The Color of Water

kim Dong Hwa has crafted a remarkable trilogy. The Color of Earth, Water and Heaven are a symbolic, poetic, and charming story of Ehwa's coming to womanhood. It is not graphic. It is not crude. Rather, it unfolds (in the Color of Water) like a delicate flower coming to bloom. Hwa uses flower imagery effectively throughout the books. The art, while understated at times, is truly an extension of the story. Sometimes complex, sometimes simple, Hwa illustrates with a soft touch I appreciate. In the 2nd volume, three young women experience different levels of the quest for womanhood. One is envied for her upcoming marriage until it is unveiled that her husband is 9 years old. Another, explores the world of boyhood/manhood. Ehwa gradually realizes that the young wrestler she meets is her future husband and must mature in love while her mother experiences her own romance/affair. This series has been compared to A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. I heartily agree with that and even go further to suggest that this is destined to be a classic, in any language. Tim Lasiuta