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.
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Gave me a better understanding of the world events in that historic timeline.
I can see why his book has received many honors. Lots of plot twists and surprises.
Great historical novel of Avery dark period in the history of Korean people
History told through Fiction-a great learning tool
This History is not mentioned in the USA schools. History is not being adaquately taught in this era.
Not even our own history. So sad.
Great story, very well-written.
This is a wonderful book. I loved it. It has everything I enjoy from the history of Oriental culture to an excellent story.
A Korean family diaspora from Korea to Japan during the Japanese occupation. A multigenerational saga that includes cultural taboos and sexual mores.
This was a fascinating book, especially its portrayal of Koreans living in Japan during and after World War II.. It was also interesting to get a glimpse inside the world of pachinko.
Very realistic portrayal of generations of North Koreans living in Japan. A window into the prejudice and difficulty of integrating into a society that did not want then and no matter how rich or powerful they became, the prejudices were still very much alive and practiced. A good book for anyone interested in the reality of life in other countries.
didn’t know about the Koreans in Japan. Very well drawn characters over a long period of time. I was totally immersed in their world and rooting for the characters.
I really enjoyed following the multi-generational work from Korea to Japan and learning about the horrible discrimination and ill-feeling between the Japanese people and Korean immigrants and their families. I think it was lengthy and yet the character portrayal was strong enough that I remembered each of them after thinking about it for a short while.
This is the first novel I have read about Korea and the Japanese occupation. The human story behind this period in history was heartbreaking and the strength of the female characters was inspiring.
Immerses you in the world of seven generations of a Korean family.
Interesting subject-Korea & Japan after WWII
Cruel harsh reality