Eugenia Kim's Blog, page 12
May 4, 2009
The Chinese Mirror, by Mirra Ginsburg
A father in ancient Korea travels to China and brings home something he's never seen before—a mirror. Not understanding that the image they see in the mirror is theirs, each family member reads more into the image they see, and havoc ensues. Lovely watercolors enhance this story. Children's picture book.
The Piano Teacher, by Janice Y. K. Lee
Among the highlights of Lee's debut novel are the two periods the story is told within—early 1950s and the onset of Japan's occupation in the 1940s—and the wonderful setting of Hong Kong. It is as much a love story as a mystery, a tale of race and class issues, culture divides, loss, betrayal, regret and finding oneself amid the languishing shadows of world war. It brought to mind two other works: the recent film by Ang Lee, "Lust, Caution," which takes place in Shanghai but has similar theme...
Seesaw Girl, by Linda Sue Park
Jade Blossom, being an aristocrat's child, cannot leave her family compound, until one day she does—to see her sister who recently married. Her adventure is unprecedented for a girl of her class, and brings uproar to the family. Very young adult.
Korean Adventure: Inside Story of an Army Wife, by Dorothy House Vieman
The diary of the wife of an KMAG (Korean Military Advisory Govt.) Army Colonel who arrived in Seoul on April 29, 1949 and lived there for 14 months until she was evacuated because of the looming Korean War. Unlike the similar memoir, Irma and the Hermit, this narrator is worldly and although much is new to her, she is compassionate and curious about what she sees in Korea.
