Reviews tagging 'Terminal illness'

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

105 reviews

oceanwriter's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

This book hadn’t been on my radar but I have seen it around over the past few years. I picked it up when it was selected as a group read. I’m glad I got to go into it with an open mind. I came away with mixed emotions. 

 

Beginning in the early 1900s, we meet Sunja and her family living in Korea. She meets Hansu and envisions a future with him, especially once she discovers she’s pregnant. Unbeknownst to her, he has a wife and children in Japan. Refusing to see him again, she accepts the offer of marriage from Isak, an ailing minister. Together they set off for Japan to live with Isak’s brother and his wife with Isak adopting Noa and raising him as his own. Parts two and three follow the lineage of Sunja’s family through to the 1980s. 

 

As I was reading the book’s first part, I anticipated this being a five-star read. I was completely absorbed in the plot, characters, setting, history, writing… all of it. Part two started to lose me a little bit, especially reaching the second half of it. Part three was an absolute headache. I no longer had a grasp on the characters or the many plot lines the story now involved. 

 

So many of the monumental moments of the book, particularly in the second half, start, occur, and end in the span of one to three paragraphs — if that. Because of this, there’s no chance to build a bond with a number of the characters or their situations. After a slower build in the beginning, all of a sudden switching to fast pacing and sporadic time jumps was dizzying. I cannot recall most of this second of the book as my reading was interrupted to go back and see if I missed something, only to realize a major plot point was dropped in a singular sentence with little to no explanation around it. 

 

I’m definitely walking away feeling disappointed after so much enjoyment in the beginning, but I’m glad I went along for the ride. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Death

Moderate: Death of parent, War, and Sexual content

Minor: Abortion and Miscarriage

thenoboshow's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Hate crime, Pregnancy, Death, Bullying, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Homophobia, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Abortion, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Blood, Cancer, Car accident, Child death, Classism, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Grief, Infertility, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, War, and Xenophobia

sha's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Racism, Terminal illness, Abandonment, Cancer, Car accident, Child death, Chronic illness, Classism, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Religious bigotry, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, War, Grief, Infertility, and Pregnancy

drkng31's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Classism, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Drug use, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Death, War, Cancer, Terminal illness, Abortion, Addiction, Colonisation, Infertility, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Bullying, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, and Xenophobia

moonmoonsun's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-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? No

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Infertility, Police brutality, Racism, Alcoholism, Cancer, Child death, Domestic abuse, Trafficking, War, Abortion, Addiction, Chronic illness, Cursing, Deportation, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Death of parent, Grief, and Infidelity

andyourstruly's review

dark emotional informative reflective

• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

If you liked East of Eden, you will like this book a lot.  It has great symbolism, and the way the perspective bounces around feels very classic and manages to avoid overexplaining or getting distracted from the story the author intends to tell.  There are a number of really excellent and well-developed characters living through remarkable times, and the author does a marvellous job expressing the ideas and attitudes behind historical behaviors and ideals and the shift that has occurred over time.  Really well-researched, well-paced, and well-written.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation

Moderate: Abortion, Racism, Terminal illness, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Hate crime, Infertility, Infidelity, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, Alcoholism, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Ableism, Car accident, and Death of parent

Minor: Alcohol, Torture, Police brutality, Child death, Trafficking, War, and Deportation

jazzsonnet's review against another edition

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? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Xenophobia, Adult/minor relationship, Infidelity, and Colonisation

Moderate: Infertility, War, Religious bigotry, Medical content, Racism, Misogyny, Sexual content, Miscarriage, Suicide, Sexual assault, Sexism, Child death, Terminal illness, Child abuse, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Abortion

hyperashley's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness, Miscarriage, War, Suicide, Child death, Racism, and Death of parent

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Domestic abuse, Alcoholism, and Sexual assault

lgcpreads's review

challenging dark emotional sad medium-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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Sexism, Suicide, Death, Death of parent, Miscarriage, Abortion, Child death, Physical abuse, Racism, Bullying, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, and Violence

lipliplip's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

A beautifully written intergenerational family saga that covers the passage of time and distance in place incredibly well. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Death of parent, Medical content, Toxic relationship, Classism, Terminal illness, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, and Suicide

Minor: Ableism, Infertility, Abandonment, Cancer, and Alcoholism