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This is a beautiful collection of short stories. Almost perfect. True. Honest. Heartbreaking. A wonderfully wrought reflection on the Korean American experience. MORE PEOPLE NEED TO READ IT!!!
- the church of abundant life: a woman’s past confronts her present. boring, but sets themes for the rest of the world 5/10
- first language: a woman and her husband decide to bring her son from another father back home from a camp. 5/10
- a map of the simplified world: a girl learns prejudice from the world around her. sad, but excellent. “pass it on” 9/10!!!
- solo works for the piano: a neurodivergent man who has devoted his life to playing the piano meets an old friend’s neurodivergent daughter, learning to consider someone else’s idiosyncrasies. 9/10!!!
- skinship: a korean family emigrates to the united states, staying with the aunt’s family. they deal with this transition as a family. 6/10
- the art of losing: an old man with alzheimer’s reckons with the loss of memory. this one was really well done and heartbreaking. who is the boy? where did the towel come from? brief flashes of clarity and memory. 10/10!!!
- the loved ones: a boy volunteers with a home nurse and discovers the dynamic of a family in turmoil. new perspective for this book, and i enjoyed it. 7/10
- song and song: female relationships. sisters deal with the loss of their mother and their diverging life paths: the narrator a columbia educated housewife and her sister living a lifestyle of freedom in europe. the narrator’s daughter considers what she wants from her life. 8/10
overall, a solid set of stories with overarching themes of family and humanity.
favorites: a map of the simplified world, solo works for the piano, and the art of losing
If I could change one thing about this book it would be to make all of the stories MUCH longer. I was just so invested in them all and they were written so well and so differently with so many interesting characters.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Exceedingly well crafted collection of short stories. My only complaint is that the last few stories are too similar, featuring prominently or being entirely about end of life. Nevertheless the characters leap from the pages and Choi slowly unveils details masterfully.
I have a feeling that this short story collection will be the standard to which other Korean-American writers' short stories will be compared. The depiction of everyday Korean-American life is immaculate, with sharp details. A deep sense of nostalgia swept over me as I was reading these stories.
Many assets of Cho's stories are reminiscent of Alice Munro's stories: The elegance of the language use, the deeply humane feelings evoked from various relationships, the sense that each stories fulfill in the scale of a novel.
Many stories dealt with parent-child relationship, in their various stages, and also with immigrant lives.
Currently writing a review of this book for APALA (Asian Pacific American Library Association.)
Many assets of Cho's stories are reminiscent of Alice Munro's stories: The elegance of the language use, the deeply humane feelings evoked from various relationships, the sense that each stories fulfill in the scale of a novel.
Many stories dealt with parent-child relationship, in their various stages, and also with immigrant lives.
Currently writing a review of this book for APALA (Asian Pacific American Library Association.)
I can't say that this was easy .. there were def parts of the cultural stuff that I don't think I fully appreciated, but I enjoyed being exposed to it.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No