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melkelsey's review against another edition
4.0
First sentence: On a chilly summer night, the newsmonger trudged uphill to a residential enclave of Seoul, the last neighborhood on his route.
Well-written fictional version of the author's family's story. I didn't like the third person pov from multiple perspectives because the transitions were nonexistent and it lacked clarity. Another good book by Kim but I liked The Calligrapher's Daughter better!
Well-written fictional version of the author's family's story. I didn't like the third person pov from multiple perspectives because the transitions were nonexistent and it lacked clarity. Another good book by Kim but I liked The Calligrapher's Daughter better!
rlbasley's review against another edition
5.0
A book of fiction based on the real life experience of the authors family. Told in the voice of the sisters Miran and Inja. It tells of the difference in their lives when Miran goes to America with their parents while Inja remains in Korea to live with her uncle and Grandmother. A separation of Two years is vastly extended with the outbreak of the Korean War and tough immigration laws prevent Inja from going her family in America. The book beautifully tells the story of each of their lives and the secrets that are hidden in families for the good of some of the members. It also shows how acculturation is very difficult in America and the issues with family reunification. But it surrounds itself in the love of family (books that normally make my black sheep soul gag) and does it in a well rounded way. If you enjoyed the Calligraphers Daughter, you will love this book.
abookishtype's review against another edition
3.0
An impossible choice separates a Korean family just before the Korean War breaks out in Eugenia Kim’s The Kinship of Secrets. This choice means that Inja is left behind with her relatives while her parents take her slightly older sister, Miran, to the United States. The book follows the two sisters as they grow into teenagers, each wondering about the other while also resenting their parents’ divided attention. This quiet novel takes its time building up the characters and never gets too harrowing (not compared to some things I’ve read). It’s an intriguing meditation on the complexities of family relationships after they’re derailed...
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss, for review consideration.
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss, for review consideration.
mdwinter's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this so much. I want to read more globally because I very much get tempted by the same settings/eras again and again, and this was a great example of why I shouldn’t. It was so interesting to read about the Korean War, which technically has never formally ended. Brilliant story and writing style. Would love to read more of Kim’s work.
drofrubrn's review
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
thebrownbookloft's review against another edition
4.0
Publicaton Info: November 6th 2018 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Pre-pub Kindle edition courtesy of Eidelweiss+ by Above the Treeline.
Summary: Four-year-old Inja lives with her uncle, aunt, grandparents and a small household staff in Korea. Rumors of an invasion, of impending war, swirl around. Her Uncle is concerned and follows the news and — the much more accurate — rumors closely. But Inja’s head is full of dreamy visions of her mysterious family in America. Inja knows she has a mother, father and a sister who live far away. They regularly send her packages with toys, food and clothing. She has heard all her life that someday she will go live with her family in America, but there is always another reason for a delay.
Nearly five-year-old Miran lives with her parents in America. Her father, Calvin, works as Korean translator and does Voice of America broadcasts. He is also a minister at the Korean church. Her mother, Najin, doesn’t speak English well, so Miran communicates for her when they run errands. She helps her mother assemble and mail the boxes to her mysterious “sister in Korea”.
The novel continues in alternating chapters about the lives of both families. Inja grows up in war-torn Korea in a loving, but impoverished home. Miran’s family lives in typical post-WWII middle-class America. On the surface, the lives of the two girls have little in common. But as Inja matures and learns more about her family’s hidden history, she realizes that sometimes secrets don’t tear people apart; sometimes they are a powerful force that can bind people together.
Comments: Overall, I liked this book and enjoyed reading it. At first, I found the writing and observations to be simplistic, but the story’s voice matured as the main narrator, Inja, did. The novel spans several decades and sometimes short-changes periods in the character’s lives. I realize this was done to keep the book to a manageable length, but it just felt awkward.
The real depth of the book, obviously the most emotional part for the author, comes toward the end of the story and in the author’s notes. These sections bumped the book up a few notches for me. The author draws inspiration for The Kinship of Secrets from her own family.
Recommended for readers of general, multi-cultural and historical fiction.
Summary: Four-year-old Inja lives with her uncle, aunt, grandparents and a small household staff in Korea. Rumors of an invasion, of impending war, swirl around. Her Uncle is concerned and follows the news and — the much more accurate — rumors closely. But Inja’s head is full of dreamy visions of her mysterious family in America. Inja knows she has a mother, father and a sister who live far away. They regularly send her packages with toys, food and clothing. She has heard all her life that someday she will go live with her family in America, but there is always another reason for a delay.
Nearly five-year-old Miran lives with her parents in America. Her father, Calvin, works as Korean translator and does Voice of America broadcasts. He is also a minister at the Korean church. Her mother, Najin, doesn’t speak English well, so Miran communicates for her when they run errands. She helps her mother assemble and mail the boxes to her mysterious “sister in Korea”.
The novel continues in alternating chapters about the lives of both families. Inja grows up in war-torn Korea in a loving, but impoverished home. Miran’s family lives in typical post-WWII middle-class America. On the surface, the lives of the two girls have little in common. But as Inja matures and learns more about her family’s hidden history, she realizes that sometimes secrets don’t tear people apart; sometimes they are a powerful force that can bind people together.
Comments: Overall, I liked this book and enjoyed reading it. At first, I found the writing and observations to be simplistic, but the story’s voice matured as the main narrator, Inja, did. The novel spans several decades and sometimes short-changes periods in the character’s lives. I realize this was done to keep the book to a manageable length, but it just felt awkward.
The real depth of the book, obviously the most emotional part for the author, comes toward the end of the story and in the author’s notes. These sections bumped the book up a few notches for me. The author draws inspiration for The Kinship of Secrets from her own family.
Recommended for readers of general, multi-cultural and historical fiction.
dreesreads's review against another edition
3.0
This novel tells a story that is loosely based on the author's, her parents', and her siblings' lives--very loosely, because she changed the time period, the number of children, etc. But that is fine, this is fiction, and that is where she got the idea. The story is about family, immigration, and the many layers of secrets within one family.
Najin and Calvin leave Korean for America in 1948. They choose to take one daughter (Miran) but leave the other (Inja) with Najin's brother in Korea. They hope to either be back or send for her in a few years. But then the Korean War starts--there is no going back or sending for Inja, there is only hoping. Then after the war ticket prices are unaffordable and Calvin's job makes him question the safety of him returning at all.
The real story here, is the several reasons why Miran was taken and Inja left. Inja knows some, Miran knows a lie, and Najin doesn't know Inja knows. Najin has no idea about the secrets her brother has shared with Inja--and they are safe with her, as her uncle is, truly, her first father.
This book was fine, the narration fine (I have no idea how accurate the accents may be, but they did help me easily tell the characters apart). I don't know if I will remember this book in a year, however.
Najin and Calvin leave Korean for America in 1948. They choose to take one daughter (Miran) but leave the other (Inja) with Najin's brother in Korea. They hope to either be back or send for her in a few years. But then the Korean War starts--there is no going back or sending for Inja, there is only hoping. Then after the war ticket prices are unaffordable and Calvin's job makes him question the safety of him returning at all.
The real story here, is the several reasons why Miran was taken and Inja left. Inja knows some, Miran knows a lie, and Najin doesn't know Inja knows. Najin has no idea about the secrets her brother has shared with Inja--and they are safe with her, as her uncle is, truly, her first father.
This book was fine, the narration fine (I have no idea how accurate the accents may be, but they did help me easily tell the characters apart). I don't know if I will remember this book in a year, however.
catng's review against another edition
5.0
A sweeping, historical, family saga in which two sisters are separated during the Korean War. One is raised in the United States and the other in South Korea. For fans of Pachinko. #netgalley #ARC #libraryreads #houghtonmifflerharcourt
filaughn's review
medium-paced
4.0
I enjoyed this novel and thought the reflection on family relationships and how perspectives change over time were very well done. The pacing felt a bit off, with the last third of the book very rushed compared to earlier sections - and the character development related to the time period these sections covered felt rushed as a result.