A review by alpettit
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

A beautiful and sad story spanning generations. It touched on so many political, social, economic, and cultural issues. I learned a lot while following their stories. It really showed how our choices can impact others while at the same time changing the course of our lives forever. I felt such deep sadness for the characters as they toiled to take care of their families during the wars and then later how they struggled to climb the socio-economic ladder. I felt their pain when they lost loved ones. The story was so real. The only thing I didn’t like is how it stopped so abruptly. There wasn’t closure for some characters’ stories. But that’s life, right? It just keeps going. The story could go on forever. 

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