Bookseller Reviews
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"Quietly" brilliant- a well of wisdom
Pachinko
A Korean version of Jane Smiley or Anne Tyler in being a novel following the fortunes of one family across the generations. It begins in a folk t... READ MORE
My favourite book of the year!
This book is an absolute masterpiece. It tells a long and complex tale of Korean-Japanese cultural tensions, class disparity, shame, and familial struggle.... READ MORE
Masterpiece
This book is a masterpiece, everyone should read it!
Synopsis
Yeongdo, Korea 1911.
In a small fishing village on the banks of the East Sea, a club-footed, cleft-lipped man marries a fifteen-year-old girl. The couple have one child, their beloved daughter Sunja. When Sunja falls pregnant by a married yakuza, the family face ruin. But then Isak, a Christian minister, offers her a chance of salvation: a new life in Japan as his wife.
Following a man she barely knows to a hostile country in which she has no friends, no home, and whose language she cannot speak, Sunja's salvation is just the beginning of her story.
Through eight decades and four generations, Pachinko is an epic tale of family, identity, love, death and survival.
Publisher information
- Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
- ISBN: 9781838930509
- Number of pages: 576
- Dimensions: 192 x 128 x 40 mm
- Weight: 400g
- Languages: English
Customer Reviews
View allA Masterpiece!
This book shouted at me years ago, a lovely friend gifted it to be a good while ago (hence the HB edition) but I knew it would be a fantastic read and want... READ MORE
An interesting insight and a well told saga
A really good book but above all else a fascinating context. I had no knowledge or appreciation of Korean and/or Japanese history before I read this book. ... READ MORE
Wonderful
This is one of my ABSOLUTE favourite books. It takes you through a story of 5 generations building each character giving them each a different story. Wha... READ MORE
The suffering was worth it
Had this book on my shelf for ages and was a bit too scared to touch it because of the heaviness involved, but I'm glad I eventually did. The book brillian... READ MORE
Just beautiful
This book has thought me so many things. I loved the characters, the writing style, the story. Made me want to know more about the history of Korea and Jap... READ MORE
Heart wrenching, triumphant, and utterly human
An engaging generational drama. It follows a Korean family through WWII, the depression that follows, and all the social and political upheaval right throu... READ MORE
Incredible
The way this book flows through generations is beautiful, even with the jumps through time it was consistent and interesting. Such a bittersweet story and ... READ MORE
Had to Google what a Pachinko machine looked like
Such a great book, deserving of its praise. It painted Korea in such a different light and did a great job of telling the untold stories of South Koreans i... READ MORE
Such a fantastic book
I absolutely loved this book. It really challenged me, and it was beautifully written. It was recommended to me and now I am recommending it to others! The... READ MORE
A beautiful book
I was upset when I finished reading because I wanted more. I would definitely read this again.
Must read
Such an amazing book
Fascinating and emotional historical fiction
I’ve had this on my kindle for a while and so glad I finally got to read it. Its historical fiction starting during a period of Korean history that I was ... READ MORE
almost a love story
A terrible indictment of the treatment of occupied lands by the Japanese. Sunja is always watched over by her yakusa lover although she does not know it .... READ MORE