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4.36 AVERAGE
4.36 AVERAGE
Cuando comienzas a leer un libro sobre una saga familiar, sabes que vas a realizar un viaje en el tiempo. Se siente como ir en tren. Mientras tu cuerpo está quieto en un lugar, ves como a tu alrededor, va cambiando un paisaje a modo de película. El trayecto puede ser más o menos largo, pero sabes que va hacia un lugar determinado y simplemente te dejas llevar. Pachinko ha sido el billete de tren que me ha permitido dirigirme a esa parte de la historia de Corea que desconocía, y que mis profesoras me contaban a grandes pinceladas. Honestamente, eché en falta profundidad y un desarrollo más amplio de los personajes principales, pero ha sido un primer acercamiento al origen de esas rencillas que aún tensan las relaciones coreano-japonesas hoy en día.
Son unas quinientas páginas de generaciones de una familia, desde los primeros años de la colonización hasta una relativa actualidad. Es una novela bien escrita, con un estilo muy sencillo que engancha. Está estructurada por etapas, donde vamos viendo la evolución de todos los personajes, y aunque todo gira en torno a Sunya, la novela es casi coral.
A través de muchísimos personajes, la autora intenta transmitir la situación tan difícil que atravesaban los coreanos durante la ocupación japonesa, la discriminación, la marginación, la supresión de derechos y de recursos. También contemplamos una sociedad japonesa llamada a la rectitud y al asilo de lo colectivo, todo en el contexto de la II Guerra Mundial, ofreciéndonos una visión muy amena y amplia de una situación muy complicada.
Me ha gustado muchísimo. Totalmente recomendable.
Son unas quinientas páginas de generaciones de una familia, desde los primeros años de la colonización hasta una relativa actualidad. Es una novela bien escrita, con un estilo muy sencillo que engancha. Está estructurada por etapas, donde vamos viendo la evolución de todos los personajes, y aunque todo gira en torno a Sunya, la novela es casi coral.
A través de muchísimos personajes, la autora intenta transmitir la situación tan difícil que atravesaban los coreanos durante la ocupación japonesa, la discriminación, la marginación, la supresión de derechos y de recursos. También contemplamos una sociedad japonesa llamada a la rectitud y al asilo de lo colectivo, todo en el contexto de la II Guerra Mundial, ofreciéndonos una visión muy amena y amplia de una situación muy complicada.
Me ha gustado muchísimo. Totalmente recomendable.
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
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
BOY will Min Jin Lee kill give everyone you love a tragic and sudden death. Go off queen
This is an absolute class act of a generational saga. All the characters here are so rich, I love some clear loves (Kyunghee, Isak, Noa, Mozasu, Sunja), but the 'bad guys' also have their humanity and you see why they do what they do (especially Koh Hansu and Yoseb). For a long book, it is a surprisingly fast read bc the story is so gripping and also the language is very direct,. and I think this works well for the book.
I loved the journey we went on with this family, we saw them through such changing life circumstances but the story moved seamlessly through all of these different settings and characters. It was super interesting to read about Japanese and korean culture, and especially the different ways that Korean's were discriminated against during this period. Also, some INTENSE quiet shame cultureRIP Noa . The supporting characters also felt very rich and were great at fleshing out the story RIP Chang ho .
The Pachinko was a great metaphor for the Korean immigrant experience and them tryna navigate life in Japan. Some wins, many losses, a lot of shame and discrimination.
This is an absolute class act of a generational saga. All the characters here are so rich, I love some clear loves (Kyunghee, Isak, Noa, Mozasu, Sunja), but the 'bad guys' also have their humanity and you see why they do what they do (especially Koh Hansu and Yoseb). For a long book, it is a surprisingly fast read bc the story is so gripping and also the language is very direct,. and I think this works well for the book.
I loved the journey we went on with this family, we saw them through such changing life circumstances but the story moved seamlessly through all of these different settings and characters. It was super interesting to read about Japanese and korean culture, and especially the different ways that Korean's were discriminated against during this period. Also, some INTENSE quiet shame culture
The Pachinko was a great metaphor for the Korean immigrant experience and them tryna navigate life in Japan. Some wins, many losses, a lot of shame and discrimination.
Great book about a part of history I was unaware of. I really enjoyed it.
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
this is probably going to be the first and last time that i will be writing a review on this app but this book had me hooked from the very beginning.
i learnt so much about the korean-japanies complexities during the colonial era. it's amazing how well-written it was. it's so engaging as a fictional book yet you learn so much just by reading through the pages and the addition historical context throughout the writing was done really well.
a story about resilience told through a span of DECADES. tragedy, hope, emotions. literally anything you could think of, this book would have.
i'm so glad to have read this during this time because it opened my eyes to a lot of things women truly had to endure back in the day.
my favourite quote: "a woman's lot is to suffer."
i learnt so much about the korean-japanies complexities during the colonial era. it's amazing how well-written it was. it's so engaging as a fictional book yet you learn so much just by reading through the pages and the addition historical context throughout the writing was done really well.
a story about resilience told through a span of DECADES. tragedy, hope, emotions. literally anything you could think of, this book would have.
i'm so glad to have read this during this time because it opened my eyes to a lot of things women truly had to endure back in the day.
my favourite quote: "a woman's lot is to suffer."
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
My head is spinning. I’ll write a review later
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Fucking hell. Where do i begin?
Every single character in this book was so lovable that everything that they went through made me miserable. Let’s not even talk about Sunja.
“There was consolation: The people you loved, they were always there with you, she had learned. Sometimes, she could be in front of a train kiosk or the window of a bookstore, and she could feel Noa's small hand when he was a boy, and she would close her eyes and think of his sweet grassy smell and remember that he had always tried his best. At those moments, it was good to be alone to hold on to him.” My life. My Sunja. You did not deserve any of that pain. But throughout your life i am so happy you were always surrounded by people who loved you.
I have so much to say but at the same time i just can’t get the words out, so i’ll just quote some of my favorite quotes from this novel.
“God that did everything we thought was right and good wouldn’t be the creator of the universe. He would be our puppet.”
“Sunja-ya, a woman’s life is endless work and suffering. There is suffering and then more suffering. It’s better to expect it, you know. You’re becoming a woman now, so you should be told this. For a woman, the man you marry will determine the quality of your life completely. A good man is a decent life, and a bad man is a cursed life—but no matter what, always expect suffering, and just keep working hard. No one will take care of a poor woman—just ourselves.“
“You want to see a very bad man? Make an ordinary man successful beyond his imagination. Let’s see how good he is when he can do whatever he wants.”
Easily my favorite book of 2025. I’ll be thinking about it for a long, long time.
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Fucking hell. Where do i begin?
Every single character in this book was so lovable that everything that they went through made me miserable. Let’s not even talk about Sunja.
“There was consolation: The people you loved, they were always there with you, she had learned. Sometimes, she could be in front of a train kiosk or the window of a bookstore, and she could feel Noa's small hand when he was a boy, and she would close her eyes and think of his sweet grassy smell and remember that he had always tried his best. At those moments, it was good to be alone to hold on to him.” My life. My Sunja. You did not deserve any of that pain. But throughout your life i am so happy you were always surrounded by people who loved you.
I have so much to say but at the same time i just can’t get the words out, so i’ll just quote some of my favorite quotes from this novel.
“God that did everything we thought was right and good wouldn’t be the creator of the universe. He would be our puppet.”
“Sunja-ya, a woman’s life is endless work and suffering. There is suffering and then more suffering. It’s better to expect it, you know. You’re becoming a woman now, so you should be told this. For a woman, the man you marry will determine the quality of your life completely. A good man is a decent life, and a bad man is a cursed life—but no matter what, always expect suffering, and just keep working hard. No one will take care of a poor woman—just ourselves.“
“You want to see a very bad man? Make an ordinary man successful beyond his imagination. Let’s see how good he is when he can do whatever he wants.”
Easily my favorite book of 2025. I’ll be thinking about it for a long, long time.
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book was a huge eye opener into the complexities of being a Korean-Japanese. This book has allowed me to understand more about the difficulties faced in Japanese and Korean culture before, during, and after WW2 and the Korean War. I’m very interested in learning more about what life was truly like for the Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans, both in their homeland, but also in the United States.