Customer Reviews

Green Tea

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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Never has the old adage of "You don't marry a person, you marry a family" so true. Marriage is the merging, and at times the collision, of two cultures. Green Tea is a wonderfully well-written novel that tells the story of a new bride, Jung, and her "initiation" period into a new marriage. Jung soon realizes that with all marriages, there are times of joy as well as times of challenges. This book is truly phenomenal and speaks volumes about what it means to be a woman, for better or worse. I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading the future works of this author.

This is a touching story that grabs the reader from page one. It is a good read for anyone interested in learning about the little examined Korean immigrant experience and Korean family dynamics. Chung's fresh and unique perspective sets her apart from other Korean writers of our time.

My wife asked me to read this book and I thought that it was wonderfully written, and talked about a family very similar to my own. My parents immigrated to the US and I could relate the stories in the book to the stories that they told me about their experience. What I loved about it was the way that the characters were described. This book has balance...it's not just a book for women and daughter-in-laws/mother-in-laws. The stories about Jung were equally entertaining. I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in reading about families (and their dysfunctions!) and their adventures dealing with real life situations.

"Green Tea" was a wonderful read! The author carries you through a time and place, though foreign, yet oddly familiar. With great anticipation, you wonder what Jung the main character will face next and how she will react, cope, or respond. Also descriptive depictions of Korean and South American food and cultural traditions that combine or clash together whet a reader's appetite. Though this is not a "typical" Korean family, it is an inside look at issues that affect many families in many different cultures. It also reflects upon a woman's struggle with tradition, identity, duty, and desire. I've thoroughly enjoyed this book and getting to know Jung!

Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (9/07)


"Green Tea" is a touching story about a Korean woman, Jung, who moves to Argentina to be with her husband from an arranged marriage. When Jung arrives in her new country she has to get used to both her new husband and her controlling mother-in-law, Mrs. Kim. Her husband is easier to adjust to. She lives in the same house with her mother-in-law and her husband's siblings.

Mrs. Kim seems to take pleasure in berating Jung. She wants Jung to do everything her way and lets her know when she breaches etiquette. Jung misses her own mother who is still back in Korea. She does her best and in time, she and Mrs. Kim do find somewhat of a connection. Jung also does her best to connect to her husband's siblings. Each one has their issues and struggles to deal with. Jung has to find a way to keep her own identity and to keep her new family happy.

It is noted that the author, Silvia Chung, bases much of her novel on stories about her mother and grandmother's experiences. I think that this really adds richness to the story. In "Green Tea," you step inside the life of a woman who has to overcome some incredibly strong obstacles to her own happiness. I cannot imagine agreeing to be in an arranged marriage, let alone one to a man who lives in another country. Since this is a South American country, Jung also has to deal with cultural issues. She is not readily accepted by some of her new countrymen and her family has their own cross-cultural issues.

I totally enjoyed "Green Tea." Having had an Italian Grandmother-in-law whom I had to ban from my kitchen when I got tired of her telling me that the way I did things was "Stupid," I could relate to much of what Jung was dealing with. It is amazing how you can learn to love someone who makes you life very difficult!

This is a great novel. It would make an excellent gift for a mother-in-law or a daughter-in-law. It would also be a great book to be on a reading list for a cultural studies or cultural counseling class. "Green Tea" takes you into another time and shows you what it is like to be a woman in a culture that requires a great deal of restraint and social protocol.

Received book free of charge.

Green Tea is a delicate and moving book about building a family and adapting to a new culture without losing a sense of self. The relationships between the characters are beautiful and very real. Ms. Chung draws you in to the lives of each member of the Kim family and leaves you still anxious to know their fates.