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skyslibrary's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Abortion
alexandrabelze'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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Suicide, Xenophobia, and Death of parent
Moderate: Bullying and Terminal illness
Minor: Homophobia
emmagreenwood'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
4.0
Graphic: Bullying, Chronic illness, Death, Hate crime, Infertility, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Minor: Alcoholism, Confinement, Homophobia, Infidelity, Medical trauma, Alcohol, and Colonisation
onemamareads'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? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Abortion, and Death of parent
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Homophobia, and Trafficking
nobirdtennis's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, and Grief
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Minor: Homophobia, Infertility, and Infidelity
kash's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Moderate: Death
Minor: Homophobia
suprita's review against another edition
3.5
“It’s a filthy world, Solomon. No one is clean. Living makes you dirty.”
Spanning 4 generations, 2 countries, multiple wars and almost 79 years, Pachinko by Min Jin Lee is the story of a Korean family who moved to Japan during the forced annexation of Korea in 1910. Sunja, the beloved daughter from a poor but well-respected and hardworking family, reluctantly agrees to marry a kind but sickly minister (Isak) to protect her family name from the shame that comes with pre-marital pregnancy. After her wedding, Sunja moves to Japan to live with Isak’s brother and sister-in-law. Pachinko is the story of Sunja’s family and their search for a place they can call their own.
Being Historical Fiction, the attention to detail in Pachinko is astounding. Lee effortlessly weaves politics with personal life and it’s very fascinating to witness how political situations force these characters to take life-changing decisions. Lee also very subtly uses political developments and major historical events to steer the story forward and develop her characters. I particularly liked how issues like addiction, sexism, racism, homophobia, bullying, body image issues, shame and classism are woven into the experiences of these characters and not treated as token issues dealt with in passing. The language flows seamlessly, painting vivid pictures of the lives these characters live. The book is also very informative, especially when it comes to learning about the relationship between Korea and Japan and how Koreans were discriminated against by the Japanese in the early-mid 20th century.
As much as I loved these aspects of the book, they also made it really heavy to read after the first couple hundred pages. It was also difficult for me to connect deeply with these characters because of the length of the chapters, changing perspectives and the time gaps. I particularly did not like the time gaps because they gave the story a very incomplete feel. The narration was meant to be objective, so as to give the reader a chance to form their own opinions, which I really appreciate in books. But in this case, it felt flat almost to the point of unattached and unfeeling, so much so that at points it felt like the characters themselves did not feel passionately about what was happening in their lives. There are also a LOT of characters and as the story jumps through time, some are discarded while others are added and it becomes really difficult to keep track of who’s who.
All in all, I have a lot of mixed feelings about this one but there is much to learn from each character and their individual situation. The resilience and grit showed by Sunja, the shame felt by Noa because of his blood, the discrimination faced by Solomon because of his identity, the loyalty and silent strength of Kyunghee and the countless sacrifices made by parents so that their children have lives better than they did.
It was definitely a good start to the #ReadingAsiaPacific readathon on Instagram. I read Pachinko for the Week 1 (prompt: North Asia).
Graphic: Addiction, Body shaming, Child death, Death, Rape, and Suicide
Moderate: Homophobia
lindsloveslit'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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, and Racism
Moderate: Sexual content, Suicide, and Death of parent
Minor: Homophobia and Miscarriage
yavin_iv's review against another edition
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Bullying, Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Grief, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Miscarriage, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
Minor: Homophobia and Infertility
lorithereadingfairy's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
“Living everyday in the presence of those who refuse to acknowledge your humanity takes great courage”
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship and Antisemitism
Moderate: Death, Rape, and Sexual content
Minor: Homophobia and Suicide