Title: Bridge of Scarlet Leaves
Author: Kristina McMorris
Publisher: Kensington 2012
Genre: Historical fiction
Pages: 438
Rating: 5 / 5 stars
Reading Challenges: Historical Fiction; Mount TBR; Fall into Reading; What's in a Name - Topographical Map
How I Got It: I own it
Los Angeles. 1941. Violinist Maddie Kern's life seemed destined to unfold with the predictable elegance of a Bach concerto. Then she fell in love with Lane Moritomo. Her brother's best friend, Lane is the handsome, ambitious son of Japanese immigrants. Maddie was prepared for disapproval from their families, but when Pearl Harbor is bombed the day after she and Lane elope, the full force of their decision becomes apparent. In the eyes of a fearful nation, Lane is no longer just an outsider, but an enemy.
When her husband is interned at a war relocation camp, Maddie follows, sacrificing her Juilliard ambitions. Behind barbed wire, tension simmers and the line between patriot and traitor blurs. As Maddie strives for the hard-won acceptance of her new family, Lane risks everything to prove his allegiance to America, at tremendous cost.
This book killed me. I was in tears by the end. It's not that hard to see where the book is going, but I was still in tears by the end. McMorris weaves a tragic story set in the tumultuous world of WWII. I love how researched this book is. I can tell that McMorris really delved deep into the various events and groups in WWII. And that thought was verified in her acknowledgements sections. A must read for history fans that don't mind a bit of fiction with their history.
