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magnolia_berry's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Racial slurs, Drug use, Infidelity, Murder, Suicide, Bullying, Colonisation, Violence, Religious bigotry, Xenophobia, Abortion, Torture, Pregnancy, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Death, Sexual assault, Slavery, Genocide, Gun violence, Police brutality, and War
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Child death and Trafficking
oatmilkie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Bullying, Hate crime, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Pregnancy, Alcoholism, Child death, Grief, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Racism, Rape, Stalking, Xenophobia, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Deportation, Abandonment, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
alisonannk's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Classism, Death of parent, Grief, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, Bullying, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, War, Death, Dysphoria, and Sexism
Moderate: Abandonment, Abortion, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Mental illness, Sexual harassment, Toxic friendship, Car accident, Child death, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, and Infertility
Minor: Alcohol, Outing, Cultural appropriation, Gun violence, and Murder
koreanlinda's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Warning: People die in this book, and every death will break your heart like it broke Min Jin Lee, the author. What ached my heart more than the people who died was the people who didn’t and stayed alive because their lives were sometimes worse than being dead.
‘Women are meant to suffer’ is a repeated line by women in this story. It tears my heart to witness the greatness in their full acceptance of their hardship and their persistence to make the most out of their dire situations. One thing that this book has thought me is that my ancestors were strong women who survived extremely cruel circumstances.
Pachinko reminded me of Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi because both stories run through multiple generations. Pachinko is about people who moved from Korea to Japan during the Japanese occupation. Homegoing is about people who were taken from Africa to the United States in slavery. While these historical events can't be compared on an equal ground, I saw in both groups of people that trauma gets passed down and the only way it gets better is through care for each other. Sometimes it works, but sometimes it doesn’t.
I deeply appreciate the author for writing this book. The story of Korean people who suffered in Japan is not told enough. Although my heart got raw, I am glad I was able to hear their stories through this book.
Review by Linda (she/they)
Twitter @KoreanLinda
Letter writer at DefinitelyNotOkay.com
Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Gun violence, Homophobia, Sexual content, Violence, War, and Xenophobia
peachani's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, War, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Ableism, Chronic illness, Colonisation, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Misogyny, Police brutality, and Violence
Minor: Abortion, Addiction, Alcoholism, Car accident, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Trafficking