--- product_id: 106167482 title: "The Island of Sea Women: A Novel" price: "290205₫" currency: VND in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.vn/products/106167482-the-island-of-sea-women-a-novel store_origin: VN region: Vietnam --- # The Island of Sea Women: A Novel **Price:** 290205₫ **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Island of Sea Women: A Novel - **How much does it cost?** 290205₫ with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.vn](https://www.desertcart.vn/products/106167482-the-island-of-sea-women-a-novel) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “A mesmerizing new historical novel” ( O, The Oprah Magazine ) from Lisa See, the bestselling author of The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane , about female friendship and devastating family secrets on a small Korean island. Mi-ja and Young-sook, two girls living on the Korean island of Jeju, are best friends who 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 find it impossible to ignore their differences. The Island of Sea Women takes place over many decades, beginning during a period of Japanese colonialism in the 1930s and 1940s, followed by World War II, the Korean War, through the era of cell phones and wet suits 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. 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 forces outside their control will push their friendship to the breaking point. “This vivid…thoughtful and empathetic” novel ( The New York Times Book Review ) illuminates a world turned upside down, one where the women are in charge and the men take care of the children. “A wonderful ode to a truly singular group of women” ( Publishers Weekly ), The Island of Sea Women is a “beautiful story…about the endurance of friendship when it’s pushed to its limits, and you…will love it” ( Cosmopolitan ). Review: A New Twist on Feminism! - Great historical fiction about a highly unusual enclave of matriarchal breadwinners on an island in Japan. They FREE-DIVE for sea plants/animals to support their families and have (had) a very close - and closed - society of only women. They have husbands/male partners, but they stay home and take care of the children and household chores while the women go out and earn their livelihoods in a most unusual way. True story meticulously researched and extremely well-written, engaging, and intense. Who knew?? Review: Another fascinating drama served up in an equally fascinating context - I am an avid fan of Lisa See. Having traveled to Asia for nearly 40 years and lived there, off and on, from 2007 until the present, I don’t believe any Western author quite captures the nuances of Asian culture to the extent she does. And that means she both comprehends it and can express it through outstanding prose that is vivid but not tortured. The story is told through the history of two haenyeo divers from the Korean island of Jeju. It covers several decades of military occupation and war from 1938 until 2008, a period of global turmoil that was particularly tumultuous on Jeju given its strategic location in the Korean Strait south of the peninsula. Culturally, the haenyeo divers, who harvested the ocean floor in grueling and dangerous conditions, were perhaps best known for their role in the matriarchal family and cultural structure that is one of Jeju’s legacies, where the women were often the bread-winners and the men took care of the children and did some light cooking. And, as is typical of See’s work, against this backdrop unfolds a multi-generational drama of friendship, betrayal, endurance, and, ultimately – you’ll have to read the book for that. It is a tale vividly told, incredibly well researched, and dramatically brought to life. Having finished the book I looked at some of the reviews and was surprised at how many readers were taken aback by the amount of violence portrayed. I honestly didn’t have that reaction at all while reading the book. War and occupation are gruesome events and I thought See stopped short of bludgeoning the reader with the carnage. If she had shown any more restraint the main story line would have been without context and of much less depth and poignancy. Having said all that, this was not one of my favorite See books. The writing is magnificent, as always, and the historical context is fascinating. What was perhaps most fascinating to me was the incongruity of an isolated society steeped in its own traditions whose members constantly found themselves at the center of grand and chaotic global events that they did not start nor understand, as if they were a large family living quietly in the middle of a cyclone. The characters, in the end, or the nuances of their relationship, more to the point, however, ultimately become chiseled in sharp edges and black and white tones. Grudges are held decades longer than I could ever hold one and secrets that aren’t all that awful take generations to be revealed. They just don’t have the texture of most of See’s other protagonists and, as a result, the book drags on a bit at the end. It is, nonetheless, a marvelous read. The history you learn alone makes it well worth your time. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #2,327 in Kindle Store ( See Top 100 in Kindle Store ) #3 in Asian American & Pacific Islander Literature eBooks #7 in Asian American & Pacific Islander Literature (Books) #23 in Contemporary Literary Fiction | ## Images ![The Island of Sea Women: A Novel - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81JWnMZJc8L.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A New Twist on Feminism! *by A***R on April 14, 2026* Great historical fiction about a highly unusual enclave of matriarchal breadwinners on an island in Japan. They FREE-DIVE for sea plants/animals to support their families and have (had) a very close - and closed - society of only women. They have husbands/male partners, but they stay home and take care of the children and household chores while the women go out and earn their livelihoods in a most unusual way. True story meticulously researched and extremely well-written, engaging, and intense. Who knew?? ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Another fascinating drama served up in an equally fascinating context *by G***R on June 20, 2019* I am an avid fan of Lisa See. Having traveled to Asia for nearly 40 years and lived there, off and on, from 2007 until the present, I don’t believe any Western author quite captures the nuances of Asian culture to the extent she does. And that means she both comprehends it and can express it through outstanding prose that is vivid but not tortured. The story is told through the history of two haenyeo divers from the Korean island of Jeju. It covers several decades of military occupation and war from 1938 until 2008, a period of global turmoil that was particularly tumultuous on Jeju given its strategic location in the Korean Strait south of the peninsula. Culturally, the haenyeo divers, who harvested the ocean floor in grueling and dangerous conditions, were perhaps best known for their role in the matriarchal family and cultural structure that is one of Jeju’s legacies, where the women were often the bread-winners and the men took care of the children and did some light cooking. And, as is typical of See’s work, against this backdrop unfolds a multi-generational drama of friendship, betrayal, endurance, and, ultimately – you’ll have to read the book for that. It is a tale vividly told, incredibly well researched, and dramatically brought to life. Having finished the book I looked at some of the reviews and was surprised at how many readers were taken aback by the amount of violence portrayed. I honestly didn’t have that reaction at all while reading the book. War and occupation are gruesome events and I thought See stopped short of bludgeoning the reader with the carnage. If she had shown any more restraint the main story line would have been without context and of much less depth and poignancy. Having said all that, this was not one of my favorite See books. The writing is magnificent, as always, and the historical context is fascinating. What was perhaps most fascinating to me was the incongruity of an isolated society steeped in its own traditions whose members constantly found themselves at the center of grand and chaotic global events that they did not start nor understand, as if they were a large family living quietly in the middle of a cyclone. The characters, in the end, or the nuances of their relationship, more to the point, however, ultimately become chiseled in sharp edges and black and white tones. Grudges are held decades longer than I could ever hold one and secrets that aren’t all that awful take generations to be revealed. They just don’t have the texture of most of See’s other protagonists and, as a result, the book drags on a bit at the end. It is, nonetheless, a marvelous read. The history you learn alone makes it well worth your time. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Highly recommend *by S***C on March 4, 2026* Fantastic read - chock full of historical information woven into this beautiful story of female physical and emotional strength, friendships and family. A must read! --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.vn/products/106167482-the-island-of-sea-women-a-novel](https://www.desertcart.vn/products/106167482-the-island-of-sea-women-a-novel) --- *Product available on Desertcart Vietnam* *Store origin: VN* *Last updated: 2026-05-17*