Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and SweetHotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
Score Modern
What it's about
In 1986, Henry Lee joins a crowd outside Seattle's Panama Hotel, boarded up for decades, where the new owner has found the belongings of Japanese American families sent to internment camps during the Second World War. When she opens a Japanese parasol, Henry, a Chinese American, remembers Keiko Okabe, the girl he loved as a boy in the 1940s.
Why it's worth reading
It spent 141 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists. It's a tender story of first love against a dark chapter of American history.
You'll love it if you liked
The Kite Runner
Sarah's Key
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie SocietyGood to know
It alternates between the 1940s and 1986. It's gentle and sentimental.
By the numbers
- Readers44 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller56 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #105 of the 219 young adult books we rank
- #861 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #1593 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Epic
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Quick answers
Is Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet worth reading?
Yes. It spent 141 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists. It ranks #1,593 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 67.5 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet about?
In 1986, Henry Lee joins a crowd outside Seattle's Panama Hotel, boarded up for decades, where the new owner has found the belongings of Japanese American families sent to internment camps during the Second World War. When she opens a Japanese parasol, Henry, a Chinese American, remembers Keiko Okabe, the girl he loved as a boy in the 1940s.
How long does it take to read Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet?
About 13 hours (507 pages), or about 4 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet?
If you liked it, try The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay or The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows.