thebasiccritic's review against another edition
4.0
A saga of a Korean family that immigrates to Japan, spanning from 1910-1989. This character-driven novel encompasses the themes of racism, religion, stereotyping and gender roles among various cultures. ⠀
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This novel is split in to three “books” with historical representation of Japan’s occupation of Korea and World War II. ⠀
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I was lucky enough to experience this story via audiobook and physical reading. The way this story pulls you in with the descriptiveness and character-building made me not want to stop reading and I became invested in the characters. The chapters aren’t too long, so it makes reading this feel pretty quick. ⠀
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Based on some research of the book, Apple TV+ acquired rights in 2018 to develop a television series based on the novel. That is to be released sometime in 2022. ⠀
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4/5
⠀
This novel is split in to three “books” with historical representation of Japan’s occupation of Korea and World War II. ⠀
⠀
I was lucky enough to experience this story via audiobook and physical reading. The way this story pulls you in with the descriptiveness and character-building made me not want to stop reading and I became invested in the characters. The chapters aren’t too long, so it makes reading this feel pretty quick. ⠀
⠀
Based on some research of the book, Apple TV+ acquired rights in 2018 to develop a television series based on the novel. That is to be released sometime in 2022. ⠀
⠀
4/5
meghadutam's review against another edition
2.0
I have a family connection to Korea (especially to Busan) so parts of this book have a familiarity that appealed. Seeing life through the eyes of Koreans living in Japan was fascinating, especially the early parts of the book set in the 40s and 50s. But as time went on each chapter jumped forward a few years and introduced more and more characters. The story line seemed to become diffused and I lost interest. I ended up skimming the last half of the book in about half an hour. Glad I finished it though as I enjoyed the ending.
aliencatl0rd's review against another edition
5.0
Incredible multi-generational story about a Korean family through the 1900s-2000. It thoroughly paints the challenges of living in that century through multiple wars, immigrating to another country as refugees, facing financial hardships, racism and classism, etc. But it does so in an engaging tale with wonderful character development and depth that keeps you drawn in despite being a lengthy book.
kbebo's review against another edition
emotional
informative
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? Yes
3.5
itzami's review against another edition
Currently a DNF for me, sadly.
I was excited by the premise of the book and to learn more about Korea and Japan during the 1900s, but... the book just takes soooooo long to get anywhere!
The cuts in the story are weird (jumping like 5 years), the dialogues feel very distant, and, reading it, just feels like I'm not really achieving anything story-wise.
Kinda disappointed with it
I was excited by the premise of the book and to learn more about Korea and Japan during the 1900s, but... the book just takes soooooo long to get anywhere!
The cuts in the story are weird (jumping like 5 years), the dialogues feel very distant, and, reading it, just feels like I'm not really achieving anything story-wise.
Kinda disappointed with it
shailendraahangama17's review against another edition
adventurous
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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
megansgc's review against another edition
4.0
A good family saga over the most of the century set in Korea and Japan. Very good history lesson, although quite sad. Characters you love and root for. The type of book where you miss the characters when you’re done.
fram98's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
joanagsilva's review against another edition
3.0
Acabei… e é caso para dizer FINALMENTE. Não desgostei do livro e tem algumas partes muito positivas. Porém achei demasiado longo e algumas partes super desnecessárias, assim como algumas personagens que trazem pouco ou nada à história. Por outro lado algumas personagens que ganham algum relevo no início são “esquecidas” depois. Gostei do enquadramento histórico e dá para aprender sobre a vida destes coreanos refugiados no Japão e da discriminação dos japoneses para com estes.
No geral pensei que fosse gostar mais…
No geral pensei que fosse gostar mais…
karimorton33's review against another edition
4.0
What a sweeping family narrative! I learned a lot from this book actually without feeling like I was. I really enjoyed how the author conveyed the passing of time, sometimes book like this can feel jolt-y but I found that there was just enough of a recap in each chapter that moved forward in time without it being obvious. I really loved the family dynamic and the cultural and historical aspects throughout the book. (Read for Feminist Book Club)