The book was a fairly quick read but it was a bit disjointed. The author skipped between characters and it took a minute to re-focus.

I also understand the country prodigious of the time period and the author explained in the best way using the characters but it was a bit one-sided.

Then it just kinda ended... Just done.. There were so many loose ends that were never tired up.

I really enjoyed the narrative, although at times I felt the story lines were rather rushed.

3.75??’s. This is an epic Korean family saga that takes the reader on a journey thru 4 generations. It spans the life events of love, family, duty, sorrow & times of happiness while trying to maintain cultural & personal identity in a foreign land. “You must be a diligent person with a humble heart. Have compassion for everyone. Even your enemies.” “Living every day in the presence of those who refuse to acknowledge your humanity takes great courage”

A classic story that needed to be told. If you like historical fiction, this is a must read! The book gave me new insight to Korean's and their life journey. The book is well written!

Pachinko, Min Jin Lee, author; Allison Hiroto, narrator

The novel begins in 1910, in Korea, and continues almost until the end of the century. Korea is part of the Japanese Empire and the difficult relationship between the Japanese and the Koreans throughout that time coupled with war and peace and changing powers, is presented as it is experienced by a Korean family through four generations.

The first generation of the family begins with the birth of one child, Hoonie, a gentle, kind son who is unfortunately disabled with a club foot and a cleft palate. Fearing the continuation of that genetic deformity, they find his marriage prospects are very low. When a match is made with the last child of an impoverished family, Hoonie is happily married to Yangjin, and she accepts him willingly. So begins the second generation of the family. Their union produces a daughter, Sunja. Sunja and her mother grew to love Hoonie dearly. When Sunja was 16, she was seduced by a mobster named Hansu. She believed that he loved her, but when she discovered she was pregnant, she also discovered that he was married with children. This begins the third generation.

When Isak Baek, a pastor, comes to board at her mother’s boarding house and suffers a relapse of Tuberculosis, Sunja and her mother tenderly care for him, separating him from the other boarders, keeping them safe until he is well again. When he recovers and learns of Sunja’s plight, he offers to marry her to save her reputation and give the child a name. As opposed to the superstition that guides most of the poor and illiterate peasants, the bible verses guide him. Thus begins Sunya’s story.

Isak and Sunya move from Yeongdo, Korea to Osaka, Japan, where they join Isak’s brother, Yoseb, and his wife, Kyunghee are happy to welcome them. They are a childless couple and are eager for the birth of their nephew. Noa is not told of his true parentage and he grows up believing Isak is his biological father. He is a good and obedient child with a personality that resembles Isak’s far more than his biological father, Hansu.

Sunja and Isak have a second child named Mozasu. Mozasu, is more like Hansu in personality, although Isak is his true parent. While Noa loves school, Mozasu leaves as soon as he obtains permission and begins to work as an apprentice for a man who owns Pachinko parlors, which are gambling establishments. It is one of the few employment opportunities open to Koreans in Japan. Although the reputation of some of the Koreans who run the establishments is questionable, his mentor is said to be reputable. Still, the sting of that line of work is always present.

When Noa passes his exams, he goes to Tokyo to study. He marries a Japanese American woman. His life takes a tragic turn when he discovers the secrets of his background. His pride is a large part of his personality and also that of many Koreans and Japanese. While pride often leads to loyalty to one’s family, on the one hand, it leads to foolish decisions and stubbornness on the other.

Eventually, Mozasu marries and has a child, Solomon. Solomon is the fourth generation of this family. Although eight decades have passed, it seems that history will keep repeating itself as Solomon chooses to go into business with his father The author illustrates how even though life changes, in many ways it stays the same through wars and upheavals, tragedies and good fortune, births and deaths.
The story spans several decades, and it is heartbreaking to see the inability of the characters to adapt and truly change and fit into the new ways of society, even when their financial status improves. They are often trapped by society or their old habits. Secrets that dominated the story, when revealed, were the cause of devastating consequences. The evils and hardships of the developing world infringed on their simple way of life and sometimes began to corrupt them as well. They were simple people with a simple way of life and the author’s simple prose made it seem as if their simple way of life was superior to the sophisticated life of those who considered themselves better. It alternated between feeling like a folk tale and feeling like a tragic memoir.

The audio version of the book placed the listener in the heart of their village in Korea and then in the cities of Japan. The narrator’s pace, tone and interpretation were perfect for the novel, the changing times and different characters. The unpretentious vocabulary and the straightforward execution of the story made it seem very authentic. As it spanned almost 100 years, it enlightened the reader about the history of the often troubled relationship between Korea, Japan, and the rest of the world. As the decades passed and the wars came and went, the changing world was illustrated by the daily lives, hopes and dreams of the characters. While survival was a constant struggle for many Koreans, they seemed to persevere and accept their fate with stoicism. Both the Japanese and Korean culture discouraged a public display of emotion. Their strength seemed to lie in their ability to adjust to what befell them, either by ignoring the changes or adapting to them. However, their fear of public humiliation often pushed them into making rash decisions. Still, through it all, they were loyal to each other and it was obvious that as much as the Japanese did not want to do business with Koreans, whom they deemed ignorant and dirty, the Koreans did not want to do business with the Japanese who were unjust and unfair rulers and who could not be trusted since they never fully accepted the Koreans. They were always outsiders, even if they were natives to Japan and had never set eyes on Korea.

Four generations tell a story of bigotry but hope in a novel set in Japan but focused on the Korean population born and living there. Timely as we look to the news for stories of North Korea, and the Olympics in South Korea and realize how little we understand of the history of Korea that has shaped the people of both countries. Our book club loved it.

If you like sweeping family epics that have every known life drama incorporated, then you will love this book.

A simply but beautifully written saga which combines history, family joys and tragedies in a compelling narrative about a fascinating part of the world.

really a 3.5
I did enjoy this book...just not as a full 4 or 5. I liked the first 2/3 better than the last 1/3. So many characters that I found it hard to relate to any of them in depth. And felt the last 1/3 was even harder to get into the characters. However it was fascinating to read about the Korean/ Japanese relationships and what happened in that time period -- history that we westerners do not usually hear about or understand.
Worth the read.

Such a great story- loved it all. Bonus was learning about Korean’s relationship with Japan during WW2

Loved this book

What happened to Mackenzie Cooper could happen to any of us. She took her eyes off the road for just a moment to look at her GPS. But that moment changed her life. Her daughter dead, her marriage destroyed, turned away by her family, and hounded by the media, she changes her name and location and starts over.
Devon is a quiet little village in Vermont. People there ask no questions about one’s past. Mackenzie, now Maggie Reid, has a warm little cabin, two cats, and a dog. She works as a makeup artist at the local spa. She has new friends but is always afraid they will discover her past. She has only four months left on her probation period and is trying to keep her probation officer at arms’ length. The last thing she is looking for is a romantic relationship.
But when her friend’s teenage son is accused of hacking into a powerful man’s social media account, Maggie has to decide which is more important – her privacy or loyalty to a friend. It is always said that secrets will come out, and so they do. Standing up for what she knows is right sets into motion events that Maggie never could have predicted.
Barbara Delinsky always writes compelling stories of love, heartbreak and healing, family, and relationships. Through her beautiful style of writing I am able to fall into her characters’ world and experience the heartbreak and grief she so masterfully laid out on the page. The characters are realistic, engaging and are written to remind us that everyone has a story. The story moved at the right pace. A true heartwarming story. I especially loved Maggie’s relationship with her pets. All pet lovers will relate. My only complaint would be that Edward is just too perfect. Where can I find a man like that!

I flat out loved this book. So interesting and really covers a period of history and modern day like no other novel I’m aware of on Korea and Japan and the tumultuous relationship of those two countries and cultures. Simply wonderful and beautifully written.

Wonderfully written, giving me a new perspective on Korean culture during various times throughout recent history.

Didn’t finish it - not my cup of tea

This book went on a little too long and didn't end up going anywhere, but I enjoyed the story

The entire book was character development. There was no plot development. No real story or conflict. I read a long time with no pay off at the end. Very disappointed. So much promise Hmmmm

Incredible read, I did not want to put it down! If you like dramas, this is the book for you. Generations of trials, love, loss and scandal.

Loved it

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Wow- what an incredible story that is memorable of a family's journey of Korean immigrants that migrated to Japan in the early 1900's. They will face challenges, struggles and love. As the novel is divided into three part; Book I- Gohyang/Hometown 1910-1933, Book II - Motherland 1939-1962 and Book III- Pachinko 1962-1989, you'll grow attached to the characters starting with Sunja, the family matriarch all the way to her grandson Solomon.

This is a sweeping saga following several generations of a Korean family living in Japan. It starts in the early 1900’s and continues until 1989. The well written story shows the harshness and unfairness in how the Korean people were treated in Japan. It is a very eye opening book.