In Full Bloom

Rating:
Summary: Well written!
Review: "In Full Bloom" deals mostly with mother-daughter relationship, identity problem, office politics and family in general. Ginger, a second generation Korean American, is a fashion assistant working for Sam, her friend from college, and her struggles to get better and more meaningful assignments beyond answering phone calls. Afterall, she has a Master degree in English. Problems emerged when her mother, who was very old-fashioned came to visit her in New York City and started to arrange dates for her daughter. Ginger, according to her mother was near "full bloom" - meaning getting older and not settling down with a family. Even though Ginger was not thrill with the idea of her mother hanging around, but she soon learned a lot from her, and took her advise in life and career.

Another problem that Ginger was facing was her identity. She was sort of torn between her Korean heritage and her upbringing as an American. She couldn't see that the two were inseparable and Koreans to Ginger, were traditional, old-fashioned and too typical (set) for her. Ginger was also set to show the world that she was not the "typical" Asian woman. She was not submissive, not quiet and certainly not willing to settle for anything less than a meaningful career. Her mother on the other hand, did not understand that and felt that a husband would complete Ginger's life.

I really like this book. It gives glimpses into the lives of Korean-Americans, their beliefs and values. In addition, the relationship between Ginger and her mother was written well and their love for each other was not the "in-your-face" type but substle. At the same time, both mother and daughter were dealing with the "loss" of Ginger's brother, George. George was disowned by his mother when he decided to married a white woman. There were certainly a lot of issues and "In The Bloom" will sort of get you thinking. I highly recommend this book because it is funny, sad, and definitely entertaining.

Rating:
Summary: Funny, Moving, Smart
Review: Giving up on earning a PhD, Ginger Lee comes to NYC to be the assistant to her college room mate at a fashion magazine. Ginger's successful real estate agent mother unexpectedly shows up one day, eager to marry Ginger off to an appropriate Korean spouse. Simultaneously, the potential for a promotion at work raises Ginger's career competitiveness. Ginger decides to sabotage her mother's efforts at matchmaking while dedicating herself to acheiving success in fashion.

Unlike many of the thousands of "girl moves to NYC to make it big in fashion / publishing" books, In Full Bloom actually has quite a few things to say. Ginger's struggles with her Korean heritage / American upbringing are very well written. The estrangement between Ginger's brother and mother over her brother's marriage to a white woman is not sugar coated, and helps the reader emphasize with Ginger's ambivalent romantic life.

The juxtaposition of Ginger's Korean family life and her career fashion nicely parallels the insincerities that exist in both worlds, and the assistance that can come from unexpected people. The reader roots for Ginger to succeed in her career and to find the right person to share her life with, while nurturing her beautiful relationship with her mother. The only off note in the book is Ginger's relationship with her college room mate, Sam, who seems to primarily use Ginger to only favor her own interests.

This book is a great mix of humor, family love, and watching Ginger begin to grow into adulthood and I recommend it highly.

Rating:
Summary: Funny and smart
Review: Giving up on earning a PhD, Ginger Lee comes to NYC to be the assistant to her college room mate at a fashion magazine. Ginger's successful real estate agent mother unexpectedly shows up one day, eager to marry Ginger off to an appropriate Korean spouse. Simultaneously, the potential for a promotion at work raises Ginger's career competitiveness. Ginger decides to sabotage her mother's efforts at matchmaking while dedicating herself to acheiving success in fashion.

Unlike many of the thousands of "girl moves to NYC to make it big in fashion / publishing" books, In Full Bloom actually has quite a few things to say. Ginger's struggles with her Korean heritage / American upbringing are very well written. The estrangement between Ginger's brother and mother over her brother's marriage to a white woman is not sugar coated, and helps the reader emphasize with Ginger's ambivalent romantic life.

The juxtaposition of Ginger's Korean family life and her career fashion nicely parallels the insincerities that exist in both worlds, and the assistance that can come from unexpected people. The reader roots for Ginger to succeed in her career and to find the right person to share her life with, while nurturing her beautiful relationship with her mother. The only off note in the book is Ginger's relationship with her college room mate, Sam, who seems to primarily use Ginger to only favor her own interests.

This book is a great mix of humor, family love, and watching Ginger begin to grow into adulthood and I recommend it highly.

Rating:
Summary: So-so
Review: I am torn with this book. On one hand, I celebrate the fact that a female Korean-American author created a voice for an under-represented and stereotyped group in the US - Korean-American women. However, I was dismayed to find that her book's title character reinforced many stereotypes: designer label junkie, superficiality, flighty, and most of all...weak.

It seemed as if the author was more concerned with dropping designer named clothes rather than flushing out her character's motivations, interests, and strengths. I found that the main character was overly superficial and her personality did not lead me to feel compassion for her, so I ended up quickly losing interest in her.

What irritated me the most about the way Caroline Hwang created the story was the way she made the Korean-American woman to be so weak and subservient to EVERYONE: her mother, her coworkers, her friends, her boss...she let everyone take advantage of her while making excuses for this behavior. Why make the main character so passive? How long can you keep reading until you realize that, halfway through the book, this main character has done NOTHING to absolve her weaknesses.

While I understand that the clashing relationship with her mother takes a huge chunk of the storyline, I would have liked to see more interaction with other young Korean-Americans. Must we reinforce the stereotype of the asexual Asian that American movies and television already show?

To sum it all up, I was very excited to see a new Korean-American author attempt to portray the current cultural situation of Korean-Americans. However, I was ultimately disappointed to find that this book chose to highlight the negative stereotypes rather than offering a creative and varying view of Korean-Americans today. While I did not expect Hwang to represent and capture every detail of Korean-American culture, I would have liked to relate to SOMETHING in her characters and book. Maybe her next novel will fare better.

Rating:
Summary: So-so
Review: I celebrate the fact that a female Korean-American author created a voice for an under-represented and stereotyped group in the US - Korean-American women. However, I was dismayed to find that her book's title character reinforced many stereotypes: designer label junkie, superficiality, flighty, and most of all...weak.

It seemed as if the author was more concerned with dropping designer named clothes rather than flushing out her character's motivations, interests, and strengths. I found that the main character was overly superficial and her personality did not lead me to feel compassion for her, so I ended up quickly losing interest in her.

What irritated me the most about the way Caroline Hwang created the story was the way she made the Korean-American woman to be so weak and subservient to EVERYONE: her mother, her coworkers, her friends, her boss...she let everyone take advantage of her while making excuses for this behavior. Why make the main character so passive? How long can you keep reading until you realize that, halfway through the book, this main character has done NOTHING to absolve her weaknesses.

While I understand that the clashing relationship with her mother takes a huge chunk of the storyline, I would have liked to see more interaction with other young Korean-Americans. Must we reinforce the stereotype of the asexual Asian that American movies and television already show?

To sum it all up, I was very excited to see a new Korean-American author attempt to portray the current cultural situation of Korean-Americans. However, I was ultimately disappointed to find that this book chose to highlight the negative stereotypes rather than offering a creative and varying view of Korean-Americans today. While I did not expect Hwang to represent and capture every detail of Korean-American culture, I would have liked to relate to SOMETHING in her characters and book. Maybe her next novel will fare better.

Rating:
Summary: trite but entertaining at times...
Review: I give credit to the author for her writing skills; however, did not like the theme and message that was given through Ginger Lee. The author and this character resembles what we know as a Korean sell-out. I was disappointed at the stereotypes, superficiality, and assumptions made by Hwang. I too am Korean-American like Hwang, but believe that her personal experiences were not inidicative of all Korean-Americans. It is her book and it is her story...so be it. To each his (her) own...I will not write that anyone should go out and buy this book and I will not write that you should stay away from it. This is just my personal opinion after having read it.

Rating:
Summary: Funny, Moving, Smart
Review: If you've read Gish Jen and liked her, you'll enjoy In Full Bloom. Like Jen's work, this novel deals with Asian-American issues through sharp observations and much humor. Hwang also delves into the manic/cutthroat fashion magazine corporate culture, which adds a nice balance to the family story that's at the core of the novel.

The chapters where Ginger ruminates about her situation -- what does it mean to be Korean-American, to constantly experience the burden of straddling two disparate cultures -- are particularly well-written. Hwang manages to convey this confusion effectively and, more importantly, entertainingly. Sometimes her supporting characters are a bit much -- like the ultrajock Rock -- but they are few in number and do not detract from the bulk of the work.

The chapter where Ginger and her mother cook together may be the strongest section of the book. "She wiped her hands again and returned to sloshing soy sauce and spooning sugar into her concoction. Slapdash was how she cooked, how she lived here, improvising and customizing to taste." Tying her art of cooking with her situation and her personality -- that's very tight writing.

I'm not sure if the ending of the book works -- seems as if the novel could have gone on a bit longer to work out more of the issues between the mother and the son. But that's a minor quibble. In Full Bloom is a solid work by a talented writer, and I look forward to more.

Rating:
Summary: well written clever character study
Review: Korean American Ginger Lee enjoys her New York lifestyle. Ginger gave up on attaining a PhD and ultimately becoming an English professor. Instead she currently works as an assistant drone at what she dubs "Waste" magazine for the brain drain of the staff. She is also quite comfortable with no long term relationship with men.

However, Ginger's mom arrives unannounced from Milwaukee with plans to matchmake her with purebred Korean males. Mom refuses to allow Ginger to go down the unholy path of her other child George who committed family heresy by marrying a white woman. Ginger cannot turn to her sibling for help because he has severed the family ties so instead she agrees to go out with some of her mom's choice cut. At work cat-fighting may cost Ginger her job. Turning to her only ally mom for solace and strategy, Ginger begins to reconsider her heritage. She starts recognizing that though a Manhattanite, she is also a Korean-American. Accepting the complete Ginger is the only way that she becomes IN FULL BLOOM.

This well written novel cleverly moves along on two obvious levels. First is the noticeable New York scene including the publishing infighting war. Second is the traditional Korean lifestyle modified in America as portrayed by mom with her take on life including marriage and her vividly uttered Korean-English that showcases a first generation individual. However the urban old country tie supports the genuinely brilliant message that the whole person cannot ignore their roots as in a sense it is not whether you can go home, but that "home" came with you.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: well written clever character study
Review: Korean American Ginger Lee enjoys her New York lifestyle. Ginger gave up on attaining a PhD and ultimately becoming an English professor. Instead she currently works as an assistant drone at what she dubs "Waste" magazine for the brain drain of the staff. She is also quite comfortable with no long term relationship with men.

However, Ginger's mom arrives unannounced from Milwaukee with plans to matchmake her with purebred Korean males. Mom refuses to allow Ginger to go down the unholy path of her other child George who committed family heresy by marrying a white woman. Ginger cannot turn to her sibling for help because he has severed the family ties so instead she agrees to go out with some of her mom's choice cut. At work cat-fighting may cost Ginger her job. Turning to her only ally mom for solace and strategy, Ginger begins to reconsider her heritage. She starts recognizing that though a Manhattanite, she is also a Korean-American. Accepting the complete Ginger is the only way that she becomes IN FULL BLOOM.

This well written novel cleverly moves along on two obvious levels. First is the noticeable New York scene including the publishing infighting war. Second is the traditional Korean lifestyle modified in America as portrayed by mom with her take on life including marriage and her vividly uttered Korean-English that showcases a first generation individual. However the urban old country tie supports the genuinely brilliant message that the whole person cannot ignore their roots as in a sense it is not whether you can go home, but that "home" came with you.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: Identity issues anchor witty comedy
Review: Korean-American Hwang mixes comedy and serious themes of identity and culture in this first novel of the career-girl-who-needs-a-husband-whether-she-knows-it-or-not. At the ripe old age of 27, Ginger Lee is beginning to feel the panicky stirrings of failure. After wasting precious years on an uncompleted PhD, she has come to New York to be the oldest fashion assistant at the trendy magazine "A La Mode". "A better name for the magazine would have been 'Waste,' as in the brainpower, time and trees that were squandered within its office walls."

Her do-nothing job is a favor from her college friend (and now boss) Sam, who, as the book opens on a busy day in Ginger's life, begins a cut-throat competition with a colleague for a big promotion. Ginger becomes a pawn in the cut-throat duel between Sam and her rival, but there's actually something much bigger happening in Ginger's life. Her mother has arrived, barely giving Ginger time to toss the previous night's beer bottles and cigarette butts. " 'Your bloom is almost over,' " she tells Ginger. " 'I come to fix your life.' "

Between humoring her mother and fending off her efforts to fix her up with a doctor, the son of an old family friend, who happens to be already engaged, to - horrors - a white woman, Ginger finds herself taking more interest in her job. As the two editors slug it out - often using her as their [controversy] of choice - Ginger has more to do, from setting up a charity designer-clothing sale to organizing a fashion shoot. In her off hours she accompanies her mother to Korean events, from restaurant meals and birthday bashes, to a storefront church service (hurriedly fled, when her mother finds the service full of new immigrants with no English and no money). Though Ginger resists, she also agonizes.

Ginger's problems stem from her beloved brother's defection - he went off to Harvard and returned to marry a white girl, a betrayal which estranged him from his devastated mother. Mrs. Lee, abandoned by her husband to raise the children alone in a strange country, had counted on her son to do her proud. Though she has, against all odds, become a successful real estate agent, she will never recover the loss of face the divorce cost her. Ginger, determined not to hurt her mother further, is too American for the Korean men her mother pushes at her. She is attracted only to white men, so is resolved not to marry at all.

There's lots of Korean flavor juxtaposed with fashion glitz, underlining the [gap] between Ginger's roots and her Americanization. Hwang thoughtfully examines the cultural dilemmas and compromises Ginger negotiates without dragging down her funny, often farcical, but also poignant, story. Her writing is wry and deft, her scenes vivid and hilarious, especially the Korean ones, and Ginger is a sympathetic, realistic voice. There are some thematic loose ends - her friendship with Sam is partially examined, then dropped; her feelings about work don't jibe with the less-than-expected resolution, some big family issues are resolved in a rush or not at all - but the novel succeeds on many levels and Hwang shows herself a writer to watch.