Pachinko
Book Title: Pachinko
Book Description: "There could only be a few winners, and a lot of losers. And yet we played on, because we had hope that we might be the lucky ones." In the early 1900s, teenaged Sunja, the adored daughter of a crippled fisherman, falls for a wealthy stranger at the seashore near her home in Korea. He promises her the world, but when she discovers she is pregnant--and that her lover is married--she refuses to be bought. Instead, she accepts an offer of marriage from a gentle, sickly minister passing through on his way to Japan. But her decision to abandon her home, and to reject her son's powerful father, sets off a dramatic saga that will echo down through the generations. Richly told and profoundly moving, Pachinko is a story of love, sacrifice, ambition, and loyalty. From bustling street markets to the halls of Japan's finest universities to the pachinko parlors of the criminal underworld, Lee's complex and passionate characters--strong, stubborn women, devoted sisters and sons, fathers shaken by moral crisis--survive and thrive against the indifferent arc of history.
Book Author: Min Jin Lee
Publisher Logo:
ISBN: 9781455563920
Number Of Pages: 544
-
Story / Interest
(5)
I loved this book! The story is hauntingly beautiful and emotional!
The Pachinko by Min Jin Lee is an evocative novel filled with emotion and drama that is suitable for ages 16 and up. The book is a culturally diverse novel that follows the life of Korean immigrants in Japan through the course of four generations. It is an engaging and captivating read that will move readers from the beginning to the very end. I think this book will move most to tears given the storyline. The narrative is filled with heartache, joy, pain, and ultimately hope, as the characters strive for a better future. The book begins with Sunja, who is a teenage girl living in Korea in the early 1900s. Her life takes a turn when a man falls in love with her and she finds out she is pregnant. In order to protect her honor, she and her mother move to Japan, where she falls in love with Isak, a Christian minister. Together, they build a life and have children, setting them up for a future of survival and prosperity in a land that does not welcome them. Throughout the stories of Sunja, Isak, their children, and grandchildren, we get a glimpse into how life was for immigrants in Japan. We witness how the Japanese people treated them, how they had to work to establish themselves and their families, and how some of their sons went off to fight for Japan in the war, while others had to make difficult decisions about their families in order to keep them safe. “Pachinko” is an incredible tale of strength, resilience, and courage in the face of adversity. It is an honest look at the difficulties of being an immigrant as well as the sacrifices one has to make in order to ensure a better life for their children. I would rate this book 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for 16+.
Overall
5