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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I often go back and change my mind on how I feel about this book. Reading it made me face a lot of the negative biases I hold about my own community, but the story didn’t really challenge any of those biases. I felt that the characters, while generally unlikable, created a tension that I wanted to see put to rest at some point. Much like seeing a dramatic reality TV show and needing to know what happens next. I’d say this is a great microcosm of a specific Korean American experience, trying to be self-important enough to make it in New York City before the internet. You will need to settle in as you grapple with the constant name dropping of locations, brands, and names you should recognize if you’re a part of a certain lifestyle. I still think this is a good read, at least once. This book does its job; it makes you engage with your own beliefs and how they interact in reaction to the characters/plot.
challenging
funny
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I love a MC who we slightly dislike because we can see ourselves in them (to an extent). Really good book and would definitely re-read.
This is certainly one of those books where a ton happens but nothing really happens. Our main protagonist ends the novel with little to her name just as she began and I’m not certain she’s any the wiser. Despite that or because of it, Lee’s character development of not just Casey but of other characters like Leah, Ted and Sabine is sublime. They are nuanced, shaded and extremely relatable as they navigate race and class.
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
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:
Yes
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Repetitive and sooo many characters. Also I know this was supposed to be informed by the first and second generation immigrant perspective but I was really frustrated with the way the SA was handled, especially by Casey.
Also the more I think about it, the more annoyed I get. The author says in the note she wanted to write nuanced Asian American characters with depth but then every charter was either a money-driven cheater or ultra Christian??
Also the more I think about it, the more annoyed I get. The author says in the note she wanted to write nuanced Asian American characters with depth but then every charter was either a money-driven cheater or ultra Christian??
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
fast-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
This is a stunning epic following a Korean American woman in Queens as she navigates conflicting expectations, desires, and personal limits. Over the course of the journey, we meet a wide array of characters whom Min Jin Lee has carefully constructed and faithfully represents through their actions and thoughts. Through these characters, Lee makes insightful and compelling commentary on issues of race, class, religion, gender, sexuality, family, and friendship. Besides this, the book is highly entertaining, especially the internal monologues and authentic dialogue between characters, and the plot takes you to unexpected places. This book is a worthwhile investment in every sense of the word.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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
Damn, y’all, MJL can write an epic. Like Pachinko, I loved this book; like Pachinko, it was stronger in the first half.
I really value MJL’s technique of exploring life through different lenses of the same “black and white” issue. She really digs into the way context and emotional relativity informs how we forgive or don’t forgive people’s transgressions, even when they’re the same sins, and how actions cannot always be extricated from their circumstances, now matter how badly we want to be objective or find universal truth.
I particularly enjoyed the religious subtlety of this book, and how it the hypocrisies inherent in attempting religious purity mirrors the characters trying to survive when at odds with the world’s implicit maxims.
The book drags down to 4/5 stars for me because the latter storylines with Leah and Charles were so unnecessary, melodramatic, and boring. The very end, though - impeccable.
I really value MJL’s technique of exploring life through different lenses of the same “black and white” issue. She really digs into the way context and emotional relativity informs how we forgive or don’t forgive people’s transgressions, even when they’re the same sins, and how actions cannot always be extricated from their circumstances, now matter how badly we want to be objective or find universal truth.
I particularly enjoyed the religious subtlety of this book, and how it the hypocrisies inherent in attempting religious purity mirrors the characters trying to survive when at odds with the world’s implicit maxims.
The book drags down to 4/5 stars for me because the latter storylines with Leah and Charles were so unnecessary, melodramatic, and boring. The very end, though - impeccable.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
It had me hooked in the first third but steadily lost me as the the book progressed. I get the impression this is a story that gives really good insight into the complexities of Korean-American immigrants and 2nd-3rd generations navigating their place in society. Despite not being American-Korean myself, I believe these are accurate reflections through the writing and characterisation. No-one fell into a stereotype; all characters were morally grey and were relatively well fleshed out for how many people the narrative followed.
All of the above is great, but the constant switching between characters did eventually wear me down as I was spending less and less time with the character I was most interested in; Casey, and there were several threads left hanging I would have liked to have seen explored a little further. By the end I was tired, not invested, and felt nothing further outstanding to reflect on. And to be brutally honest, I found it hard to get behind the wealth disparity described from a jaded-2025 point of view. Full scholarship?... Owning houses?!...
All of the above is great, but the constant switching between characters did eventually wear me down as I was spending less and less time with the character I was most interested in; Casey, and there were several threads left hanging I would have liked to have seen explored a little further. By the end I was tired, not invested, and felt nothing further outstanding to reflect on. And to be brutally honest, I found it hard to get behind the wealth disparity described from a jaded-2025 point of view. Full scholarship?... Owning houses?!...
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content
Moderate: Addiction, Physical abuse, Pregnancy
Minor: Body shaming, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism
It’s difficult for people, especially minorities, not to be depicted as full on stereotypes: a violent father, a timid mother, a successful sister, the black sheep of the family. I love how Min Jee gives each character a full spectrum of characteristics and emotions. Joseph is capable of violence, but he is also capable of caring for his family, feeling the weight of failure, and wanting his children to succeed. Casey is selfish, caring, creative, analytical, a lover and a cheater. No one is all good or all bad, which isn’t usually a priority in portraying Asian American characters in the media. Min Jee gives these characters the depths to explore all kinds of feelings and all the nuances in between. I love reading books that provides multiple insights into each characters thoughts because we get to understand different characters interpreted the same interaction.
Throughout the book, it became increasingly apparent that not all things that are good have good intentions and not all things that are wrong had wrong intentions. Some of the things Casey did hurt people around her, but her intention a lot of the time seems like an experiment. “What would happen if x happened? How would that make me feel?” And in this one life, it seemed like Casey’s intention was to figure it out.
Later in the book the characters that were classified as the “good people who could do no wrong” ended up in situations where they were taken advantage of due to their limited life experience, they eventually suffered and ended up in a hospital. It was Casey each time, that was able to guide them into the light. Casey who was familiar with judgment and navigating terrible situations, stood by them and comforted them in ways they each needed.
I wish I could read this book again for the first time! Looking forward to Lee's next books.
Throughout the book, it became increasingly apparent that not all things that are good have good intentions and not all things that are wrong had wrong intentions. Some of the things Casey did hurt people around her, but her intention a lot of the time seems like an experiment. “What would happen if x happened? How would that make me feel?” And in this one life, it seemed like Casey’s intention was to figure it out.
Later in the book the characters that were classified as the “good people who could do no wrong” ended up in situations where they were taken advantage of due to their limited life experience, they eventually suffered and ended up in a hospital. It was Casey each time, that was able to guide them into the light. Casey who was familiar with judgment and navigating terrible situations, stood by them and comforted them in ways they each needed.
I wish I could read this book again for the first time! Looking forward to Lee's next books.