A review by koreanlinda
The Color of Heaven by Lauren Na, Kim Dong Hwa

emotional hopeful 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? No

5.0


This book is the last one of Color Trilogy by Kim Dong Hwa. I started reading from #2 (The Color of Water), and I fell for the beauty of the story, characters, and illustration. The main characters are a working-class single mother and a young daughter living in an old day Korea (Chosun dynasty or before). Characters wear hanbok and live in houses with thatched-roof. 

At first, I was bothered by all the traditional gender roles and limitations which under these women live. But as I got more into it, I embraced the societal structure and ideas that were given to these women and started to see the beauty in how they navigate this world. They are deeply caring of each other and at the same time constantly express their desires for meaningful relationships. There are lots of scenes with conversations between the mother and daughter and also them having self-reflection on their own. Set in a rural area, the pages are filled with ever-changing nature with birds and flowers. It is simply pleasing to flip pages and follow the story. 

For anyone who enjoy a good graphic novel or want to learn about traditional Korea, I highly recommend this book. 

Review by Linda (she/they) in April 2022
Twitter @KoreanLindaPark
Letter writer at DefinitelyNotOkay.com 
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