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4.36 AVERAGE
4.36 AVERAGE
emotional
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:
No
emotional
reflective
sad
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:
Complicated
At once elegant and earthy, this story held me captivated. This would pair perfectly with The Orphan Master’s Son (another of my favorites) for a rich and in-depth look at Korean identity.
emotional
informative
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:
Yes
dark
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
inspiring
sad
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:
No
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-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
In earlier parts of the book the narrator seemed to struggle with some of the Japanese names (e.g. “Daisuki” instead of “Daisuke”). Otherwise, this is really a masterpiece.
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
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:
Yes
This is a generational family story about a Korean family starting in the early 1900s and going till the late 1900s. The first two-thirds of this book were the strongest - I was really invested in Sunja's struggles as she moved to Japan and had to try and survive there. The last third seemed a little weaker - there were a lot more characters introduced and I felt like not enough time spent on them to make them really engaging. The book was long, but I actually thought it could have been longer in order to spend more time fleshing out some of the character's motivations and backstories, especially in later chapters.
One other criticism I had was that the author had a tendency to gloss over big life events. Often if a character would die or something dramatic happened, it happened off-screen, meaning, between chapters or referenced in passing by another character. I think the book could have been stronger if the reader was able to read about some of these events through the eyes of the main characters.
The book overall was really poignant and clearly well-researched, with memorable characters and a thoughtful plot.
One other criticism I had was that the author had a tendency to gloss over big life events. Often if a character would die or something dramatic happened, it happened off-screen, meaning, between chapters or referenced in passing by another character. I think the book could have been stronger if the reader was able to read about some of these events through the eyes of the main characters.
The book overall was really poignant and clearly well-researched, with memorable characters and a thoughtful plot.