Reviews tagging 'Pedophilia'

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

34 reviews

nikolama's review against another edition

emotional fast-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Racism, Sexism, Xenophobia, Colonisation, and War

Moderate: Bullying, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Alcoholism, Cancer, Cursing, Infertility, Abortion, and Lesbophobia

luciuh's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

losing my mind tbh, im writing this review like a week after finishing this book and it’s so good. it tore me apart in every way, and even though i’m not korean as a mixed (asian) person living in america it hit so hard….. reading this book i found myself feeling nostalgic for chapters i read like an hour ago and having to put the book down because i was so mad at characters (in like a fun way). I was glued to this book and it’s characters, they were so upsetting and so sad and so happy…!:$:$2$:: this book felt so true to how life happens, and how fast time passes…. it’s kind of wistful and kind of somber and absolutely perfect… definitely deserves 5 stars

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racism, Suicide, and Death of parent

Moderate: Miscarriage

talonsontypewriters's review against another edition

challenging reflective sad medium-paced

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

2.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Chronic illness, Death, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Ableism, Alcoholism, Animal death, Child death, Domestic abuse, Incest, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Suicide, Terminal illness, Police brutality, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol

Minor: Addiction, Cancer, Child abuse, Infertility, Vomit, Antisemitism, Kidnapping, Car accident, and Abortion

yourpervertedneighbor's review against another edition

dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.75

4.75 / 5

I recently read "Pachinko" and I must say, I absolutely loved this book! It's the type of book that I will recommend to anyone who talks books with me. The story chronicles multiple generations of a family, and it was full of history, lovable characters, and unexpected twists that had me on the edge of my seat.

Set in Korea and Japan, the book follows the lives of a Korean family over several decades. It touches on themes such as love, family, prejudice, and survival. I found myself getting emotionally invested in the characters' lives and their stories.

What I loved most about "Pachinko" was how it tackled the history and politics of Korea and Japan. The book shed light on a part of history that is not often talked about in the West, and it did so in a way that was both informative and engaging.

The story also had an aspect of unpredictability. Just when I thought I knew where the story was headed, the plot would take a sharp turn and leave me reeling. There were parts of the book that actually had my jaw drop while reading it!

Overall, "Pachinko" is a must-read for anyone who loves historical fiction or family sagas, and I guarantee that it will stay with you long after you finish the last page. The only reason I didn't give it a full 5-star rating is that I found some parts of the book to be a bit slow-paced. But, that is a minor issue when considering the book as a whole.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Bullying, Death, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual content, Suicide, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Colonisation, War, and Classism

allisonshewfelt's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Pachinko follows four generations of a poor Korean immigrant family as they live life in Korea and Japan. A terrible choice is made by one of our main characters that affects the generations till the end of the book.

I adored the rich detail and characterization as well as the multiple povs. I appreciate that Lee didn't just focus on the stories of the main characters but also included the side characters. A lot of side characters even got their own chapters. The writing was of course gorgeous and addicting to read.

As someone who doesn't pay attention in history class, this book taught me more than any textbook would and kept my attention. Unlike textbooks where they just relay the facts, books like these focus on the characters and really help you understand and emphasize the historical situation. Many things shocked me. For example inflation and the high value of money as well as how Koreans were treated by the Japanese. Koreans could get imprisoned so easily for the smallest reasons and that really bothered me.

I did not expect to cry but what was I thinking? Of course I would if the story spans 4 generations someone ought to die.

I loved most of the characters so much and it was crazy how fast they grew up. I felt like I was a part of their family. The character deaths were so hard to go through because of this.

The opening line "History has failed us, but no matter" really showcases what this book will contain: the struggle of characters to keep going despite the prejudice. The covers for the paperback and hardcover both are great representations of the book too. I appreciate how the title also ties in with the book. Pachinko is a Japanese pinball game that relies on luck. There will be some winners and a lot of losers but you'll keep playing because you have hope that you'll be the lucky one.

This book deserves nothing less than 5 stars considering how much time and research was put into it. Like Lee took 30 years to write this! I'm so happy it got adapted. I already know the show is gonna be a masterpiece and I will be reading anything Lee writes.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, and War

Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Rape, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Cancer, Child death, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment

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

talking_heads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Rape, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Colonisation, and War

wherethewildreadsare's review against another edition

emotional sad slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Grief, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, and War

marisacarpico's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective 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

4.25

An incredible achievement. I cannot imagine doing the research involved in pulling this off. I read a lot last year, but I guess I didn't realize how starved I was for something meatier after a lot of admittedly fun but fast reads. This took time and I liked spending time with these characters and learning about this world.

There's obviously a specificity to the immigrant experience here, but it also feels like it represents so many stories. All of these characters felt so real and everything they experience feels so momentous even though they're just regular people living normal lives. Quite a choice on Lee's part to have these huge historical moments happening around these characters but to never really focus on them. WWII is mostly just texture here, it's just one of the many elements that add to the characters' overall experience. It's a novel of accumulated experience that also reflects the immigrant experience throughout the 20th century.

I will admit the way the narrative accelerates in the last 100 pages or so maybe dampens the novel's initial power, but most of the book is so compelling. I probably have a lot more to say, but I don't know, I think the book speaks for itself.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Pedophilia, Racism, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, and Colonisation

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Suicide, Dementia, Car accident, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Classism

Minor: Infidelity, Miscarriage, and Torture

niamhreadgood's review against another edition

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Suicide, Police brutality, Grief, Abortion, Pregnancy, Colonisation, and War