smalljude's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
jord_reads_books's review
4.0
In The Prince of Mournful Thoughts and Other Stories you will find tales of humans across the Korean diaspora, told in first, second, and third points of view.
The stories range from the early 1900s to modern-day, and feature characters both old and young as they deal with difficult situations and learn both about themselves and the world around them.
There’s a sixteen-year-old who watches as the mental health of a woman at her church slowly unravels. A boy who is growing up during the Korean War. A girl growing up in 80s America. Mr. Oh, an immigrant struggling with both mental and physical health. And my personal favorite, a suburban housewife using a therapy robot.
Mental health and well-being is a major theme across this collection, but what also connects these stories is the search for human connection and understanding.
Caroline Kim was the winner of the Drue Heinz Literature Prize for this collection, and it’s easy to see why. The stories are powerful in their own right, each with a distinctive and beautifully crafted voice. But together they tell the story of something everyone can relate to: the search for someplace that feels like home.
The stories range from the early 1900s to modern-day, and feature characters both old and young as they deal with difficult situations and learn both about themselves and the world around them.
There’s a sixteen-year-old who watches as the mental health of a woman at her church slowly unravels. A boy who is growing up during the Korean War. A girl growing up in 80s America. Mr. Oh, an immigrant struggling with both mental and physical health. And my personal favorite, a suburban housewife using a therapy robot.
Mental health and well-being is a major theme across this collection, but what also connects these stories is the search for human connection and understanding.
Caroline Kim was the winner of the Drue Heinz Literature Prize for this collection, and it’s easy to see why. The stories are powerful in their own right, each with a distinctive and beautifully crafted voice. But together they tell the story of something everyone can relate to: the search for someplace that feels like home.
gyeranbbang's review
4.0
This was such an incredible reading experience. I very rarely love short story collections, but this one was incredible. Caroline Kim's writing is impeccable and I truly enjoyed how each narrator had a distinctive voice, nailing the voice of people with broken English or children (it is so rare to see children written 'properly,' I think we have normalized the adult-ish perspectives they are often given in literature).
I highly recommend this collection to anybody who likes reading about the Korean-American experience as well as Korean stories (about the war and the yangban times).
- "Mr. Oh" - A Korean man living in the US struggles with physical pain and is told to go to the shrink. 5⭐ - I loved the man's reflections about what being Korean means (it's funny because some of the 'stereotypes' he mentioned are the same ones that we use for Catalans?) and the writing was just top-notch here, Kim did an amazing job at writing the 'broken Korean' throughout.
- "Arirang" - Set in a village in 1949, a woman struggles to get pregnant while her old friend keeps having baby after baby. As they are both shamed for the two things, they find solace in talking about womanhood as, silently, the Korean War approaches. 5⭐ - just beautiful. everything. The bit where they sing Arirang have me goosebumps and the scenes about the war were just 10/10.
- "King of the Gipsies" - A lady meets the King of the Gipsies. 3⭐.
- "Lucia, Russell, and Me" -Lucia, the best friend and neighbour of the main character, has had her mom's new boyfriend move in and they have a strange relationship. The two of them navigate changes as they get to know their new neighbour Russell. 5⭐. I loved everything here, I just remember finishing the story and realizing I had been 100% immersed in it.
- "Seoul" - The story of a guy and his family during the Korean War, how it started and what they did to survive. 4⭐.
- "Magdalena" - A Korean church in the US is conflicted about one of their members after she turns eccentric following her divorce. 5⭐.
- "Picasso’s Blue Period" - A man struggles with how he is seen by his family as his daughter is about to give birth. 4⭐.
- "A Change Is Gonna Come" - A young woman travelling the world reminisces her last relationship as she finds herself in a new one and wonders why she always falls for other noman men. 2.5⭐. In all honestly, this one was weird because I too move a lot and I have met people like the ones described in the story, they are not my cup of tea.
- "Therapy Robot" - A Korean woman is given a therapy robot and she keeps a diary about how things are going. 5⭐. Brilliant.
- "Not Usual for Korean" - The main character's brother has been kicked out of school and her parents want her to talk to him. It's a mess. 3⭐.
- "The Prince of Mournful Thoughts" - An old man recounts his experience working for a Prince that was haunted by being disliked by the King. 4⭐.The King did the right thing.
- "Goodbye, Goodbye" - A young kid says goodbye to Korea as she moves to the US. 3⭐.
I highly recommend this collection to anybody who likes reading about the Korean-American experience as well as Korean stories (about the war and the yangban times).
- "Mr. Oh" - A Korean man living in the US struggles with physical pain and is told to go to the shrink. 5⭐ - I loved the man's reflections about what being Korean means (it's funny because some of the 'stereotypes' he mentioned are the same ones that we use for Catalans?) and the writing was just top-notch here, Kim did an amazing job at writing the 'broken Korean' throughout.
- "Arirang" - Set in a village in 1949, a woman struggles to get pregnant while her old friend keeps having baby after baby. As they are both shamed for the two things, they find solace in talking about womanhood as, silently, the Korean War approaches. 5⭐ - just beautiful. everything. The bit where they sing Arirang have me goosebumps and the scenes about the war were just 10/10.
- "King of the Gipsies" - A lady meets the King of the Gipsies. 3⭐.
- "Lucia, Russell, and Me" -Lucia, the best friend and neighbour of the main character, has had her mom's new boyfriend move in and they have a strange relationship. The two of them navigate changes as they get to know their new neighbour Russell. 5⭐. I loved everything here, I just remember finishing the story and realizing I had been 100% immersed in it.
- "Seoul" - The story of a guy and his family during the Korean War, how it started and what they did to survive. 4⭐.
- "Magdalena" - A Korean church in the US is conflicted about one of their members after she turns eccentric following her divorce. 5⭐.
- "Picasso’s Blue Period" - A man struggles with how he is seen by his family as his daughter is about to give birth. 4⭐.
- "A Change Is Gonna Come" - A young woman travelling the world reminisces her last relationship as she finds herself in a new one and wonders why she always falls for other noman men. 2.5⭐. In all honestly, this one was weird because I too move a lot and I have met people like the ones described in the story, they are not my cup of tea.
- "Therapy Robot" - A Korean woman is given a therapy robot and she keeps a diary about how things are going. 5⭐. Brilliant.
- "Not Usual for Korean" - The main character's brother has been kicked out of school and her parents want her to talk to him. It's a mess. 3⭐.
- "The Prince of Mournful Thoughts" - An old man recounts his experience working for a Prince that was haunted by being disliked by the King. 4⭐.
- "Goodbye, Goodbye" - A young kid says goodbye to Korea as she moves to the US. 3⭐.
qomareads's review against another edition
4.0
A collection of short stories with a hint of Korean culture and history, as well as the present story of the Korean immigrants living in America and all over the world.
A quote from each of my favourite stories from this collection.
Arirang - “This is all you want. To give birth one time. To have something to love and love you.”
Seoul - “What they wanted was so simple : to be able to eat and breathe freely, work their small li of land, have children and grandchildren, live and die facing the same sunset they have watched all their lives.”
Picasso’s Blue Period - “It’s curious, that one speaks of loss when someone dies. It isn’t loss at all. She turned to me, her face bright and shiny. It is a weight that must be held, must be carried. It lives while we live. And that is all right.”
Therapy Robot - “Look at my own parents. Both of them survived Korean War. As children! They witness atrocities they won’t talk about. My mother once mentioned seeing dead bodies in the streets. Otherwise, she said the war wasn’t that bad. Not that bad! The worst was hiding her father and brother under the house so they wouldn’t be conscripted by either the North or South Korean armies.”
The Prince of Mournful Thoughts - “I tell you this story, Sir, in order that you may know that nothing in life is to be taken for granted, not even the love between a father and the son.”
A quote from each of my favourite stories from this collection.
Arirang - “This is all you want. To give birth one time. To have something to love and love you.”
Seoul - “What they wanted was so simple : to be able to eat and breathe freely, work their small li of land, have children and grandchildren, live and die facing the same sunset they have watched all their lives.”
Picasso’s Blue Period - “It’s curious, that one speaks of loss when someone dies. It isn’t loss at all. She turned to me, her face bright and shiny. It is a weight that must be held, must be carried. It lives while we live. And that is all right.”
Therapy Robot - “Look at my own parents. Both of them survived Korean War. As children! They witness atrocities they won’t talk about. My mother once mentioned seeing dead bodies in the streets. Otherwise, she said the war wasn’t that bad. Not that bad! The worst was hiding her father and brother under the house so they wouldn’t be conscripted by either the North or South Korean armies.”
The Prince of Mournful Thoughts - “I tell you this story, Sir, in order that you may know that nothing in life is to be taken for granted, not even the love between a father and the son.”
rto8's review
emotional
fast-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? It's complicated
3.75
Some really beautiful writing. Impressive range for a single collection. “The Prince of Mournful Thoughts” (the story) is wonderful and should be read and re-read as many times as possible.
rincey's review
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
saundra's review
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This short story is gorgeous. Every story breaks your heart just a little, but there's still a thread of compassion. It simple, elegant, and absolutel beautiful.
danielvudao's review
I really enjoyed this book. I thought the author did a great job of articulating what it meant to write from a diasporic narrative and dream of a world you felt like you belonged to.
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