The Bonesetter's Daughter vs The Island of Sea Women: Which Should You Read?
The Bonesetter's Daughter
“These are the things I know are true: My name is LuLing Liu Young.”
LuLing Young is in her eighties, and finally beginning to feel the effects of old age. Trying to hold on to the evaporating past, she begins to write down all that she can remember of her life as a girl in China.…
vs
The Island of Sea Women
Set on the Korean island of Jeju, The Island of Sea Women follows Mi-ja and Young-sook, two girls from very different backgrounds, as they begin working in the sea with their village’s all-female diving collective. Over…
The verdict
- Readers rate The Island of Sea Women highest: The Island of Sea Women 4.3 · The Bonesetter's Daughter 4.0.
- The Island of Sea Women has the widest readership — 185058 ratings behind its score.
- The Island of Sea Women runs the darker storyline; The Bonesetter's Daughter stays the lighter read.
How to choose
Scores by source
| The Bonesetter's Daughter | The Island of Sea Women | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.0 (134329) | 4.3 (185058) |
| Hardcover | 3.7 (62) | 4.3 (120) |
| Google Books | 4.0 (9) | — |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (336) | 4.5 (1485) |
Reception
| The Bonesetter's Daughter | The Island of Sea Women | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 134329 | 185058 |
| Editions | 47 | 9 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 61675 | 229693 |
| Reading it now | 2201 | 22543 |
| Written reviews | 4472 | 21815 |
| Wikipedia attention | 807 | 3502 |
| Pages | 316 | 384 |