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fairyribs's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I went into this book expecting it to be a history of the Japanese colonial rule but instead I got an intimate portrait of a family and it’s fight for survival during and after colonialism. I never knew that people like the Zainichi existed and to see how many of them came to be was quite illuminating, along with the discrimination many Korean-Japanese people face today.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Death of parent, Homophobia, Mental illness, Police brutality, Self harm, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Ableism, Body horror, Cancer, Cultural appropriation, Confinement, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Vomit, War, Abandonment, Child death, and Colonisation
nicolesorial's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.75
Moderate: Abortion, Cancer, Child death, Classism, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, War, Ableism, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Racism, Rape, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Colonisation, and Sexism
frogonaskateboard's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Alcoholism, Grief, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Death, Death of parent, Child death, Colonisation, and Emotional abuse
alisonannk's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Classism, Death of parent, Grief, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, Bullying, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, War, Death, Dysphoria, and Sexism
Moderate: Abandonment, Abortion, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Mental illness, Sexual harassment, Toxic friendship, Car accident, Child death, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, and Infertility
Minor: Alcohol, Outing, Cultural appropriation, Gun violence, and Murder
jessgreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
See more reviews at: https://jessgreads.wixsite.com/website
Graphic: Misogyny, Classism, Racism, Genocide, Adult/minor relationship, War, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Suicide, Religious bigotry, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Grief, Infidelity, Abandonment, Child death, Death of parent, Terminal illness, Pregnancy, and Toxic relationship
beaucoupmich's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I liked that a lot.
I was hooked immediately. First book was slow and steady. I think the writing is beautiful. However, book two and three flew like jets. It becomes a slice of life kind of book, and the next thing you know, two decades have passed. It was hard to keep everyone's age at some point that I pictured 40-year-old character as the same innocent 16-year-old I met in book one, despite their character development.
I think the book portrays really well and vividly the ups and downs of being immigrants and the descendants of immigrants especially when their people were despised. Rather than serving a twisty, epic plot, it captured poignant, heartwarming, yet heartbreaking feelings, emotions, and thoughts. It presents all these human moments, which are intense but in a way also felt kind of cozy? If it wasn't for the imbalance and the pacing this would be perfect book in my opinion.
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Violence, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Bullying and Suicide
Minor: Death of parent, Racism, Sexism, Racial slurs, Cancer, Death, and Child death
kilic's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Colonisation, Grief, Classism, Suicide, War, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, and Racism
godhood's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Racism, Xenophobia, and Colonisation
Moderate: Grief, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Child death, Suicide, and Infertility
allisonshewfelt's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I adored the rich detail and characterization as well as the multiple povs. I appreciate that Lee didn't just focus on the stories of the main characters but also included the side characters. A lot of side characters even got their own chapters. The writing was of course gorgeous and addicting to read.
As someone who doesn't pay attention in history class, this book taught me more than any textbook would and kept my attention. Unlike textbooks where they just relay the facts, books like these focus on the characters and really help you understand and emphasize the historical situation. Many things shocked me. For example inflation and the high value of money as well as how Koreans were treated by the Japanese. Koreans could get imprisoned so easily for the smallest reasons and that really bothered me.
I did not expect to cry but what was I thinking? Of course I would if the story spans 4 generations someone ought to die.
I loved most of the characters so much and it was crazy how fast they grew up. I felt like I was a part of their family. The character deaths were so hard to go through because of this.
The opening line "History has failed us, but no matter" really showcases what this book will contain: the struggle of characters to keep going despite the prejudice. The covers for the paperback and hardcover both are great representations of the book too. I appreciate how the title also ties in with the book. Pachinko is a Japanese pinball game that relies on luck. There will be some winners and a lot of losers but you'll keep playing because you have hope that you'll be the lucky one.
This book deserves nothing less than 5 stars considering how much time and research was put into it. Like Lee took 30 years to write this! I'm so happy it got adapted. I already know the show is gonna be a masterpiece and I will be reading anything Lee writes.
Graphic: Grief, Adult/minor relationship, Racism, Violence, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Torture, War, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Colonisation, Rape, Suicide, Alcoholism, Bullying, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Child death, Death of parent, Cancer, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Infertility, Miscarriage, and Sexual harassment
gm_vak's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
Graphic: Grief, Child death, Death, and Miscarriage
Moderate: Grief, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Car accident, Suicide, Terminal illness, Abandonment, Ableism, Cancer, War, Colonisation, Classism, Child death, Death, Death of parent, and Homophobia