Pachinko
Book - 2017
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From Library Staff
From Library Staff
Following one Korean family through the generations, beginning in early 1900s Korea with Sunja, the prized daughter of a poor yet proud family, whose unplanned pregnancy threatens to shame them all. Deserted by her lover, Sunja is saved when a young tubercular minister offers to marry and bring h... Read More »
In the early 1900s, teenaged Sunja, the daughter of a crippled fisherman, discovers she is pregnant. She accepts an offer of marriage from a minister passing through on his way to Japan. But her decision to abandon her home, and to reject her son's powerful father, sets off a dramatic saga that ... Read More »
Jeffco5BooksColumbine
Jul 11, 2018
Following one Korean family through the generations, beginning in early 1900s Korea with Sunja, the prized daughter of a poor yet proud family, whose unplanned pregnancy threatens to shame them all. Deserted by her lover, Sunja is saved when a young tubercular minister offers to marry and bring h... Read More »
After reading Pachinko I have a much deeper understanding of the Japanese / Korean conflict. In this epic saga she follows generations as they struggle against Japanese oppression and fight for survival in a changing world. This reminded me of Pearl S. Buck’s "The Good Earth".
Lists: New York Time, Book People, Denver Post -- What they say: "This sweeping tale of four generations of Koreans touches on enduring issues of displacement, regionalism, culture clashes, and prejudice" DP
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Add a CommentGreat book, very interesting and well written. The end went on a bit long in my opinion, but overall, I really enjoyed it.
I really enjoyed (and learned from) this multi-generational tale of Koreans living in Japan during the twentieth century.
I really loved this book. The third book was my favorite. The last chapter was really beautiful and I liked how it ended.
kate baer
Highly recommended
Korean epic; I didn't finish it.
This is one of the worst books I have read this year. What a waste of my time! The story was OK nothing fantastic and the writing was terrible. The prose consisted of short sentences so that when reading it it didn't flow. The dialogue seemed like it was written by a 10 year old. How does a book like this get an award as one of the best fiction books of 2017?
I would have given up half way but only kept with it so that I could write a comment on it.
It seems to me that the books I enjoy the most are the books that haven't won any awards. Usually the books that I choose that have won awards are the most disappointing.
How does a person know which books are good? It is a dilemma for me because I am always looking for a good book to read.
"You want to see a very bad man? Make an ordinary man successful beyond his imagination. Let's see how good he is when he can do whatever he wants."
Sprawling and deeply felt family saga set in Korea and Japan. It covers several generations and so has a bit of the feel of a Victorian novel, although there's plenty of sex. Lee wrestles with issues of identity, home, and family in ways that are usually insightful and compelling. It runs a little long (close to 500 pages), but it is ambitious and covers a lot of ground.
The first copy of this book that I received from the library was sprinkled with what I think were plucked eyebrow hairs. Disgusting, but the book was seriously engaging, so I ignored them and read on. About halfway through, though, there was a booger. That was too much for me, so I returned that copy and had to wait in line again for another one. Now the new one has arrived and on the very first page there is something that looks suspiciously like another booger. Honestly, what is going on with you KCLS patrons? This is far from the first time I have come across human detritus in KCLS library books, including hairs from all parts of the body and food crumbs. You know that in all my years in reading library books in other parts of the country and abroad I have never run across any of this disgusting stuff? What is it, are you people just inured to it?
Arlene or Joanne rec'd