Reviews with content warning for Racism - Pachinko

This was the type of novel I had to digest slowly, and take the time to enjoy every chapter. I really liked the first two thirds, they felt like 4.5-5 stars at parts.
The last third is unfortunately what lost me a little, and it is also why I am giving it 4 stars instead of something higher. At the end it started feeling a little disjointed, like the author lost track of the story a little bit. We were following the POVs of way more characters all of a sudden and quite a few felt pointless - atleast the depth that the author went into. And then it felt like the author added a couple traumatic things to keep the book sad and shocking without delving into these traumatic events. It felt like at the end she was speeding through her writing instead of taking her time with the events and happenings like she did in the first 2 thirds - this made me lose touch with the characters, and I almost felt like I stopped knowing them; like they were different characters than the ones I had been following throughout the whole book.
Overall, a great book, and I would definitely recommend it, I just wish the author had sat with the last third a little longer and not tried to do too much.

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rae29's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This is the first time I’ve ever written a review for a book, so it’s most likely my own ramblings rather than a comprehensive review but oh well.

Wow. When I first picked up this book, I didn’t know what to expect. I certainly wasn’t expecting the interplay between sadness, despondency, and hope. And I wasn’t expecting the myriad of characters, particularly the ones that were fleeting in the other arching narrative. But this book is both culture, history, and character driven, and I think the characters are what appealed to me the most.

Things that stood out to me the most: Sunja’s characterization, and the depiction of female characters throughout. This book takes on quite a lot in this regard, works through cultural nuances, prejudices, and power dynamics quite well. It does get a bit dark in its depictions.

The middle was difficult for me, as I gradually came to the realization of what this book is, more of a quiet narrative, where everything does not always get better, and there is no heroic twist that saves this family from their circumstances. They just exist, same as the characters, and the narrative depicts these fleeting moments in time. It does get slow, but it’s worth it.

Honestly at the heart of this book is the interplay between suffering and hope, but there is a lot of suffering. And that is never fully resolved. The book itself, even, does not quite resolve.

Overall, this book has a quiet strength to it that keeps the story in your mind far beyond the last page. Absolutely worth reading.

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moonmoonsun's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

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ainadei's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Wow. It's hard to sum up what to say. There were times I felt sadness, but couldn't even cry because that was just life. This is truly a story about the world and family, and it has been a while since something has shook me like this.

"Go-saeng, a woman's lot is to suffer."

Oddly enough, though this is repeated in the book, there isn't much said about the determination and sheer willpower Sunja had carried within her, her entire life. I truly felt everything; the times I allowed myself to be vulnerable to this book, I found myself shedding a few tears.

A beautiful but harrowing experience.

If you want non-complex characters, a happy ending describing more than survival, or a lighthearted read, stay 50 yards from this one.

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andyourstruly's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative reflective

Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

If you liked East of Eden, you will like this book a lot. It has great symbolism, and the way the perspective bounces around feels very classic and manages to avoid overexplaining or getting distracted from the story the author intends to tell. There are a number of really excellent and well-developed characters living through remarkable times, and the author does a marvellous job expressing the ideas and attitudes behind historical behaviors and ideals and the shift that has occurred over time. Really well-researched, well-paced, and well-written.

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