Reviews with content warning for Cancer - Pachinko

Reviews tagging 'Cancer'

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

115 reviews

ladylofthouse's review against another edition

4.5

emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

It was fascinating to learn so much about Korean history in the 20th century through these four generations - you can tell the author's research was incredibly thorough into really heavy topics. These plot points are often the focus, which can leave some storylines feeling a little disconnected, but I wasn't that bothered by it because the characters were still so well written - Sunja in particular was inspirational. Even though the overall tone was sad due to so much suffering, there was still a lot of love and hope.

Content Warnings

aidamaria_reads's review against another edition

4.5

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

A heart-wrenching story about war, suffering and social injustice. I am left with some questions about certain people and how their lives (may have) ended, but that’s just like real life, isn’t it?

The research it took to create this book and incorporate so many interesting characters into the story much have been tremendous, and I’m grateful to have learnt so much about history through this work of literary fiction. I had never considered the world wars through a non-Western lens before, so this was an eye-opening reading experience.

Content Warnings

dynamiccanvas's review against another edition

2.25

sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Overall I appreciated the historic lense into the family's life. I learned a lot about the nuance of Korean/Japanese life during the time period. I just wish there was less focus on sex. A lot of the sexual interactions felt predatory, and it was uncomfortable reading about it from the perspective of the perpetrator. It wasn't for me. Bar that, I enjoyed the book.

Content Warnings

lauren625's review against another edition

5.0

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

helsinginlinnut's review against another edition

4.5

emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Content Warnings

lia_booknest's review against another edition

4.0

challenging emotional sad tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Pachinko is a captivating saga that explores how war and history shape identity across generations within a family. The characters' struggles are deeply moving, and the story introduces remarkable complexity and depth. While the pacing might feel slow for readers unfamiliar with historical fiction; trust me, this is the kind of book you want to savor in chunks, with plenty of time to marinate on its layers.

Fair warning, though: the last 100 pages of this book might throw you onto an unexpected emotional and heartwrenching roller-coaster ride. Still, i felt it was beautifully wrapped up. Happy reading everyone!

Content Warnings

sadieadie's review against another edition

4.5

emotional informative 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: Yes

Content Warnings

kmetzing's review against another edition

3.75

emotional informative sad fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Content Warnings

bloodmaarked's review against another edition

4.5

challenging informative reflective 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: Yes

if pachinko is something you’ve been wanting to read for a while, please bump it up your tbr list! or if you’ve heard the hype and are not sure whether to buy into it, take the plunge and give this a read. i highly doubt you’ll be disappointed. i was so unexpectedly impressed with pachinko, an ambitious story that tells the story of four generations of a korean family that emigrates to japan. this is undoubtedly one of my top books of 2024.

✧ full review on my tumblr ✧

Content Warnings

madstoss's review against another edition

4.5

emotional 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: Complicated

It’s heartbreaking yet rewarding getting to watch the characters persevere, adapt, and change over the span of decades. It didn’t feel tedious or slow at all. So glad I finally read this after having it on my tbr for years.

I do agree with some of the other reviews that there is a deeper connection to the characters in the first half of the book. However, I think Sunja’s story is meant to be more deeply explored, and that there is logic to the later generation being disconnected from the original pain of the novel’s first parts. The later generation of characters and their stories are affected by the past, but as Solomon realizes, not defined by it.

Content Warnings

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