Reviews with content warning for Rape - Pachinko

I read this for an upcoming bookclub I will be taking part in this April.

I enjoyed the overall story of this book. It followed several generations of a Korean family that immigrated to Japan. I think I could come to like Historical Fiction, which isn't a genre I typically read.

What I didn't enjoy, however, was the amount of swearing and sexual content in the book (which got increasingly worse as the book went on). This was a huge turnoff to me.

Three Stars --- the overall story and historical aspects were neat, but I really didn't enjoy some of the other content in the book.

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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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thatsssorachael's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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my_weird_bookish_heart's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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san_dra's review against another edition

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emotional sad 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? Yes

4.5

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honipoems's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

this was such a interesting book about the relationship between Korea & Japan. It was about a time of the history I never heard about before (or just some part). The colonization, the war, the poverty… very intriguing.

It’s also interesting to take a look at the women situation. Always the first victims of these kinds of period. « Women have to suffer »

I also like the end of the book, when we have the confrontation of old mind spirit against the one from usa which is more like ours today.

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stacylaughs's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

First half of the book is perfect. Last third jumps all over the place. The grandchildren's stories should have been a separate book.

I dislike the voice chosen for the audiobook. Too slow, it feels pedantic. As a Korean speaker, the pronunciation of the Korean words and cities are horrendous.

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readingsponsoredbybts's review against another edition

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adventurous dark informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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