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4.36 AVERAGE
4.36 AVERAGE
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
In my opinion, Pachinko really reads like a trilogy. The book is divided into three parts that each cover a different generation (or two), and while there are overarching themes throughout, I felt that they are also distinct from one another.
The first part is wonderful. I loved the diverse cast of characters with their unique strengths and weaknesses. They seemed to come alive on the page. As I read their story, I felt like I was living their lives with them, like I was growing with them, and learning with them. About how to be happy when things are difficult. About how to find joy in the little things. About what it means to be a family. I honestly wish that this part was much longer. I would have loved to see a more in-depth exploration of this cast of characters - not just because I loved them, but because I feel like it would have created a stronger contrast between how the first generation perceives themselves versus the subsequent generations that we meet.
The second part is also enjoyable. Min Jin Lee has a very raw and visceral style of writing that does a good job at highlighting the pain and suffering of the Korean people and what they went through as immigrants in Japan. This part was probably the hardest part for me to read. It's full of heavy topics, and there really isn't a break as you watch Sunja and her family go through one tragedy after another. That being said, a lot of that tragedy happens off-screen. The focus is mostly on the lead-up to each tragic event, and how things change for the characters afterwards. I found it strange that the losses themselves and the events immediately afterwards are skipped over because it is very clear that these are important moments. A lot of the time I thought that these events ended up feeling anticlimatic. There's this huge building up of impending sorrow and dread and then... no release of that feeling. This might have been an intentional narrative choice. Min Jin Lee might have wanted to really capture the feeling that there is no time to properly mourn what has been lost. If that is the case, I think they were very successful. However, at the same time it makes it a very difficult section to get through as a reader.
The third part was my least favourite of the three. I feel like it should have been the part to tie everything together but instead it just feels scattered. The ending felt abrupt and unsatisfying. My main complaint about this section is that the cast increases significantly in size and we don't really have the chance to get to know any of them properly. This reduced the impact of their losses for me. I didn't care as much when bad things happened to them because I didn't get the chance to know them the way I did with previous characters. As well, by this part in the novel I was starting to feel a bit numb. It's hard not to when all there is to read is one tragedy after another.
One of my favourite quotes from the book does come from this part though:
"Mozasu believed that life was like this game where the player could adjust the dials yet also expect the uncertainty of factors he couldn't control. He understood why his customers wanted to play something that looked fixed but which also left room for randomness and hope"
I love the symbolism of the characters all being drawn towards the game of pachinko in their own way - their relationship with it, and in turn how they perceive themselves and their fates.
Overall I thought it was a phenomenal read. It would have been a 5* for me, but I did have some complaints about the pacing and the depth of characterization in later parts.
The first part is wonderful. I loved the diverse cast of characters with their unique strengths and weaknesses. They seemed to come alive on the page. As I read their story, I felt like I was living their lives with them, like I was growing with them, and learning with them. About how to be happy when things are difficult. About how to find joy in the little things. About what it means to be a family. I honestly wish that this part was much longer. I would have loved to see a more in-depth exploration of this cast of characters - not just because I loved them, but because I feel like it would have created a stronger contrast between how the first generation perceives themselves versus the subsequent generations that we meet.
The second part is also enjoyable. Min Jin Lee has a very raw and visceral style of writing that does a good job at highlighting the pain and suffering of the Korean people and what they went through as immigrants in Japan. This part was probably the hardest part for me to read. It's full of heavy topics, and there really isn't a break as you watch Sunja and her family go through one tragedy after another. That being said, a lot of that tragedy happens off-screen. The focus is mostly on the lead-up to each tragic event, and how things change for the characters afterwards. I found it strange that the losses themselves and the events immediately afterwards are skipped over because it is very clear that these are important moments. A lot of the time I thought that these events ended up feeling anticlimatic. There's this huge building up of impending sorrow and dread and then... no release of that feeling. This might have been an intentional narrative choice. Min Jin Lee might have wanted to really capture the feeling that there is no time to properly mourn what has been lost. If that is the case, I think they were very successful. However, at the same time it makes it a very difficult section to get through as a reader.
The third part was my least favourite of the three. I feel like it should have been the part to tie everything together but instead it just feels scattered. The ending felt abrupt and unsatisfying. My main complaint about this section is that the cast increases significantly in size and we don't really have the chance to get to know any of them properly. This reduced the impact of their losses for me. I didn't care as much when bad things happened to them because I didn't get the chance to know them the way I did with previous characters. As well, by this part in the novel I was starting to feel a bit numb. It's hard not to when all there is to read is one tragedy after another.
One of my favourite quotes from the book does come from this part though:
"Mozasu believed that life was like this game where the player could adjust the dials yet also expect the uncertainty of factors he couldn't control. He understood why his customers wanted to play something that looked fixed but which also left room for randomness and hope"
I love the symbolism of the characters all being drawn towards the game of pachinko in their own way - their relationship with it, and in turn how they perceive themselves and their fates.
Overall I thought it was a phenomenal read. It would have been a 5* for me, but I did have some complaints about the pacing and the depth of characterization in later parts.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Gostei muito de ler este livro. É muito criativo e a escrita vale muito a pena. Só achei que, a certa altura, se tornou um pouco monótono, porque íamos mudando de foco de personagem, e víamos o que de mal lhe acontecia. Claro que isto é baseado em coisas reais e a vida muitas vezes é uma merda, mas achei que o livro passou a depender demasiado desses momentos. Também gostava que certas personagens tivessem sido mais exploradas.
hitting myself for not reading this book I’ve owned for two years sooner. only criticism is for the last like fifth of the book, felt underdeveloped and rushed. still an amazing read though :) (4.5/5)
Not because it's bad, I'm just struggling to remember the characters and story then getting lost. Maybe it's my ADHD brain but this is making it hard to enjoy as much as I wanted to (I'm interested in Japan/Korea) 😅, I tried.
I do however think it's a good fiction book to learn about Japanese and Korean history 🇯🇵🇰🇷🇰🇵.
I do however think it's a good fiction book to learn about Japanese and Korean history 🇯🇵🇰🇷🇰🇵.
I really enjoyed the characters - they were well developed. I loved learning more about the history between Japan and the Korean countries. I never knew about the discrimination that Japan had for those from Korea. With that said, the middle to the end of the book felt rushed. Many significant events happened, but were just dropped in the story like a bomb, without much explanation or mention. I’d recommend the book though and did find it to be a good historical fiction read.
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:
Complicated
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes