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vickiezw's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
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
4.75
seokmefree's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
lindseygl's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
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
4.25
sanjana0815's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 - the first 2/3 of the book was incredible. the characters were interesting, the setting was descriptive and really places you in the moment. however, the last 1/3 of the book feels jagged and incohesive with the rest of the book. I really wish I got to know more about Solomon, and explored his story more. I really enjoyed getting to know Sunja, Kyunghee, and the two boys, but some of the other characters introduced towards the end of the book didn’t seem critical to the plot line.
joallott's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
thebrewingbookshelf's review against another edition
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? Yes
4.25
elusorius's review against another edition
2.0
Jack of all trades, master of none.
In this book, we follow three generations of a family, as well as several side characters throughout their lives. Because of the sheer amount of characters, it was difficult to care for them or even keep track at times. It made me feel a bit detached from all of them. Some parts of the book progressed very slowly and this made for quite a boring read at times.
This book also covers a wide range of societal issues and other problems. Once again, it can't really go into depth on any of them because there are so many. It did have some really heartwarming and heartbreaking moments.
I think this book does a good job on giving the reader an insight on the war, the Japanese colonialism and life for average Koreans in Japan in that period of time. I also liked the writing style and descriptions. I think the concept was interesting but the execution wasn't for me.
Overall, I would give it a 2/5.
In this book, we follow three generations of a family, as well as several side characters throughout their lives. Because of the sheer amount of characters, it was difficult to care for them or even keep track at times. It made me feel a bit detached from all of them. Some parts of the book progressed very slowly and this made for quite a boring read at times.
This book also covers a wide range of societal issues and other problems. Once again, it can't really go into depth on any of them because there are so many. It did have some really heartwarming and heartbreaking moments.
I think this book does a good job on giving the reader an insight on the war, the Japanese colonialism and life for average Koreans in Japan in that period of time. I also liked the writing style and descriptions. I think the concept was interesting but the execution wasn't for me.
Overall, I would give it a 2/5.