Min Jin Lee

A Victorian epic transplanted to Japan, following a Korean family of immigrants through eight decades and four generations. Busan, Korea 1911: A club-footed, cleft-lipped man marries a fteen-year-old beauty. The couple have one child, their beloved daughter Sunja. When Sunja falls pregnant by a married yakuza, the family face ruin. But then Isak, a Christian minister, offers her a chance of salvation: a new life in Japan as his wife. Following a man she barely knows to a hostile country in which she has no friends, no home, and whose language she cannot speak, Sunja's salvation is just the beginning of her story. Through eight decades and four generations, Pachinko is an epic tale of family, identity, love, death and survival.

Pachinko

Bastiaan

The boy had decided to leave them, and his departure was punishment. Yoseb could understand the boy’s anger, but he wanted another chance to talk to him, to tell Noa that a man must learn to forgive—to know what is important, that to live without forgiveness was a kind of death with breathing and movement.

Only a few paces from home, the two walked slowly, murmuring this and that about their day, content and only a little less shy. He would continue to suffer with love.

a. 💫

There was nothing else he could think of, and he wanted to spare her the cruelty of what he had learned, because she would not believe that she was no different than her parents, that seeing him as only Korean-good or bad was the same as seeing him only as a bad Korean. She could not see his humanity, and Noa realized that this was what he wanted most of all: to be seen as human.

The brothers stood close to each other and caught each other up on family news. Sunja didn't pay any mind to the men's conversation. As before, she held her bundles close to her heart and belly to inhale the lingering scent of home on the fabric covering their possessions.

“I suppose she would want that.” Isak had not wanted Sunja to turn to God in this way. Love for God, he'd thought, should come naturally and not out of fear of punishment.

A God that did everything we thought was right and good wouldn't be the creator of the universe. He would be our puppet. He wouldn't be God.

People are rotten everywnere you go. good. You want to see a very bad man? Make an ordinary man successful beyond his imagination. Let's see how good he is when he can do whatever he wants.

NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST * A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW TOP TEN OF THE YEAR * NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF 2017 *A USA TODAY TOP TEN OF 2017 Roxane Gay's Favorite Book of 2017, Washington Post NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * #1 BOSTON GLOBE BESTSELLER * USA TODAY BESTSELLER In this gorgeous, page-turning saga, four generations of a poor Korean immigrant family fight to control their destiny in 20th-century Japan, exiled from a home they never knew. "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.

Naisu

“Living everyday in the presence of those who refuse to acknowledge your humanity takes great courage.”

clara

"Go-saeng," Yangjin said out loud. "A woman's lot is to suffer."

"Yes, go-saeng." Kyunghee nodded, repeating the word for suffering.

All her life, Sunja had heard this sentiment from other women, that they must suffer- suffer as a girl, suffer as a wife, suffer as a mother-die suffering. Go-saeng-the word made her sick. What else was there besides this?

the pain didn’t go away, but its sharp edge had dulled and softened like sea glass

Min Jin Lee on death of fictional characters 

It is possible that characters need to die for the author to make her moral point, for the author himself to regenerate by letting go of an ideal identity, or for the world to recognize the necessity of certain ideas and ideals to die.

… to tell Noa that a man must learn to forgive to know what is important, that to live without forgiveness was a kind of death with breathing and movement.

He walked rigidly and calmly, not believing that a person you loved—yes, he had loved her —could end up being someone you never knew.

Aina

The pain didn’t go away, but its sharp edge had dulled and softened like sea glass.

In life, he had asked for so little from her, and when she thought of him now, she remembered her husband as someone who had praised the beauty that God had made.

A man must learn to forgive — to know what is important, that to live without forgiveness was a kind of death with breathing and movement.

"Learn everything. Fill your mind with knowledge — it's the only kind of power no one can take away from you."

Was her person Hansu or Isak? Did Hansu love her or had he just wanted to use her? If love required sacrifice, then Isak had really loved her.

"I don't want that," he said, feeling embarrassed. “I’d like to ask her, about her heart. I'd like to know if she could love me one day." Isak felt embarrassed, because it had occurred to him that, like an ordinary man, he wanted a wife who’d love him, not just feel indebted to him.

“People are rotten everywhere you go. They're no good. You see a very bad man? Make an ordinary man successful beyond his imagination. Let's see how good he is when he can do whatever he wants.”

A woman’s lot is to suffer. We must suffer. 

I talk to the dead although I don’t believe in ghosts. But it makes me feel good to speak with them. Maybe that is what God is.

lili

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 * 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. *Includes reading group guide*

I did not expect my eyes to swell at the ending. As if all their journey, happiness, and suffering came flooding at the same time.

Nate

Ella rec. Gotta listen to her more every single rec has changed my life. Heartbreaking diaspora lit but not in the usual direction. Life is all about cycles, of grief, of love, of luck and achievement and abundance we go around and around. Even with every advantage you can’t escape your legacy but maybe you can turn it into a reclamation. 

First book in a looong time that got me this hooked, absolutely amazing. 

loved it sm more than I expected🙇‍♀️

sophie yang 

muito lindo, mas dava pra ter 100 páginas a menos

júlia dornelas

i haven't read a book quite like this. it's a testament of strength, willpower, and love. it's full of heart and soul, and that's why it's heartbreaking. oh, noa i wish you knew how much people loved you despite your lineage. and solomon, you got this :")

Gianna Kristen

historical fiction that gave me perspective into the lives, pain and grit of korean women during the war 

victoria lim

this is an exceptional book about human survival, not in a sci-fi way but in a very plain way: it’s a book about family. there is something so special about a book that makes you think about your own life and the people that created it, as this one does. the progression of time is done very elegantly, and the way time skips towards the end was very realistic to me in how families hear updates on each other when they’re generations apart. phenomenally written without trying too hard, min jin lee has written a masterpiece. i only with it had been longer ;) 

Nina

A victorian epic transplanted to Japan, following a Korean family of immigrants through eight decades and four generations. Yeongdo, Korea 1911. A club-footed, cleft-lipped man marries a fifteen-year-old girl. The couple have one child, their beloved daughter Sunja. When Sunja falls pregnant by a married yakuza, the family face ruin. But then a Christian minister offers a chance of salvation: a new life in Japan as his wife. Following a man she barely knows to a hostile country where she has no friends and no home, Sunja's salvation is just the beginning of her story.

Svetlana 

*silently sobbing in the corner of my room because world is unfair place to live in*

Mira <3

"a woman's lot is to suffer" 

this book is gorgeous, and it makes me wish i could map out the history of my family, and the women who have cemented our story in time. teared up a few times - amazing read.

Ryan Mateyk

ploral

I enjoyed the first 2/3rd of the book but the last 1/3rd wasn't for me. The time skips didn't work for me.

I’m honestly shocked at the impression this book left on me and how much I enjoyed it. I started reading this book because I had heard good reviews on it but didn’t actually think I would enjoy it as I’m more into action or thriller/crime based books.

It touches on the struggles and suffering of Koreans in Japan in the 1900’s and their will to overcome them. It’s definitely sad, frustrating (mostly from empathizing with a character) and a bit slow at times in pov of a reader but honestly does a great job overall to keep your attention. I loved it and honestly, if I ever have nothing else to read in the future, I can definitely see myself reading this book again.

lily

I’m honestly shocked at the impression this book left on me and how much I enjoyed it. I started reading this book because I had heard good reviews on it but didn’t actually think I would enjoy it as I’m more into action or thriller/crime based books.

It touches on the struggles and suffering of Koreans in Japan in the 1900’s and their will to overcome them. It’s definitely sad, frustrating (mostly from empathizing with a character) and a bit slow at times in pov of a reader but honestly does a great job overall to keep your attention. I loved it and honestly, if I ever have nothing else to read in the future, I can definitely see myself reading this book again.

raven

Did not know anything about this when I started reading it and just wow.. This was so beautifully written and detailed, tugs at your heartstrings at times then reminds you of the realities of living through those times as a Korean in Japan back then.

Reiza H

Udah lama gak baca novel kayak gini.

I admit, there are two moments in the book that makes my eyes teary. It is an astonishing, touching story about a Korean immigrant that spans three generations.

I learned a lot about the life of Koreans in Japan. How hard life was for them, and even now, they continually face discrimination. 

I learned not only about their discrimination, but also their determinations to make their life better.

What I took as a lesson is this: Life can be hard, and it seems unfair. But there's hope. 

There's always hope in life.

lauren

** spoiler alert **
           not quite a 5 but too good for a 4.
4.2/5 stars.
some criticism about there being too many characters! you would not last a day reading dr zhivago! anyways, i didn't mind it. i read this over a couple of months so this actually made it easier to remember everyone.
LOVE what the author did with akiko's character. i feel like there are a lot of people like her in this world (and not in a good way). also thought it was very interesting that she never figured out how harmful her words were to noa. overall, the waseda chapters were brilliant.
only thing that kind of bothered me was yumi's death! why did they kill her off? and the random car that hit her? oh well!

This book is a constant roller coaster of emotions and showcases the harsh realities of life. No country, no person, no culture is perfect, if anything it shows the cruelest   sides of humanity. I highly recommend this book. 

Naveen Sheik

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.

Gigi V

I am re-reading because I found out Lee Min Ho is going to be in the movie. 🤪🤪🤪🤪

page-turner that made me cry and feel whole inside :(

buny

Edit: I feel in my dissatisfaction with the novel as a whole, I forgot to marvel in here about how goddamn amazing Min Jin Lee was for naming the book Pachinko. Because that is so cool????????? (DO not mind my random burst of anxiousness because I hate  hate  my feelings not getting across regarding things I really appreciate.) 

I can see why this worked for so many people but for me, it just. Didn't. For the me who needs to be shown things instead of told them outright (in books, I'm quite dumb irl),  Pachinko  could've used better, more emotive writing. And I understand it couldn't have been so easy to work with so many characters throughout multiple generations with so many changes, from countries to places to sceneries to even the things around the house, but when I'm reading a book spanning through generations with a war and questioning identities and emotional turmoils of all kinds from love to managing kids to dealing with grief of losing your loved ones going on, I expect at least to feel a little bit of moved, touched even slightly. 

I appreciate this book and its purpose for being written but I didn't particularly like it or feel connected to the characters; it felt like, to me, that there was a veil of detachment keeping me from reaching inside Sunja or any of the other character's mind and I would've faulted myself for it if I didn't dedicate myself fully to absorbing this novel for the past few days. I was quite disappointed overall for I did not feel that hungry curiosity gnawing at me throughout the book nor did I feel the nervous anxiousness for these people who were going through  so  much shit; I did want for nothing to but just hug Mozasu and Solomon at times and, when Sunja in the end went to Isak's grave, I felt bittersweet leaving her and her story but other than that, it didn't do much for me :/

Sarah Sammis

Pachinko is the first book by Min Jin Lee since her debut in 2007, Free Food for Millionaires. I must admit that I was unduly harsh in my review of her debut and over the years I have grown to appreciate it more than I did as a first time reader. Lee's books need to be read slowly and deliberately. 

http://pussreboots.com/blog/2017/comm...

amari

TOO DAMN GOOD BRAH LIKE ACTUALLY THIS IS CRIMINALLY GOOD. everything a novel should be from story telling to narration and dialogue i was absolutely swept away by this writing. such a gorgeous story with gorgeous characters and an important core moment in history i knew ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ABOUT. so glad i was able to read this and learn a new perspective. i think this should be mandatory middle school reading in america tbh.

What a historical journey it has been. But seriously, that’s the ending??? ☹️

Jessica Biwang

Hannah Yoon

Jan 27 Raw Thoughts
I couldn't stop thinking about this as I was going to sleep. I woke up thinking about each character and their story. What amazes me about this book is that I feel like I can remember every character, no matter how minor they were. Each person was intentional. 
I was most drawn to Mozasu but I felt the pain and struggle of each person. I know the word 'heartbreaking' is used to describe this book, but I keep coming back to 한 (han) and felt it throughout the whole book. It's ingrained in our DNA and I think Min Jin Lee wonderfully brought that into this book. I also love how much time and thought Lee put into this book. Almost 30 years in the making, it showed me how perseverance and care for a story is important.

Pachinko

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