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kvroberts's review against another edition
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
suvata's review against another edition
5.0
• ModernMrsDarcy.com 2021 Summer Reading Guide #MMDSummerReading
• Kindle e-book • Scribd audiobook
An unforgettable saga inspired by true events, The Last Exiles is a searing portrait of a young couple in Pyongyang and their fight for love and freedom
Jin and Suja meet and fall in love while studying at university in Pyongyang. She is a young journalist from a prominent family, while he is from a small village of little means. Outside the school, North Korea has fallen under great political upheaval, plunged into chaos and famine. When Jin returns home to find his family starving, their food rations all but gone, he makes a rash decision that will haunt him for the rest of his life.
• Kindle e-book • Scribd audiobook
An unforgettable saga inspired by true events, The Last Exiles is a searing portrait of a young couple in Pyongyang and their fight for love and freedom
Jin and Suja meet and fall in love while studying at university in Pyongyang. She is a young journalist from a prominent family, while he is from a small village of little means. Outside the school, North Korea has fallen under great political upheaval, plunged into chaos and famine. When Jin returns home to find his family starving, their food rations all but gone, he makes a rash decision that will haunt him for the rest of his life.
melloyellobooks's review against another edition
4.0
The Last Exiles is about two characters, Jin and Suja, who have very different upbringings and privileges in North Korea during the time of great political upheaval. They fall in love at the University of Pyongyang- Jin is a brilliant scholarship student, and Suja is a young journalist from a prominent family. Their futures are bright and full of promise, even for Jin who comes from a family in extreme poverty.
When Jin impulsively commits a crime against the government, he is sent to a North Korean labor camp, which who one ever returns from. He manages a harrowing escape, and this action inspires Suja to defect, leave her privileged lifestyle and look for him in China. While Jin is relegated to working in underground markets, Suja, being a woman, suffers much more dire consequences.
This story is very well-written and was a page turner. Shin does a great job of describing the genuine love and respect these two have for each other, as well as the bleak situations that North Koreans are living under. The propaganda presented in the book was both frightening and disturbing-- I appreciated the character's grappling with it as they slowly discovered the truth. There are a lot of twists and turns in this book, and although the end doesn't seem very plausible, it is based on a true story and events.
When Jin impulsively commits a crime against the government, he is sent to a North Korean labor camp, which who one ever returns from. He manages a harrowing escape, and this action inspires Suja to defect, leave her privileged lifestyle and look for him in China. While Jin is relegated to working in underground markets, Suja, being a woman, suffers much more dire consequences.
This story is very well-written and was a page turner. Shin does a great job of describing the genuine love and respect these two have for each other, as well as the bleak situations that North Koreans are living under. The propaganda presented in the book was both frightening and disturbing-- I appreciated the character's grappling with it as they slowly discovered the truth. There are a lot of twists and turns in this book, and although the end doesn't seem very plausible, it is based on a true story and events.
mary00's review against another edition
3.0
This book held promise and I enjoyed learning more about life in North Korea, but the writing did not feel cohesive enough to me. I understand what the author was doing by switching between the two stories/ perspectives, but for me the book may have felt stronger had she kept her focus on just one story. The love story did not feel quite believable enough to me. I am glad I read it, however, and I did like it. I just didn't love it.
macewanlauren's review against another edition
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
smalltownbookmom's review against another edition
4.0
What a haunting and beautifully written love story of a young North Korean couple from different backgrounds torn apart by political upheaval and forced to fight incredible odds to find both freedom and their way back to one another. This is such an eye-opening and heartbreaking look at a part of Korean history I knew very little about. Jin and Suja endure incredible hardships as fugitives in China and almost unbelievably find each other again. If you love an epic, star-crossed lovers type of immigrant/refugee story this one is for you! Highly recommend this Modern Mrs Darcy Summer Reading guide pick for 2021 by Canadian Ann Shin!
TW: rape scene
Favorite quotes:
"As a fugitive in China, Jin was like water trickling down through the streets and into the gutter."
"The taint of their past weighed them down...He hoped they could make it to America. He hoped that would be enough."
"I could never go back. We can only go forward and try our best to find a place where we can both live freely."
TW: rape scene
Favorite quotes:
"As a fugitive in China, Jin was like water trickling down through the streets and into the gutter."
"The taint of their past weighed them down...He hoped they could make it to America. He hoped that would be enough."
"I could never go back. We can only go forward and try our best to find a place where we can both live freely."
lfinkenkeller's review against another edition
3.0
The story focuses on a young couple who meet in college in the 1990's in North Korea. Suja is from an upper middle class family from Pyonyang, and Jin is from a poor northern province who is only at college because he is on a scholarship. Jin gets arrested when he steals a bag of cornmeal for his family on a school break. He is beaten and put in Yodok Prison for life! He escapes to China.
When Suja hears of Jin's escape, she sets off for China to find Jin. Suja ends up being sold as a wife for a Chinese man, but she miraculously escapes and finds Jin. This story seemed very realistic until the ending. What are the chances of two people finding each other in China?
I thought In Order to Live by Yeonmi Park was more realistice especially about what happened to women trying to escape from North Korea into China, and I felt more empathy for Yeonmi because this was her true story. However, in the write up about the book, it says the story was inspired by true events.
When Suja hears of Jin's escape, she sets off for China to find Jin. Suja ends up being sold as a wife for a Chinese man, but she miraculously escapes and finds Jin. This story seemed very realistic until the ending. What are the chances of two people finding each other in China?
I thought In Order to Live by Yeonmi Park was more realistice especially about what happened to women trying to escape from North Korea into China, and I felt more empathy for Yeonmi because this was her true story. However, in the write up about the book, it says the story was inspired by true events.
situationnormal's review against another edition
2.0
I never really got sucked into this one, although it did read surprisingly quickly. I wasn't a huge fan of the writing style, which to me felt like much more tell than show, and the characters didn't feel fully fleshed. There are some emotional upheavals, as expected, but they all sort of...fall flat, and never feel fully resolved. The ending left me feeling the same way.
wildbibliophile's review against another edition
3.0
I don't typically read romance but this was described as a high stakes romance with historical contexts, so I picked it up! I loved the setting and appreciated the story and writing, but it wasn't the page turner I had anticipated it being. It ended up being a much slower burn story-wise but I did enjoy reading it. Shin is a talented writer and in her hands this story was beautifully and well told.
nicola_hn's review against another edition
3.0
It’s probably because I already read In Order to Live by Park Yeonmi that I wasn’t surprised by the plot line, and that ending was kinda dissatisfying but I enjoyed the rest of the story. Their meeting was very coincidental though.