Could have been even better

Awesome beginning... kind of dragging towards the end... many unwanted characters and details... could have been better..

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Lucid, Lovely and Thought Provoking

Pachinko is an intergenerational drama set against the backdrop of Japan colonizing Korea. In fact, Min Jin Lee makes colonialism an omnipresent, over-powering character. It spreads like cancer. We see reality colonize dreams. Identity colonize individuality. The selfish colonize the selfless.⁣⁣
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We follow the journey of Sunja, a Korean girl whose life changes after an affair with Koh Hansu. It just takes a brief moment, one impulsive step for her life to turn topsy-turvy—much like the state of Korea in the hands of Japan. What follows next is an existential tale of three generations of Koreans who struggle with identity, racism, poverty and preconceived notions.⁣⁣
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Pachinko is a gambling game that is highly prevalent in Japan. Gamble is used both literally and metaphorically in this story. Stranded in war-torn times, Sunja and her family’s life are no less than a gamble. When uncertainty looms large on every basic aspect of existence, you are ready to take on any gamble. What options are we left with anyway?⁣⁣
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With deceptively simple prose, Lee puts across the survival struggle with an interplay of a vast variety of perspectives. Each character tries to grapple with the state of Korea in one’s own way. At one point, Hansu remarks that patriotism, communism and capitalism are merely ideas, and ideas can make a man forget his own self-interest.⁣⁣
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We see women trying to hold onto their youth and their suppressed desires. Men grapple with social identity and lost ambitions. We get a sense of the decadent history as the glorified Americanism slowly takes over the Koreans with a false sense of Utopia. Lee deals with everyone without a bone of judgement.⁣⁣
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Reading this book during the pandemic has been rather surreal. It makes you question fate, destiny and free-will. Sunja was never prepared for what lay ahead of her. And neither any of us are. She had little in her control and made the most of it. Maybe that’s all we can do—to take one moment at a time. It’s a good enough eulogy to leave behind, I guess?⁣⁣
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I lived every moment of Pachinko and I think you’ll do too. 

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3 people found this helpful

Easy yet addicting

Beautifully simple yet profound .
Recommend to beginners who want to read more seriously as the language is simple yet effective . Also the characters are wholesome , lovable and relatable .

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Living through incredible times

this is more of a saga than just a story. the author has beautiful woven the various evebfa of a Korean migrant family as the move to Japan to make a living. It's so well written that you can imagine being with them through every aspect of their life. the story was very well narrated, though the voice modulation for various characters wasn't very crisp. I loved the story for few aspects: it focuses on the life of women through various eras of last century. it shows the strength and weakness of people as they evolve from abject poverty to a life of privilege. also, even after juxtaposing the abundance that we have now, the pain and suffering of the struggling class is same everywhere. This book clearly shows that most of Asian history has been depicted from the Western lens, and we are not clearly aware of why and how a nation has attained greatness. Initially I expected the book to have too much idle musings to make a philosophical point, but the story did a good job of carrying that without boring us at all. another things that amused me was that The author kept the focus on taking the story forward, and as the few lead characters died, there wasn't too much fuss about showcasing that as a big deal. Death for some of the characters was more of a release. Lastly, halfway through the book,I wondered why the name Pachinko. But after going through some videos on how the game is set and played, you realise that how apt is the title. Life is but a machine, God has set the machine, and you have to manage the rolling balls.

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1 person found this helpful

Unforgettable

A moving, sprawling novel of human endurance in the face of suffering, human acceptance, and of the sheer exquisite beauty of love.What characters. what destinies, and how immediately familiar whoever you might be or wherever you might live. I would love to meet the author some day, just to feel the radiance of her compassionate heart.

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Beautiful

The storyteller and author transport you to a time back in Korea and Japan. The slight music rendition adds to the subtlety. Enjoyed every bit.

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heartwarming book!

This book is about Korea and it's colonial subjugation by Japan. It's about suffering, resilience, trying to blend in and being accepted in Japan. It's a saga spanning five generations of a family. The story is very well woven. The narrator has a very sweet and clear voice. It's a book that will remain with the reader forever. Highly recommended.

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Not to be missed audio book !!

Excellent book with awesome story line. If not for Ms. Allison , the narration would not be so appealing ❤

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worth every minute of listening

A beautiful story made even better by the excellent narration. It introduced me to a piece of history I never knew existed.

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Very well written & narrated

I enjoyed learning about the Korean- Japanese history which I was unaware of.

The book is written like a saga. Witnessing this family’s saga makes me yearn to be able to listen to my own ancestor’s and family’s journey in a similar fashion!

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