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solachi's review against another edition
3.0
"The black guns on the sides of the ships glistened with oil"
Kim Young Ha's novel 'Black Flower' focuses on the aftermath of Japan-Russo battle during 1904-05 where Japan seized Seoul, won Russia albeit losing 70,000 men in the war. The Koreans who wanted to survive the wrath of Japanese, fled to a strange land called Mexico on the ship Ilford.
Divided into 3 parts, first one goes on for the 60% of the book, vividly narrating the lives of 1033 people on the ship, irrespective of their Korean origin - nobles, aristocrats, slaves, servants.
The plot is supposed to revolve around the star crossed love track between Kim Ijeong, a lower born & To Yeonsu, a noble. But, somewhere along the dragging, history dumped narration, both the characters go unnoticed, unimportant.
Kim Young Ha successfully pens downs the exploitation of Koreans who were forced to work under slavery contract for lower wages in different haciendas. Their plight included women getting bought and sold, interracial marriage - Koreans marrying Mayans.
What did I like? I loved the character alignment - a teenage boy, a church father who has renounced Catholicism, a thief, a band of soldiers, a noble Yi family, eunuchs, a shaman, and a whole lot of people from various backgrounds, breaking the stereotype of nobility in Korea.
Would I recommend this? Yes. People who are history geeks, need to read this one. Those who want to get enlightened about the Japan-Russo war, this is an apt pick. But, if you are in need of an easy, light read, this isn't for you. I felt this book weighing on my shoulder for over a month.
Rating - 3/5 ⭐
https://www.instagram.com/p/CM7BsRGr7p8/?igshid=1bxaumt9iipip
Kim Young Ha's novel 'Black Flower' focuses on the aftermath of Japan-Russo battle during 1904-05 where Japan seized Seoul, won Russia albeit losing 70,000 men in the war. The Koreans who wanted to survive the wrath of Japanese, fled to a strange land called Mexico on the ship Ilford.
Divided into 3 parts, first one goes on for the 60% of the book, vividly narrating the lives of 1033 people on the ship, irrespective of their Korean origin - nobles, aristocrats, slaves, servants.
The plot is supposed to revolve around the star crossed love track between Kim Ijeong, a lower born & To Yeonsu, a noble. But, somewhere along the dragging, history dumped narration, both the characters go unnoticed, unimportant.
Kim Young Ha successfully pens downs the exploitation of Koreans who were forced to work under slavery contract for lower wages in different haciendas. Their plight included women getting bought and sold, interracial marriage - Koreans marrying Mayans.
What did I like? I loved the character alignment - a teenage boy, a church father who has renounced Catholicism, a thief, a band of soldiers, a noble Yi family, eunuchs, a shaman, and a whole lot of people from various backgrounds, breaking the stereotype of nobility in Korea.
Would I recommend this? Yes. People who are history geeks, need to read this one. Those who want to get enlightened about the Japan-Russo war, this is an apt pick. But, if you are in need of an easy, light read, this isn't for you. I felt this book weighing on my shoulder for over a month.
Rating - 3/5 ⭐
https://www.instagram.com/p/CM7BsRGr7p8/?igshid=1bxaumt9iipip
laupm's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
gi_gi_g's review against another edition
dark
informative
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
misunshine's review against another edition
Library loan run out and I have other books im more interested coming in
manolitagafotas's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
jenniferszhu's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
maxzell's review against another edition
4.0
I haven't read historical fiction in a long while, and I definitely haven't read anything like this. It's a pretty wild story: ~1000 immigrants leave Korea for Mexico just before Korea is absorbed as a Japanese colony. The story skips around a lot from character to character as the Korean immigrants move from plantation life to freedom to being caught up in the Mexican revolution. Some characters we get to know better than others, sometimes to a fault. I think that might just be a trope of the genre, though. Despite the lack of intense characterization, we get a strong feel for the community as a whole and its individual members drives and desires. It's a very interesting read, and I definitely learned a lot along the way.
spacestationtrustfund's review against another edition
2.0
『검은 꽃』 par Kim Yeongha (김영하). Traduction du coréen en français par Im Yeonghui (임영희) et Françoise Nagel.
Ce petit volume mince a toutes les caractéristiques d'un auteur qui tente d'écrire une fiction historique pour la première fois. Racontant l'histoire véridique de 1,033 coréens partis émigrer au Mexique au début du XXe siècle, qui sont vendus à leur insu à des propriétaires terriens, après quoi ils travaillent sur des plantations de sisal et doivent s'adapter aux conditions de vie d'une terre hostile. Quarante-deux d'entre eux s'enfoncent dans la jungle pour rejoindre la révolution au Guatemala, tandis que d'autres fondent un état éphémère sur le site maya de Tikal. Un bon essai, mais pas de cigare, pour ainsi dire.
Ce petit volume mince a toutes les caractéristiques d'un auteur qui tente d'écrire une fiction historique pour la première fois. Racontant l'histoire véridique de 1,033 coréens partis émigrer au Mexique au début du XXe siècle, qui sont vendus à leur insu à des propriétaires terriens, après quoi ils travaillent sur des plantations de sisal et doivent s'adapter aux conditions de vie d'une terre hostile. Quarante-deux d'entre eux s'enfoncent dans la jungle pour rejoindre la révolution au Guatemala, tandis que d'autres fondent un état éphémère sur le site maya de Tikal. Un bon essai, mais pas de cigare, pour ainsi dire.
qomareads's review against another edition
3.0
Too long, too details and the abruptly change in plot, characters introduced not that smoothly. Tbh there’s too much characters to remember but I enjoyed the history and war parts. Something new to my knowledge. Black Flower - dedicated to the 1033 people who left Jemulpo Harbor in 1905.