25.2k reviews for:

Pachinko

Min Jin Lee

4.36 AVERAGE

challenging dark emotional hopeful medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

L

Really epic sense of time; Satisfying in a very Stoner-esque, down-to-earth way; Definitely lost my way/my attention some in Book 3
challenging emotional inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

one of the greatest books ever🗣️

One day, I will write a proper review to fully explain my thoughts and feelings, but for now—

This is a story that spans generations, following Sunja, the daughter of a poor fisherman. The book begins in the early 1900s and ends around 1990, taking us all over Korea, Japan, and America. It’s about the relationship between Koreans and the Japanese. I can’t really do justice explaining the depth and beauty of this book. Lee has such a way with words (unlike me right now). I wasn’t sure if I would like it due to the history/multi-generational component, but I decided to give it a shot after watching the trailer on YouTube (news flash: “Pachinko” is getting turned into an Apple series), I knew that I had to read it.

You know that feeling you get when you start a book and know it’s going to break you? Well, it did—in the most beautiful, haunting way. This is a story about a mother’s love. About suffering. Sacrifice. Racism. Longing to be accepted. Love. Loneliness. It has everything that a good story should have. Impeccable writing, characters you can see touch hear, plot you can fully delve into.

If you haven’t read “Pachinko”, you need to. If you’ve read it already, I recommend a book with similar themes called “East of Eden” by John Steinbeck.
emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
informative medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No
challenging emotional slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This is my favorite book so far this year. Generational trauma, the plight of women, the pressure of conforming to a stringent society, the horrors of occupation, hyper masculinity, the AIDs crisis, teen pregnancy. 

It’s so beautifully composed, I couldn’t put it down. One BookTok suggestion worth the hype. 
challenging emotional informative 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: Complicated

I enjoyed the writing but I struggled a little with the length of the tale