Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

49 reviews

ntvenessa's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

A gem. This is a tale about poverty, suffering, colonialism, identity, salvation, endurance, family. Min Jin Lee's background as a historian shines through and Pachinko is exemplary of great historical fiction. It is factually consistent and you will learn much of Japan's colonisation of Korea, a topic not so in regular discourse. It is also emotional, generous, and sensitive to these historical facts. The characters are distinct and each have personalities which make sense for their context. It is intergenerational. The story is just so well crafted. This makes sense given how much time and dedication Lee spent workshopping drafts. I am normally averse to thick novels, but Pachinko has me unafraid -- it is exactly as long as the story needs to be, and moreover, it is easy to read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Chronic illness, Death, Drug use, Gore, Hate crime, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, and Classism

Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Cancer, Suicide, Car accident, and Abortion

Minor: Child death and Homophobia

samantha_rh's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide and Abandonment

peachani's review against another edition

reflective medium-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Grief, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Misogyny, Violence, Police brutality, Death of parent, and Colonisation

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Trafficking, Car accident, Abortion, and Pregnancy

navayiota's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Suicide, Xenophobia, Blood, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, and War

Moderate: Infidelity, Miscarriage, and Car accident

lschmidt's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This is a historical family saga set in Korea and Japan throughout the 20th century. It follows four generations of a Korean family through the political turmoil of Japanese colonization, the hardship of wartimes, seeking a new and better life in Japan, and witnessing the home they left become divided into two countries they hardly recognize.

As someone who knows very little about Korean history, this book ... teaches us a chapter of modern history we might not have been aware of.

Many Koreans found themselves forced to move to Japan to find jobs for their families, but they faced discrimination and disgusting living conditions when they arrived. Pachinko, we soon find out, is a kind of Japanese arcade game, and working in a pachinko parlor was considered a typical job for a Korean looking to get ahead. Many Japanese looked down upon pachinko parlor workers, viewing them as shady and dishonest, and owners of pachinko parlors were often referred to as "gangsters".

It was both interesting and deeply saddening to hear about what these people went through, how easy it was for Koreans to be imprisoned indefinitely without trial. And after years of hardship and discrimination, after pushing through and finally earning enough money to have stability, many could never go back. Korean-Japanese (third, fourth, fifth generation even) were refused citizenship in Japan but most came from North Korea, a place they could no longer safely return to.

The fictional characters the author creates come sparking off the page - from the resilient Sunja who once foolishly believed in the love of an older man, to Noa who will never quite recover from the dishonor of his lineage, to Solomon who is still trying to escape the negative stereotypes associated with Koreans many years after his grandmother arrived in Japan. It is a heartbreaking story and, sadly, much of this book was the reality for many Koreans.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and War

skyslibrary's review against another edition

dark informative tense slow-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

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

emmagreenwood's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

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

talkbookswithangela's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Cancer, Child death, Death, Genocide, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Sexism, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Abandonment

kikicochrane's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-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

5.0

This book was extremely gut wrenching and heartbreaking to read at times, I very rarely cry while reading stories but this book had me in tears at least four times. I appreciated the pace of the book being slow to read, as it allowed me to digest the trauma that occurred with the characters. Death is a significant theme throughout the story but the backstory to the characters' deaths are what brought me to tears and reflection. Min Jin Lee did a fantastic job at capturing the struggles of keeping a family alive during times of war and prejudice. If you're ready for an emotional read, I would highly suggest Pachinko. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Racism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Religious bigotry, and Death of parent

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Miscarriage, Suicide, Terminal illness, Abortion, Pregnancy, and Abandonment

Minor: Trafficking