A New York Times Top Ten Book of the Year and National Book Award finalist, Pachinko is an “extraordinary epic” of four generations of a poor Korean immigrant family as they fight to control their destiny in 20th-century Japan (San Francisco Chronicle). NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF 2017 * A USA TODAY TOP TEN OF 2017 * JULY PICK FOR THE PBS NEWSHOUR-NEW YORK TIMES BOOK CLUB NOW READ THIS * … NEWSHOUR-NEW YORK TIMES BOOK CLUB NOW READ THIS * FINALIST FOR THE 2018 DAYTON LITERARY PEACE PRIZE* WINNER OF THE MEDICI BOOK CLUB PRIZE
Roxane Gay’s Favorite Book of 2017, Washington Post
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * #1 BOSTON GLOBE BESTSELLER * USA TODAY BESTSELLER * WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER * WASHINGTON POST BESTSELLER
“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.
more
this was a very long book. However it was very well written and I really learned a lot about a different culture
a tragic, beautiful novel which really haunts you well after reading.
This was my favorite book of 2020. It is truly amazing how many wonderful characters Min Jin Lee creates. Every time we left one story, I was sad. But soon enough I was completely engrossed in the next character. This book is a stunner. Gorgeous writing. Magnificent epic story.
Loved this book – I read A LOT of books and read Pachinko a while ago but DO remember it was a favorite of mine!!!!
Excellent. Very moving and informative
This book taught me more than I ever knew about the Korean-Japanese cultural divide, and the believable characters brought it to life.
This is one of my all time favorite books and even the long length was worth slogging through. Highly informative about the aftermath of the war in Japan and Korea and the class/racial struggles. Also interesting about the game itself.
This book had a lot of food for thought. I was drawn into the story from the first page. Highly recommend it!
I learned a lot about Korean culture from reading this book. This book covers several generations of one family and what the main character learns about life and love. It was very interesting to follow the lives of the characters from one generation to the next. The author did a wonderful job telling this story and the book was worthy of being nominated for the National Book Award.
This was a beautifully written historical fiction. By following a family of well developed characters through 4 generations, I learned so much about the history of Koreans living in Japan.
Interesting characters that I came to care about. It’s set in a different culture which I found intriguing.
A wonderful story which educates you about another society
Loved this book!
One of the best books ever, my book club read it and loved it. I learned so much about Korea & japan.
This book was a rollercoaster for me. I’m always amazed when authors can think up such realistic characters and their development – this book has a whole family of them!!! I was a little worried it would be hard to follow along but the way this is written makes it easy and kept my interest. Before reading this, I had no idea about the disparities between Korea and Japan and what Koreans had to go through during that time period. It was informative and, after getting to know the characters, felt personal.
I do have mixed feelings on the way the book jumped time between chapters, some would pick up years after the last one ended. It wasn’t enough to totally throw me off but it did surprise me a few times. This book is also pretty long but I believe it’s well worth the time.
I didn’t give this a full 5 stars mainly because I feel like I enjoyed the first half a lot more than the second and I wish she continued that style of development throughout the book.
i loved this book. I would have given it 5 stars but I felt the book ended too soon—I wanted more!
Sad and depressing.
A bit tedious and depressing.
I loved my visit to Japan and was interested in the cultural connection and clashes of the Japanese and Korean cultures.
This was such a great book. I didn’t want the story to end. It was set in Korea and Japan. I learned so much about Korean history, culture, and society. Having traveled to Korea in 2017, It is fascinating what they have accomplished given their not so distant history. One begins to understand the sense of “Han” or sadness that is an undercurrent to Korean life.