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ketutar's review against another edition
4.0
Hmm... It was... weird. I liked it. I liked the people, even Hansu. :-D But it was weird.
welltobefair's review against another edition
5.0
This is probably the best book I've read in the last few years: I couldn't stop reading!
xcinnamonsugar's review against another edition
4.0
Historical fiction is fast becoming one of my favourite book genres, and this was a great read. The sense of otherness was a consistent theme across generations, starting as immigrants in the poorest slums and becoming wealthy through the stigmatized business of Pachinko. Koh Hansu also had an especially fascinating role in the storyline for me, since I enjoy characters that don’t fit neatly into a good/bad dichotomy.
natalie2906's review against another edition
Had to dnf it after more than 50%. Unfortunately for me this book was quite boring. There is no real plot, wich I don’t need in books when I connect with the characters or when I love the writing, but in this book I couldn’t connect with any of the characters and also the writing was just ok for me. The historical aspects are interesting but for me that’s not enough to continue and to fight trough the book.
plainplantains's review
challenging
emotional
informative
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
franciwrites's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
vstephina's review
challenging
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-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? Yes
5.0
thume's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- 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
carmellekoren's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Loved learning the history and culture of Korea/Japan via the 3 generations in this book. Towards the end I felt like the author went on a few unnecessary tangents by introducing some characters but not diving too deep into their relationships… but she found a way to close in a meaningful way that tied together how the different generations dealt with their Korean/Japanese situations. A little on the slow side but overall I was captivated and moved by the stories. And of course I cried at the end, classic