Reviews

Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-reum

eryn's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.0

vexonan's review

reflective relaxing slow-paced

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

3.0

andy_mortimer's review

5.0

This book felt like a cosy armchair and nice warm slippers. I love the atmosphere of a bookshop anyway, and this is a bookshop I could imagine spending time in. Story aside, I loved just reading about the bookshop and imagining myself stopping by for a coffee and a browse.

One of the themes running through the book is leaving the rat race, and instead finding the things that you love to do and focusing on those, which is an aspect I found particularly interesting. The author has obviously done some thinking about this topic, and I picked up a reference to a book by a Cardiff academic, about some of the problems with society's expectations of work, from a footnote.

It's overall a positive book. Each character has their their story, and they all have problems of some sort to look back on, but everybody is trying, in good faith, to move on and have a good life.

There are some books I reread to pick up subtleties in the plot and writing which I might have missed the first time around, and I don't think this is going to be one of those -- but I can well imagine rereading it just to immerse myself again in the setting and spend more time with the wonderful characters.

dramallama_'s review against another edition

hopeful inspiring reflective relaxing medium-paced

5.0

felravenn's review against another edition

hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

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

3.5

This is a lovely, gentle, soul-nourishing story that is perfect for these end of year reflecting moments that many of us are having right now. In this book, we follow Yeongju who opens a bookshop in Hyunam-Dong, a suburb of Seoul. There, she makes friends with some of the regulars, recommends books, reflects on her life through the lens of the stories she reads, and navigates the daily activities of running a bookstore. 

 

I found myself pausing in reflection quite a few times while reading this book, particularly when the characters were discussing the meaning of happiness, how we view work, how we might want to change those views. The conversations around whether one should love their work, find happiness in their work, or outside of work, and what might work for different people was quite impactful. I am currently thinking of my own career choices, so it was quite nice to read about. 

 

I felt that the translation was at times stilted. Having studied Korean for quite a few years, I could tell that some of the sentences were translated word for word, and the translator tried to stick perhaps a little too closely to the original language’s structure, so it sometimes didn’t flow so well in English. If you have no knowledge of Korean culture, you might find yourself googling some of the terms used in this book. For this reason, some translator footnotes might have been a nice addition. 

 

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, but it’s not quite a new favourite, nor did it blow my mind. The author sometimes withdrew from the Big Questions of Life, perhaps for the reader’s sake, but I would have liked some of those topics to be explored a little bit more in depth. But, like Yeongju (and many other bookworms), my big dream in life is to open my own bookshop, and I feel like I will be reaching for this book when that day finally comes. This is the kind of story that begs to be re-read, as there is something really soothing about it that feels like a warm hug, and there are some really sweet nuggets of wisdom in here. 

 

I would recommend this book to the readers out there who are looking for low stakes, no plot just vibes books – I expect this will make some’s favourites of 2023 lists. A very sweet, readable story, for those who don’t love fantasy or science fiction but still want to partake in a little bit of escapism in the form of cosy contemporary fic. If you’re a reader who likes very precise writing, with more of a plot, and perhaps a little bit of extra depth to your characters, this might not be the one for you.

loesieinthesky's review

emotional hopeful medium-paced

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

4.25

qzlkh's review

emotional hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing 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? Yes

5.0

ka_th_be's review

lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes

3.25

spacedoodie's review

emotional hopeful lighthearted relaxing slow-paced

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

4.5

I'd say this is a slice of like kinda book. It's a cozy read. It's slow paced but still keeps drawn into the story. I found myself wondering about how it would turnout for the characters when I was away from the book. It's my first time reading something like this and I've thoroughly enjoyed it.

annakjah's review

hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

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

3.75