How to Be an American Housewife: A Novel

by Margaret Dilloway Narrated by Laural Merlington, Emily Durante

Overview

How to Be an American Housewife is a novel about mothers and daughters and the pull of tradition. It tells the story of Shoko, a Japanese woman who married an American GI, and her grown daughter, Sue, a divorced mother whose life as an American housewife hasn't been what she'd expected. When illness prevents Shoko from traveling to Japan, she asks Sue to go in her place. The trip reveals family secrets that change their lives in dramatic and unforeseen ways.



Offering an entertaining glimpse into American and Japanese family lives and their potent aspirations, this is a warm and engaging novel full of unexpected insight.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"Margaret Dilloway is wise and ironic. She has created wonderful characters who never, in spite of hardships, stop finding ways to love each other." ---Luanne Rice, author of The Deep Blue Sea for Beginners

DECEMBER 2010 - AudioFile

Laurel Merlington’s portrayal of Shoko, a Japanese woman who is married to an American G.I., is one excellent reason for listening to the audio version of this poignant story. Merlington’s crisp, no-nonsense rendering of the culturally displaced Shoko is utterly convincing as Shoko deals with her memories, her failing health, her conflicts with her very American daughter, Suiko (Sue), and her often-humorous, always-moving attempts to deal with the impossible advice given in a handbook for Japanese war brides (a version of which actually existed after WWII). Emily Durante offers Sue’s point of view as she travels to Japan with her 12-year-old daughter to locate her mother’s estranged brother. Durante is completely engaging as Sue discovers a sense of family and belonging. Together, Merlington and Durante make this choice listening. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940171066079
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Publication date:	08/05/2010
Edition description:	Unabridged

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