Reviews tagging 'Trafficking'

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

51 reviews

elizlizabeth's review against another edition

emotional sad tense slow-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

4.5

A deeply moving generational story about race, class, and sex. The characters are well fleshed out, and even with all the tragedies that befell the family nothing seems manufactured or unnecessary. As I write this review I'm already thinking of all the people I'm gonna recommend this to.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Death, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Racism, Suicide, Torture, Xenophobia, Car accident, Abortion, War, and Classism

Moderate: Torture and Trafficking

jai_martin's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Racism, and War

Moderate: Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Trafficking, and Abortion

pamshenanigans's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

"A woman's lot is to suffer."

A family saga that plays out like a tv drama in your mind, Pachinko is a story of love, loss, sacrifice, and hope. While I think that Books 1 and 2 of the novel were the strongest, Book 3 wrapped everything up amazingly.

Reading it gives off this harrowing and palpable feeling of dread. That while the events that plague this South Korean immigrant family seem inevitable in a backdrop of war and Japanese colonization, you become hopeful when things start looking up only to get heartbroken multiple times in tragic ways.

A must-read historical fiction that is perfect for everyone but especially so for women. At the heart of the novel are mothers, wives, sisters, aunts, and daughters struggling to be themselves while conforming to gender roles and societal standards.

My reading vlog will ~hopefully~ be up this coming week! ✨

Trigger/Content Warnings: death, suicide, adult/minor relationship, grooming, miscarriage, sexual assault, physical assault, racism, bigotry, racial prejudice, colonization, alcoholism, abortion

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Sexual assault

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Miscarriage, and Suicide

Minor: Trafficking and Abortion

serena_hien's review against another edition

adventurous challenging hopeful informative

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Sexual content, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Cursing, Infertility, and Misogyny

Minor: Cancer, Miscarriage, Trafficking, and Abortion

marjoleinvanderspoel's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring 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? It's complicated

4.5

Pachinko is a gripping family epic that deals with so much so delicately, yet without hesitating to display the cruelty of war and the historic injustices Japan has dealt Korea. This book snuck up on me, carefully guiding my investment in the story and the characters so that I didn't fully realise it until it was too late and something horrible had happened - and yes, I cried. I only wish that the book would have had a stronger ending, but I suppose it does maintain the same quiet and unassuming tone, which is also a strong choice by the author considering the topics that are brought up towards the end of the book. Regardless, Pachinko is definitely a must-read for everyone, in my opinion.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Suicide, Xenophobia, and War

Moderate: Ableism, Homophobia, Sexual content, Slavery, Police brutality, Trafficking, and Death of parent

Minor: Alcoholism and Miscarriage

peachani's review against another edition

reflective medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Grief, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Misogyny, Violence, Police brutality, Death of parent, and Colonisation

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Trafficking, Car accident, Abortion, and Pregnancy

_pacifist's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-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? It's complicated

5.0

I appreciated the author’s dedication to historical events throughout the decades the book describes. Her writing was beautiful and descriptive and I felt as though I were in the characters homes and could sympathize with their trials. I wanted the book to never end.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Racism, Sexual content, Colonisation, and War

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Homophobia, Infertility, and Death of parent

Minor: Cancer and Trafficking

onemamareads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense 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

4.5

Read my full review here: https://onemamassummer.weebly.com/book-reviews/pachinko

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Abortion, and Death of parent

Moderate: Suicide

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Homophobia, and Trafficking

kikicochrane's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-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

This book was extremely gut wrenching and heartbreaking to read at times, I very rarely cry while reading stories but this book had me in tears at least four times. I appreciated the pace of the book being slow to read, as it allowed me to digest the trauma that occurred with the characters. Death is a significant theme throughout the story but the backstory to the characters' deaths are what brought me to tears and reflection. Min Jin Lee did a fantastic job at capturing the struggles of keeping a family alive during times of war and prejudice. If you're ready for an emotional read, I would highly suggest Pachinko. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Racism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Religious bigotry, and Death of parent

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Miscarriage, Suicide, Terminal illness, Abortion, Pregnancy, and Abandonment

Minor: Trafficking

meghanvolkman's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Racial slurs, and Racism

Moderate: Child death, Death, Miscarriage, Suicide, and Death of parent

Minor: Trafficking