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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
This book was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
There are many things I enjoyed about the White mulberry, starting from the locations and life situations it led me through as a reader to the determination of its main character. Seeing that this was a book written mostly based on someone's life story (with minimal changes from what I understand), there would be little point in me addressing the plot, and I had no significant issues with that in any case.
The writing style is quite enjoyable, though I have to say that I had a bit of a difficulty in feeling strongly for the characters, so I connected with the situations and themes much more than the character of Miyeong's husband for example. I appreciated the sisterly bond that kept appearing throughout the story and it was a pleasant surprise that the sister I expected to be a tragic side character has found some sort of happiness for helself in spite of the circumstances and that the male character Miyoung had lived with for her first few years of her Japanese stay had also defied my expectations and was much less stereotypical than I feared he would be.
While religion is something I don't connect with and distance myself from, it was interesting to see how it could influence the lives of these specific people in this historical period, and especially how it affected Miyoung who needed a supportive community, which her church provided.
The strength of the main character and how she tackles all her challenges even in the midst of the biggest uncertainties is commendable. She's not perfect, she's only human, but she genuinely does her best for her own future and for the sake of those she cares about.
There's one issue however that I have to raise about this book that keeps me from giving it the high rating that it would deserve based on the story and the storytelling alone. From the very first chapters, back when Miyoung still lives in Korea, the author makes the repeated choice of writing things both in Korean and English right next to each other, or using the Korean as a spoken line, and then dedicating the rest of the sentence to explain what was said in English. This broke the rythm of reading for me in an incredibly frustrating way and took away so much from the reading experience. Often it felt like the flow was just abruptly stopped, as if we've hit a wall, and sometimes I felt like a teacher just stopped whatever was going on to explain to us readers the language or the cultural tidbits we need to know in a classroom-like manner. This didn't fit into the narrative smootly enough to be enjoyable and I would have much preferred to see many of these in English where the words didn't carry extra importance in their Korean form, and when they were important, it could have been numbered as a footnote the reader can tap on (in case of an ebook - alternatively looking at the bottom of the page or the back of the chapter in print).
Yes, I understand that identity and language are closely tied, especially in this story, but I also believe that at least half of these repetitions and teaching sessions could have been left behind or changed for a better reading experience. I've read other works where the foreign vocabulary and the language shifts were handled in a way that didn't make me yell in frustration, such as the Last night at the telegraph club, so I know it should be possible.
I sincerely hope that one day I'll be able to see a version of this book in a more "reader-friendly" version in this aspect, because other than this linguistic issue, I genuinely enjoyed the story and its themes of fitting in, tackling challenges, forging bonds and finding one's identity.
There are many things I enjoyed about the White mulberry, starting from the locations and life situations it led me through as a reader to the determination of its main character. Seeing that this was a book written mostly based on someone's life story (with minimal changes from what I understand), there would be little point in me addressing the plot, and I had no significant issues with that in any case.
The writing style is quite enjoyable, though I have to say that I had a bit of a difficulty in feeling strongly for the characters, so I connected with the situations and themes much more than the character of Miyeong's husband for example. I appreciated the sisterly bond that kept appearing throughout the story and it was a pleasant surprise that the sister I expected to be a tragic side character has found some sort of happiness for helself in spite of the circumstances and that the male character Miyoung had lived with for her first few years of her Japanese stay had also defied my expectations and was much less stereotypical than I feared he would be.
While religion is something I don't connect with and distance myself from, it was interesting to see how it could influence the lives of these specific people in this historical period, and especially how it affected Miyoung who needed a supportive community, which her church provided.
The strength of the main character and how she tackles all her challenges even in the midst of the biggest uncertainties is commendable. She's not perfect, she's only human, but she genuinely does her best for her own future and for the sake of those she cares about.
There's one issue however that I have to raise about this book that keeps me from giving it the high rating that it would deserve based on the story and the storytelling alone. From the very first chapters, back when Miyoung still lives in Korea, the author makes the repeated choice of writing things both in Korean and English right next to each other, or using the Korean as a spoken line, and then dedicating the rest of the sentence to explain what was said in English. This broke the rythm of reading for me in an incredibly frustrating way and took away so much from the reading experience. Often it felt like the flow was just abruptly stopped, as if we've hit a wall, and sometimes I felt like a teacher just stopped whatever was going on to explain to us readers the language or the cultural tidbits we need to know in a classroom-like manner. This didn't fit into the narrative smootly enough to be enjoyable and I would have much preferred to see many of these in English where the words didn't carry extra importance in their Korean form, and when they were important, it could have been numbered as a footnote the reader can tap on (in case of an ebook - alternatively looking at the bottom of the page or the back of the chapter in print).
Yes, I understand that identity and language are closely tied, especially in this story, but I also believe that at least half of these repetitions and teaching sessions could have been left behind or changed for a better reading experience. I've read other works where the foreign vocabulary and the language shifts were handled in a way that didn't make me yell in frustration, such as the Last night at the telegraph club, so I know it should be possible.
I sincerely hope that one day I'll be able to see a version of this book in a more "reader-friendly" version in this aspect, because other than this linguistic issue, I genuinely enjoyed the story and its themes of fitting in, tackling challenges, forging bonds and finding one's identity.
adventurous
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
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
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
I just couldn’t. It was weird christian pro-american propaganda and the writing aS also weird.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
The first book I've ever read about the Japanese occupation of Korea. Beautifully written. Can't believe it's a true story. I really liked Miyoung as a character - brave, she knew what she wanted and she went for it. She strived for her own education and career, and it was exactly what helped her get out of troubling situations.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Xenophobia
Minor: War