led by Young-sook’s mother. As the girls take up their positions as baby divers, they know they are beginning a life of excitement and responsibility but also danger.
Despite their love for each other, Mi-ja and Young-sook’s differences are impossible to ignore. The Island of Sea Women is an epic set over many decades, beginning during a period of Japanese colonialism in the 1930s and 1940s, followed by World War II, the Korean War and its aftermath, through the era of cell phones and wetsuits for the women divers. Throughout this time, the residents of Jeju find themselves caught between warring empires. Mi-ja is the daughter of a Japanese collaborator, and she will forever be marked by this association. Young-sook was born into a long line of haenyeo and will inherit her mother’s position leading the divers in their village. Little do the two friends know that after surviving hundreds of dives and developing the closest of bonds, forces outside their control will push their friendship to the breaking point.
This beautiful, thoughtful novel illuminates a world turned upside down, one where the women are in charge, engaging in dangerous physical work, and the men take care of the children. A classic Lisa See story—one of women’s friendships and the larger forces that shape them—The Island of Sea Women introduces readers to the fierce and unforgettable female divers of Jeju Island and the dramatic history that shaped their lives.
‘For centuries, women on Korea’s Jeju island have been free-diving into the sea, a practice explored through this fictionalized story of two friends who struggle to stay close amid war, family rivalries, and a shifting cultural landscape. It’s riveting, historical, and heartbreaking all at once’ Marie Claire
‘Lisa See excels at mining the intersection of family, friendship and history... This novel spans wars and generations, but at its heart is a beautifully rendered story of two women whose individual choices become inextricably tangled’ Jodi Picoult, author of A Spark of Light
‘I was spellbound the moment I entered the vivid and little-known world of the diving women of Jeju… No one writes about female friendship… with more insight and depth than Lisa See’ Sue Monk Kidd, author of The Secret Life of Bees
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Critic reviews
What listeners say about The Island of Sea Women
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Pat T
- 08-07-21
Brilliant book but a difficult listen in places.
Best book I’ve listened to for a long time. Very informative about a period of history I had no idea about. Very shocking that the USA would turn a blind eye to such atrocities under its stewardship of South Korea just a few years after it chaired the Nuremberg trials for the atrocities of the Second World War. The story woven around the two main characters is compelling.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- meme
- 28-11-24
Beautifully written and fascinating culture.
Loved learning about a culture I didn’t know anything about. Felt author had carefully researched. It’s a real epic of a story. I would definitely recommend and will be listening to more of her books.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- BARBARA mANNING
- 18-08-20
A great read
A novel on life, tragedy and friendship, a story to get your teeth into. Great characters, warts and all, the novel not only transports one to Korea but the reader is left all the more richer in knowledge about the history and culture of Korean people.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 09-12-22
Beautiful story
Loved this book. Easy to listen to and interesting story. Would recommend it fellow listeners.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Maddy
- 05-01-23
Couldn’t stop listening!
I loved this, and couldn’t stop listening, squeezing in even a few minutes if I could. It was heart-wrenching, beautiful and well-written. I recommend it to everyone.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- N. Faulks
- 29-03-24
wow, totally gripped me
I don't know what I was expecting but the story was just fascinating. I don't know much about Korean history so i kept cross checking the history and events. a spot on historical novel, but with a large dose of humanity.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Tracey
- 25-06-19
absorbing story
overall the story was absorbing, however it was very slow starting and took a good few hours to become so. The narration is a little uninteresting, with no real variation in tone, but was very helpful when it came to the Korean words a phrases. Overall worth a listen
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Karen Strong
- 13-03-23
Heartbreaking history
As a female scuba diver I expected the story to be about diving and the ocean but it is so much more. Educational and inspirational I thoroughly loved every second. Too often the words brought me to tears and ultimately it is a story of missed chances and a broken friendship but I highly recommend you step in to the world of the female HANYA diving community.❤️❤️❤️❤️
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kim Driver
- 08-10-20
Fascinating story, loved every minute
Brilliant story, well narrated. Learnt so much and fully engaged me from start to finish
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- R.
- 26-09-24
Beautiful and fascinating
Captivating narration and a mesmerising story. I ate every detail about the haenyo culture and learned so much about this era of Korea. A beautiful and heartbreaking book.
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