Welcome to Litsy!

Rich family saga spanning 1910-1989. I didn‘t know much about Korea and Japan during this time—so interesting!

I take such pleasure in a historical fiction novel as expertly written as this. And I really love a multigenerational drama. So this story of one family during Japan's occupation of Korea and beyond was wonderful perfection. I can't wait to read more of Lee's work.

1. Pachinko. Because it gave me the most to think on and consider about my own pre-conceived notions and biases. It also got into the racism in Japan that is mostly ignored by the West.

2. Not wholly DNFed yet, but I haven‘t torn through Children of Anguish and Anarchy the way I did the first books of the Legacy of Orïsha trilogy. The chapters are so short and all a different POV. I feel thrashed around as a result.

#wonderouswednesday

“As for children, every woman knows the fears and sorrows. Joy is a delicious luxury that we experience most cautiously, for tragedy conceals itself around every corner.”

#CoverStories #Sea

@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

My mom said Pachinko was a MUST READ and it‘s been on my TBR list for about a year now. Recently I‘d asked Scout (the AI Fable bird) for books based in Japan and this book overlapped as a suggestion. I just finished it and my heart is in my throat. It is beautiful and sad and tells a history that is not well-known. It‘s a lot to process but while I sift through my thoughts, I already know this book will remain as one of my top favorite reads.

This is a tough book in that it‘s based on the abuse at the hands of the South Korean authorities on vagrant and/or kidnapped folks of all ages, especially leading up to the Seoul Olympics (1988). It‘s heart wrenching and disturbing and I‘m very glad my book group voted this onto our list.

This was a murder mystery that wasn‘t so much a mystery but an exploration of the impact that an act of violence on those left behind and on the ways people cope (and don‘t cope). It covers guilt and trauma and lack of resolution. I really wanted this book to work more for me, but somehow it just didn‘t in ways I cannot even quite put my finger on.

Historic tale which I was naive about, therefore very interesting whilst retaining a personal element and so rich with female friendship and family bonds.
I loved the ways the divers supported each other. The female friendship reminded me of My Brilliant Friend, oddly.
Some of the content was incredibly harrowing and harsh reminder of war atrocities that continue today.

I know I'm late to the party with this one, but, wow, it really lives up to the hype! I can definitely see myself rereading it someday.