Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

49 reviews

tahsintries's review against another edition

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Racism, Suicide, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Ableism, Chronic illness, Genocide, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Colonisation, War, and Classism

Minor: Addiction, Drug abuse, Infertility, and Abandonment

readwithserena's review against another edition

emotional informative 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? Yes

4.75

A moving story following generations of A Korean family during and after Japanese annexation of Korea. The exploration and varied perspectives on national identity is well done.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Police brutality, Grief, Suicide attempt, Colonisation, and Classism

Moderate: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Xenophobia, Trafficking, Abortion, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Minor: Child death, Death, Hate crime, Infertility, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, and War

fairyribs's review against another edition

adventurous challenging 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? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

4.5- my god this book was amazing. Knocked off 0.5 because the ending was a bit…meh. But the themes, history and the ramifications of cultural genocide were heartbreaking but very necessary to read about.

I went into this book expecting it to be a history of the Japanese colonial rule but instead I got an intimate portrait of a family and it’s fight for survival during and after colonialism. I never knew that people like the Zainichi existed and to see how many of them came to be was quite illuminating, along with the discrimination many Korean-Japanese people face today.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Cancer, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Vomit, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, Colonisation, Dysphoria, War, and Injury/Injury detail

alisonannk's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Dysphoria, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Police brutality, Car accident, Abortion, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Colonisation

Minor: Gun violence, Murder, Outing, Cultural appropriation, and Alcohol

jessgreads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging hopeful informative 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

4.5

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨

Title: Pachinko

Author: Min Jin Lee

Genre: Historical Fiction

Setting: Busan, Korea / Osaka, Japan

Month Read: April 2022

Book Type: Hardcover

Publication: 2017

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Pages: 490

*Book of the Month Selection

TRIGGER WARNING- 

Racism / Sexual Content / Suicide / Genocide / Murder / War / Misogyny / Abuse / Religious Persecution  (there are more, these are the big ones)

"Fill your mind with knowledge—it’s the only kind of power no one can take away from you."

No Spoiler Summary:

Pachinko is a multi-generational tale about a Korean family who moves/is displaced in Japan in the early 1900s. You follow Sunja through history to almost present-day, and also follow the tales of her family- her mother and father, her children, and those she forges familial relationships with throughout the novel. 

You are taken through the arcs of history, from the Japanese invasion of Korea, to the Pachinko parlors of Osaka and beyond, where Koreans tried to make a living that would take themselves out of the raging, devastating poverty they experienced in their new land.

Review:

I'm so glad I finally got around to reading this truly fantastic novel. Sweeping, multi-generational (feminist?) tales have sort of been my jam this year, and along with The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois, Pachinko did not disappoint. I also loved that this partially took place near where The Island of Sea Women took place, so I was a little familiar with the setting, which is always a nice surprise when reading about a country you're not super knowledgeable about. 

The characters in this novel are incredible, and I felt like they always kept me engaged, and interested in their hopes, plights, successes, and grief. You really want Sunja, and later on, her family, to do well, and to be okay in as best a way they can given the extremely racially motivated hatred that the Japanese gave to Korean settlers. 

The book is long, and it's a little slow to pick up, so I wouldn't recommend it if this isn't your cup of tea, but once the story starts to move, you're buckled in for a pretty wild ride- especially after arriving in Japan. I learned a lot from this novel, and I really can't wait to dive into some more books about Korea, and I'm glad to have been able to read it in time to watch the show on Apple+! 

Recommendation:

Korean Historical Fiction:

The Island of Sea Women  by Lisa See

Multigenerational Family Dramas:

The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers

Booth by Karen Jow Fowler

"He was suffering, and in a way, he could manage that; but he had caused others to suffer, and he did not know why he had to live now and recall the series of terrible choices that had not looked so terrible at the time. Was that how it was for most people?"

See more reviews at:  https://jessgreads.wixsite.com/website

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Genocide, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Suicide, Violence, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Child death, Infidelity, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Abandonment

cute_machine's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Physical abuse, Racism, and Death of parent

Moderate: Infidelity, Suicide, Xenophobia, Grief, Abandonment, War, and Classism

gm_vak's review against another edition

adventurous informative slow-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? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Miscarriage, and Grief

Moderate: Ableism, Cancer, Child death, Death, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Suicide, Terminal illness, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, and Classism

stevie's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Hate crime, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Car accident, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

savzilla's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Police brutality, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Alcohol

lindseyhall44's review against another edition

emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

“History as failed us, but no matter.”
Pachinko was one of the best books I read this month, and I think everyone should read it once in their life. Although parts are slow, Jin Lee crafted a thought provoking historical piece revolving around family and identity. 
Pachinko follows four generations of a Korean family, beginning in the 1930’s and spanning up until the 1980’s. In a time when Japan occupies Korea, and after the effects of occupation linger, the family experiences discrimination, eventually questions the idea of home. In the end, I believe that home may be a place, but it’s overall, with those you love.
The character depth of these characters was done phenomenally well, each offering a unique perspective on being a Korean Japanese citizen. The line between nationality and ethnicity sparked an interesting conversation, once which has parallels to todays day and age.
Please read it if you have not done so already, you will not regret it!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Infidelity, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Colonisation, and War

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cancer, Infidelity, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Abortion, and Classism

Minor: Domestic abuse