Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

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Pachinko

February 7, 2017 / 490 pages / Fiction

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A new tour de force from the bestselling author of Free Food for Millionaires, for readers of A Fine Balance and Cutting for Stone.

Profoundly moving and gracefully told, PACHINKO follows 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. Betrayed by her wealthy lover, Sunja finds unexpected salvation when a young tubercular minister offers to marry her and bring her to Japan to start a new life.

So begins a sweeping saga of exceptional people in exile from a homeland they never knew and caught in the indifferent arc of history. In Japan, Sunja's family members endure harsh discrimination, catastrophes, and poverty, yet they also encounter great joy as they pursue their passions and rise to meet the challenges this new home presents. Through desperate struggles and hard-won triumphs, they are bound together by deep roots as their family faces enduring questions of faith, family, and identity.

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Korea

Communism

War

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Immigrant Experience

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A new tour de force from the bestselling author of Free Food for Millionaires, for readers of A Fine Balance and Cutting for Stone. Profoundly moving and gracefully told, PACHINKO follows 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. Betrayed by her wealthy lover, Sunja finds unexpected salvation when a young tubercular minister offers to marry her and bring her to Japan to start a new life. So begins a sweeping saga of exceptional people in exile from a homeland they never knew and caught in the indifferent arc of history. In Japan, Sunja's family members endure harsh discrimination, catastrophes, and poverty, yet they also encounter great joy as they pursue their passions and rise to meet the challenges this new home presents. Through desperate struggles and hard-won triumphs, they are bound together by deep roots as their family faces enduring questions of faith, family, and identity.

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First part was a masterpiece. Felt somewhat stagnant and boring in the middle with too many characters and too many self-destructive choices based on pride and ego. Some characters are very one dimensional especially the women, and a lot of ideas are introduced without ever being explored. Too many details which do not affect the story or lead to anywhere.

Grade: B / ellie_011

/ May 14, 2022

This book drug on and on and gave too many unneeded details.

Grade: F / Susieq2 / Mar 6, 2018

Very similar to "The Good Earth," not only in the East Asian setting and the tracing of generations, but in the clean and straightforward writing style. I enjoyed it quite a bit, though I don't know if it's the type of book I'd read again.

Grade: B+ / DRHPaints / Aug 4, 2018

This was a surprisingly quick, compelling read for a multi-generational saga. I learned a lot about Korean history & social dynamics. However a book with this many characters over such a long time period is never going to be a personal favorite - I was interested to see which character the author focused on next, but that also prevented me from being emotionally invested in any individual character. The ending did tie things together nicely & I find the book sticking with me more than expected.

Grade: B / HeathersCorner

/ Aug 18, 2022

Very sweet

Grade: B / Trekkie1999 / May 31, 2018

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