The Island of Sea Women

'Beautifully rendered' -Jodi Picoult

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The Island of Sea Women

By: Lisa See

Narrated by: Jennifer Lim

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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

Lisa SeeJennifer LimSimon & Schuster Audio UK

20th Century

Contemporary Fiction

Fiction

Friendship

Genre Fiction

Historical Fiction

Literary Fiction

Relationships

Women's Fiction

Heartfelt

Inspiring

Tear-jerking

Thought-Provoking

Imperial Japan

Village

20th Century Contemporary Fiction Fiction Friendship Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Relationships Women's Fiction Heartfelt Inspiring Tear-jerking Thought-Provoking Imperial Japan Village

Critic reviews

'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)

'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, the dark and the light of it, with more insight and depth than Lisa See' (Sue Monk Kidd, author of The Secret Life of Bees)

'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’

Most relevant

I absolutely loved this story. It totally overwhelmed me, with its poetic blend of traditional, conservatism contrasted with the mysterious world of shamanism. I entered an unknown world about female divers. It was beautifully narrated, and opened a window to a now lost word of female friendship, democratic working structure, and female independence..it also highlighted the pride that the haenyo took in their work. I loved the way that the sea was a key part of the background narrative, gently flowing in and out of the entire, narrative; joy and sorrow were depicted authentically, and some passages were extremely poignant. The most important part of this story is the way that friendship, loyalty, and misunderstanding causes deep pain and illustrates emotional frailty, but also remind us that love endures. I highly recommend this book. It really changed my perspective of what life is really about.