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marie's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Colonisation, Death of parent, Grief, Infertility, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racism, Torture, and Terminal illness
hayleyvem's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Abortion, Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Car accident, Child death, Death of parent, Grief, Infertility, Miscarriage, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Suicide, and Terminal illness
nothingforpomegranted's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This sprawling family saga follows a Korean family from 1910 through four generations across Korea and Japan, exploring themes of devotion, discrimination, class, poverty, and family.
Hoonie is born with a limp and a cleft lip in a small town in rural northern Korea in 1883, causing tremendous distress for his family who feared he would be unable to work or to marry; Hoonie manages to do both. He and his wife Yangjin run a boardinghouse and adore their daughter Sunja, whose life takes us into the rest of the novel.
After her father's death, Sunja works with her mother to serve their guests and provide a positive experience that they can all be proud of. When she meets and becomes pregnant by a middle-aged man who turns out to have a wife and children back in Japan, Sunja is saved by a sickly pastor who offers to marry her and bring her with him to his brother's home in Japan. Isak, Sunja, Yosef, and Kyunghee live a stoic, quiet, humble life, working desperately to provide for themselves, Isak's new church and the coming children. Noa is born, then Mozasu, and the family grows tighter and more reliant on each other, taking over the kitchen to make kimchi and candy to sell. As the boys mature, their lives in school and at work begin to diverge, and the introduction of the fourth generation takes the story in a tragic direction.
Min Jin Lee's writing is spare, using short sentences and very little imagery, and I found it difficult to be immersed in the story because the choppy language just didn't pull me in. Though I was intrigued by the characters, their range of personalities and their relationships with each other, I expect more texture from a family saga, and I didn't get that from Pachinko. I learned a lot about Japanese and Korean culture, and I appreciated the deft way Lee explored history--including the bombing of Nagasaki at the end of the Second World War--through the eyes of her characters, not making a big deal of big events, but addressing them as her contemporaneous characters would understand them. Indeed, there was plenty that I was prompted to research after reading (though Lee might have taken it a bit too far in that direction, because sometimes I wasn't even sure what to look up).
For those who are curious about the history of this region during this extended time period but do not usually read literary family sagas, I think this is an accessible one to pick up. Given the many other reviews I've read, it seems that my lukewarm attitude is an unpopular opinion, so take it all with a grain of salt.
Hoonie is born with a limp and a cleft lip in a small town in rural northern Korea in 1883, causing tremendous distress for his family who feared he would be unable to work or to marry; Hoonie manages to do both. He and his wife Yangjin run a boardinghouse and adore their daughter Sunja, whose life takes us into the rest of the novel.
After her father's death, Sunja works with her mother to serve their guests and provide a positive experience that they can all be proud of. When she meets and becomes pregnant by a middle-aged man who turns out to have a wife and children back in Japan, Sunja is saved by a sickly pastor who offers to marry her and bring her with him to his brother's home in Japan. Isak, Sunja, Yosef, and Kyunghee live a stoic, quiet, humble life, working desperately to provide for themselves, Isak's new church and the coming children. Noa is born, then Mozasu, and the family grows tighter and more reliant on each other, taking over the kitchen to make kimchi and candy to sell. As the boys mature, their lives in school and at work begin to diverge, and the introduction of the fourth generation takes the story in a tragic direction.
Min Jin Lee's writing is spare, using short sentences and very little imagery, and I found it difficult to be immersed in the story because the choppy language just didn't pull me in. Though I was intrigued by the characters, their range of personalities and their relationships with each other, I expect more texture from a family saga, and I didn't get that from Pachinko. I learned a lot about Japanese and Korean culture, and I appreciated the deft way Lee explored history--including the bombing of Nagasaki at the end of the Second World War--through the eyes of her characters, not making a big deal of big events, but addressing them as her contemporaneous characters would understand them. Indeed, there was plenty that I was prompted to research after reading (though Lee might have taken it a bit too far in that direction, because sometimes I wasn't even sure what to look up).
For those who are curious about the history of this region during this extended time period but do not usually read literary family sagas, I think this is an accessible one to pick up. Given the many other reviews I've read, it seems that my lukewarm attitude is an unpopular opinion, so take it all with a grain of salt.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Ableism, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Miscarriage, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Stalking, and Suicide
marrowe's review against another edition
dark
medium-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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide, Police brutality, Xenophobia, and Pedophilia
victoriafrombookclub's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Rape, and Police brutality
Minor: Suicide, Torture, and Racial slurs
readwithmika's review against another edition
reflective
medium-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? No
4.0
Pachinko is a historical novel set in Korea and Japan that spans over four generations of a family. The author is able to provide both depth and breadth of the characters and what was happening in Japan and Korea during this time.
The characters in the book were great to follow along. They were complicated, strong, and fully human. It was also interesting to read about four generations of a family. To be able to see the similarities among them and the ways there were differed was so telling of how is it in families.
The book explores family dynamics, love, loyalty, identity, and racism. So many of these topics can lead to many conversations and personal reflections. The theme of family is central to the book and the author did a beautiful job taking the reader on a journey through a family. It is a long book (over 400 pages), but definitely worth finishing. As someone who enjoys learning about history & other cultures, this book hit the mark.
📚Favorite quote: “Learn everything. Fill your mind with knowledge- it’s the only kind of power no one can take away from you.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage and Police brutality
Moderate: Sexual content and Racism
Minor: Suicide
moraleegray's review against another edition
informative
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility, Miscarriage, Police brutality, and Sexual content
the_literarylinguist's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Death
Moderate: Grief, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Violence, and Physical abuse
Minor: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Suicide, and Suicidal thoughts
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