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lsparrow's review against another edition
3.0
I would be interested to read this author's poetry although as a memoir i found it a bit lacking. Interesting stories and fragments but felt less like a whole.
wjecky18's review against another edition
5.0
Heartbreakingly beautiful. I loved the topic, the style and the characters. It felt personal and relatable.
heidihaverkamp's review against another edition
4.0
A professional translator translates her mother's letters, written to her as a teenager, growing up in California while her parents moved back to South Korea. Koh writes about her life as a teenager and young adult, and as a woman whose mother didn't quite know how to be with her. She writes as the heir of a family who lived through war and dictatorship. And she writes about language --and how she went from being a translator to being a poet and writer. A sort of memoir... but so much more than that.
2000s's review against another edition
4.0
Very reflective read with a lot of interesting stories within, especially the parts about the author's trip to Japan and her grandmother Kumiko. I felt like the book was trying to cover a lot of ground but didn't go in depth with every topic it introduced, so it kind of felt incomplete by the end.
gloomynomad's review against another edition
5.0
"The Magical Language of Others" by E.J. Koh is a powerful and poignant memoir that explores the complex relationship between a daughter and her mother. The book is divided into four sections, each of which reveals a different layer of the author's family history and the intergenerational trauma that has shaped her life.
At the heart of the book is Koh's relationship with her mother, who left the family to return to South Korea when Koh was only 15 years old. In order to maintain their connection, Koh and her mother exchanged letters for over a decade, and these letters form the backbone of the book. Through her mother's words, Koh is able to understand her family's history and the struggles that her mother faced as an immigrant in America.
What makes "The Magical Language of Others" such a moving read is Koh's skillful blending of poetry and prose. Koh is a gifted poet, and her use of language is nothing short of breathtaking. Her writing is lyrical and evocative, and she uses metaphor and imagery to convey the emotions that she and her family members feel.
At its core, "The Magical Language of Others" is a meditation on the nature of language and the power that it holds. Koh shows us how language can be both a tool for communication and a barrier to understanding, and how it can be used to heal or to hurt. Her book is a testament to the importance of communication and the deep connection that can exist between people, even across great distances.
Overall, "The Magical Language of Others" is a beautiful and thought-provoking book that is sure to resonate with readers. Koh's writing is exquisite, and her insights into the complexities of family relationships are profound. This is a memoir that will stay with you long after you've turned the final page.
At the heart of the book is Koh's relationship with her mother, who left the family to return to South Korea when Koh was only 15 years old. In order to maintain their connection, Koh and her mother exchanged letters for over a decade, and these letters form the backbone of the book. Through her mother's words, Koh is able to understand her family's history and the struggles that her mother faced as an immigrant in America.
What makes "The Magical Language of Others" such a moving read is Koh's skillful blending of poetry and prose. Koh is a gifted poet, and her use of language is nothing short of breathtaking. Her writing is lyrical and evocative, and she uses metaphor and imagery to convey the emotions that she and her family members feel.
At its core, "The Magical Language of Others" is a meditation on the nature of language and the power that it holds. Koh shows us how language can be both a tool for communication and a barrier to understanding, and how it can be used to heal or to hurt. Her book is a testament to the importance of communication and the deep connection that can exist between people, even across great distances.
Overall, "The Magical Language of Others" is a beautiful and thought-provoking book that is sure to resonate with readers. Koh's writing is exquisite, and her insights into the complexities of family relationships are profound. This is a memoir that will stay with you long after you've turned the final page.
rosepoints's review
2.0
based on the summary, it seemed like the book was written specifically for me. korean mother-daughter relationships, intergenerational trauma, and immigration? excellent, sign me up. but alas, it was not the book i expected it to be.
first off, i didn’t really like any of the translations. if the original letters hadn’t been included, i would’ve just written it off as poor phrasing, but after reading through both the english and the korean versions of the letters, i felt like the translations lacked some of the implied meanings and flattened out the nuances in the original text.
and for a book titled “the magical language of others,” it sure felt like i was reading a book titled “the magical language of myself.” objectively, a memoir is supposed to be about the author, but the way the book was advertised and the way the summary was written made it seem like it would look more deeply into interpersonal relationships. instead, i got navel-gazing from the author. i almost feel like this book would’ve done better as a series of poems rather than a full novel-length book, and given the author’s background as a poet, i’m not sure why they chose this.
there is a good chapter that touches upon zainichi koreans and korean history, but that was the only chapter i found myself enjoying. where is that history with the mother? is there going to be anything more other than the resentment the author feels? is there not a deeper discussion about the author’s relationship with her brother, especially after all those years living alone in the united states with him? why did we spend more time on a korean guy from japan than that? honestly, a very disappointing read.