Lisa See’s tenth novel is the story of Young-sook and her friendship with Mi-ja.  Both women are part of an all female deep sea diving group on the Korean island of Jeju.  These women are their family’s breadwinners who are trying to survive in a somewhat matriarchal society.  Young-sook and Mi-jan’s lives are recounted from when they first met in 1938 up to the present day.  Their stories are told in conjunction with the history of Korea during that time.

I learned a lot about Korea in the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s.  Unfortunately, the story of  Young-sook and Mi-ja was not as interesting as what took place around them.  The Island of  Sea Women is not one of Lisa See’s best.