dragonsandfoxes's review against another edition
4.0
3,75/5
"Ben hayatın, zamanı bekleyip dayanarak katlanmak olduğunun farkına varmış oldum. Her zaman beklentileri sağlayamasa da bir şekilde yaşadığımız sürece zaman akıyor, her şey geçip gidiyor."
Okuduğum en iyi kitapların arasına girmese de güzeldi. Çevirisini beğendim. Kurgu olarak okuduğum Çin edebiyatı kurgularına benzettiğimi söylemeden geçemeyeceğim. Sanırım yaralar benzer olduğundan.
"Ben hayatın, zamanı bekleyip dayanarak katlanmak olduğunun farkına varmış oldum. Her zaman beklentileri sağlayamasa da bir şekilde yaşadığımız sürece zaman akıyor, her şey geçip gidiyor."
Okuduğum en iyi kitapların arasına girmese de güzeldi. Çevirisini beğendim. Kurgu olarak okuduğum Çin edebiyatı kurgularına benzettiğimi söylemeden geçemeyeceğim. Sanırım yaralar benzer olduğundan.
bogdanbalostin's review against another edition
5.0
War, poverty, famine, immigration, human trafficking, terrorist attacks, shamanism, harmony, the flow of lie, pride, despair.
I have two main criteria by which I rate a book. One is the boring factor and the other one is the emotional factor. A story should not be boring and should elicit some emotional response from me.
Princess Bari is a weird story. Look at the list of words at the beginning of the review. Those are the themes presented in this novel. This is a lot and even if it's not confusing, there's not enough time to talk about them all. Princess Bari is not a long novel. Actually, because I'm used to drawn-out stories that have a definitive ending or a cliffhanger, I read this very quickly, soon to discover it just ends. There's no end, it's just life.
The plot isn't exceptional and because Bari narrates the story from a detached point of view like she's not involved in the action, the book isn't particularly exciting. And yet, it's emotional. I was interested in the first part of the story as I got to learn a little about Korean culture and I was also captivated by the second part when Bari starts making decisions and living her life.
Then the ending. It bugs me a lot that there's not a real ending. If you want to argue with me, there is a spiritual ending when Bari understands life but I wanted more. Also, the novel couldn't talk deeply about all of the themes it presented which is a shame.
P.S. I really liked the fantasy aspect of this novel, but I see many reviewers not too fond of it.
I have two main criteria by which I rate a book. One is the boring factor and the other one is the emotional factor. A story should not be boring and should elicit some emotional response from me.
Princess Bari is a weird story. Look at the list of words at the beginning of the review. Those are the themes presented in this novel. This is a lot and even if it's not confusing, there's not enough time to talk about them all. Princess Bari is not a long novel. Actually, because I'm used to drawn-out stories that have a definitive ending or a cliffhanger, I read this very quickly, soon to discover it just ends. There's no end, it's just life.
Spoiler
Bari lives and she's doing what she's doing, having the life any of us can have.The plot isn't exceptional and because Bari narrates the story from a detached point of view like she's not involved in the action, the book isn't particularly exciting. And yet, it's emotional. I was interested in the first part of the story as I got to learn a little about Korean culture and I was also captivated by the second part when Bari starts making decisions and living her life.
Then the ending. It bugs me a lot that there's not a real ending. If you want to argue with me, there is a spiritual ending when Bari understands life but I wanted more. Also, the novel couldn't talk deeply about all of the themes it presented which is a shame.
P.S. I really liked the fantasy aspect of this novel, but I see many reviewers not too fond of it.
asterope's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
2.5
The book is a modern retelling of the Korean folk story of Princess Bari. It follows the main character from her childhood in North Korea, to her escape and long journey that ends with her settling in London.
I loved the first section that shows us Bari's experiences growing up and escaping North Korea. The family bonds were so tangible and you really felt the despair when it all eventually falls apart during the famine. The magical realism of Bari’s shaman powers was tied in nicely here. This was definitely the best part of the book.
After she makes the harrowing journey to London, the pace becomes so fast and emotionless. It's very much “this happened, then this happened, and this happened.” So the book loses a lot of depth here, especially when it comes to Bari herself. I felt like the focus shifted away from her. I can see the message the author was trying to convey, but the way the themes were crafted using the side characters from all the various cultures and backgrounds in London was written very awkwardly. We're presented with an idealised view of things. The dialogue seems like what the author hopes people would say, rather than how they actually talk in reality.
I would say most of my complaints about this book are on the language and writing. The mix of British and American English was jarring. There were also some sweeping statements made about living here that were untrue. Again, I don't know if this was down to the translator or original text, but either way, it needed better editing.
Now the details of the traditional Korean story of Princess Bari probably went over my head, but the way the shamanism stuff was used was super clumsy. The climax almost felt like I was reading a scene from a fantasy video game. Again, the best part was the first section covering Bari’s childhood, because the magic wasn't too overt and handwavy.
Finally, the book shoehorns in the 7/7 bombings and then suddenly ends as Bari and her husband are running away from it. So bizarre. I found it very heavy-handed when the author tried to use 9/11 to expand on the book’s themes earlier on, but adding 7/7 right at the end was an even worse choice. Maybe I wouldn't be so annoyed about this if the anniversary of the attacks hadn't just passed and it wasn't fresh in my mind, but it really didn't come across however the author intended it to.
I'm just baffled because I've enjoyed previous works by both the author and translator. I was looking forward to reading this and feel quite disappointed!
I loved the first section that shows us Bari's experiences growing up and escaping North Korea. The family bonds were so tangible and you really felt the despair when it all eventually falls apart during the famine. The magical realism of Bari’s shaman powers was tied in nicely here. This was definitely the best part of the book.
After she makes the harrowing journey to London, the pace becomes so fast and emotionless. It's very much “this happened, then this happened, and this happened.” So the book loses a lot of depth here, especially when it comes to Bari herself. I felt like the focus shifted away from her. I can see the message the author was trying to convey, but the way the themes were crafted using the side characters from all the various cultures and backgrounds in London was written very awkwardly. We're presented with an idealised view of things. The dialogue seems like what the author hopes people would say, rather than how they actually talk in reality.
I would say most of my complaints about this book are on the language and writing. The mix of British and American English was jarring. There were also some sweeping statements made about living here that were untrue. Again, I don't know if this was down to the translator or original text, but either way, it needed better editing.
Now the details of the traditional Korean story of Princess Bari probably went over my head, but the way the shamanism stuff was used was super clumsy. The climax almost felt like I was reading a scene from a fantasy video game. Again, the best part was the first section covering Bari’s childhood, because the magic wasn't too overt and handwavy.
Finally, the book shoehorns in the 7/7 bombings and then suddenly ends as Bari and her husband are running away from it. So bizarre. I found it very heavy-handed when the author tried to use 9/11 to expand on the book’s themes earlier on, but adding 7/7 right at the end was an even worse choice. Maybe I wouldn't be so annoyed about this if the anniversary of the attacks hadn't just passed and it wasn't fresh in my mind, but it really didn't come across however the author intended it to.
I'm just baffled because I've enjoyed previous works by both the author and translator. I was looking forward to reading this and feel quite disappointed!
beautifulminutiae's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Death of parent, and Child death
Moderate: Racism, Deportation, Rape, Sexual assault, Drug abuse, and Trafficking
jolee's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-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? It's complicated
4.5
gi_gi_g's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug abuse, Suicide, Child death, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, and War
sonalipawar26's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
3.75
Princess Bari is heartrending. It will take you to hell and back along with Bari. Hwang retells the Korean folklore of ‘Princess Bari’ in a modern setting, dealing with timely yet difficult topics like human trafficking, destruction, war, and immigration.
Bari, which roughly translates to 'thrown away', was abandoned by her mother right after she was born as the sixth daughter of the family. But she was later saved by her grandmother, resulting in her name that was derived from the legend of 'Princess Bari', a tale her grandmother would narrate to her as a bedtime story time and again.
From a young age Bari is dealt a bad hand, forcing her to become an adult in adolescence. The world couldn't be crueler to her; from the North Korean famine of the 90s to running away to China, and finally fleeing to England as an undocumented immigrant, Bari had had to survive in the worst conditions possible. But along the way she meets kind souls as she goes on a quest to 'fetch the life-giving water'.
Hwang Sok-yong doesn't mince his words. He shows you the world as it is. Nor does he give you a cliched 'happy ending', making you dream of a better world. Perhaps he tries to give you some hope, but more than that, he tells you if you don't take action and be kind to others, the world will always be a cruel place. This book also acts as a reminder that we don't know others' stories and we see them with only one lens.
Princess Bari is a gripping and heartbreaking tale, as it forces one to remove their rose-tinted glasses and see the world as it really is.
It's a sad read; but it's an important read.
#alazywriterbookreviews23
Thanks for the copy, Scribe publications!
Bari, which roughly translates to 'thrown away', was abandoned by her mother right after she was born as the sixth daughter of the family. But she was later saved by her grandmother, resulting in her name that was derived from the legend of 'Princess Bari', a tale her grandmother would narrate to her as a bedtime story time and again.
From a young age Bari is dealt a bad hand, forcing her to become an adult in adolescence. The world couldn't be crueler to her; from the North Korean famine of the 90s to running away to China, and finally fleeing to England as an undocumented immigrant, Bari had had to survive in the worst conditions possible. But along the way she meets kind souls as she goes on a quest to 'fetch the life-giving water'.
Hwang Sok-yong doesn't mince his words. He shows you the world as it is. Nor does he give you a cliched 'happy ending', making you dream of a better world. Perhaps he tries to give you some hope, but more than that, he tells you if you don't take action and be kind to others, the world will always be a cruel place. This book also acts as a reminder that we don't know others' stories and we see them with only one lens.
Princess Bari is a gripping and heartbreaking tale, as it forces one to remove their rose-tinted glasses and see the world as it really is.
It's a sad read; but it's an important read.
#alazywriterbookreviews23
Thanks for the copy, Scribe publications!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, War, Rape, and Sexual assault
Minor: Suicide
wonderlake's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
#koreanmarch 2023
Bought this on Kindle in Feb 2021 so nice to get it ticked off. Can't remember why I bought it in particular, apart from for Korean March I guess.
The story is based on the Korean folktale/myth of Princess Bari? As such I found myself struggling at times during the narrative as to whether the Bari in our book was real or an allegory.
The first section of the book, dealing with childhood in north Korean was naturally gripping and heart-wrenching. It made me think of my 11-year old.
However when the action moved to London I found the action become a lot more melodramatic. So many misfortunes continue to befall Bari that it seemed like she was a character in Eastenders.
The 15-day section where she is grieving towards the end almost felt like a video game was being described to me, with Bari using mgical items to further her path.
Bought this on Kindle in Feb 2021 so nice to get it ticked off. Can't remember why I bought it in particular, apart from for Korean March I guess.
The story is based on the Korean folktale/myth of Princess Bari? As such I found myself struggling at times during the narrative as to whether the Bari in our book was real or an allegory.
The first section of the book, dealing with childhood in north Korean was naturally gripping and heart-wrenching. It made me think of my 11-year old.
However when the action moved to London I found the action become a lot more melodramatic. So many misfortunes continue to befall Bari that it seemed like she was a character in Eastenders.
The 15-day section where she is grieving towards the end almost felt like a video game was being described to me, with Bari using mgical items to further her path.
neiwly's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- 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? No
3.0