Reviews tagging 'Dementia'

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

3 reviews

isacarvalho91's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Racism, Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Misogyny, Medical trauma, Dementia, Genocide, Infertility, Sexual content, Gaslighting, Sexism, Chronic illness, Self harm, Terminal illness, Cultural appropriation, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Colonisation, Miscarriage, War, Adult/minor relationship, Pregnancy, Grief, Murder, Sexual violence, and Suicide

mondovertigo's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective relaxing 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, Racism, Xenophobia, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Death, Pregnancy, Misogyny, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: War, Bullying, Ableism, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Adult/minor relationship, and Suicide

Minor: Dementia, Child death, Physical abuse, Miscarriage, Cancer, and Trafficking

marisacarpico's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative 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

4.25

An incredible achievement. I cannot imagine doing the research involved in pulling this off. I read a lot last year, but I guess I didn't realize how starved I was for something meatier after a lot of admittedly fun but fast reads. This took time and I liked spending time with these characters and learning about this world.

There's obviously a specificity to the immigrant experience here, but it also feels like it represents so many stories. All of these characters felt so real and everything they experience feels so momentous even though they're just regular people living normal lives. Quite a choice on Lee's part to have these huge historical moments happening around these characters but to never really focus on them. WWII is mostly just texture here, it's just one of the many elements that add to the characters' overall experience. It's a novel of accumulated experience that also reflects the immigrant experience throughout the 20th century.

I will admit the way the narrative accelerates in the last 100 pages or so maybe dampens the novel's initial power, but most of the book is so compelling. I probably have a lot more to say, but I don't know, I think the book speaks for itself.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Pedophilia, Racism, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Death, Dementia, Suicide, Addiction, Alcoholism, Car accident, Cancer, Chronic illness, Classism, Confinement, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and War

Minor: Infidelity, Miscarriage, and Torture