THE PICTURE BRIDE

Joy Osmanski offers a strong narration of Lee Geum-yi's tale, set in the early twentieth century. Based on the recommendation of a matchmaker, Japanese and Korean women agreed to move to Hawaii to marry prospective grooms, decisions that were based solely on an exchange of photos. Willow considers herself lucky because her betrothed looks like his photo although he's cold and distant, while Hongju and Songwha discover their husbands are old, unappealing, and nothing like their photos. Osmanski uses her considerable skill and range of voices to breathe life into these stilted characters, but even she cannot elevate the clunky writing. The characters never feel three-dimensional, the storyline is predictable, and, despite Osmanski's efforts, what begins as an exciting adventure never quite delivers. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2022]