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Please Look After Mom

Kyung-Sook Shin,

신경숙

Chi-Young Kim (Translator)

3.79 · Rating details · 21,988 ratings · 3,950 reviews

An international sensation and a bestseller that has sold over 1.5 million copies author's Korea, Please Look After Mom is a stunning, deeply moving story of a family's search for their missing mother - and their discovery of the desires, heartaches and secrets they never realized she harbored within.

When sixty-nine year old So-nyo is separated from her husband among the c ...more

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Hardcover, 237 pages

Published April 5th 2011 by Knopf (first published 2008)

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Lists with This Book

Please Look After Mom by Kyung-Sook Shin

When My Name Was Keoko by Linda Sue Park

The Calligrapher's Daughter by Eugenia Kim

Fiction by Korean Authors and/or Containing Korean Characters

294 books — 294 voters

Korean literature in English

171 books — 108 voters

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3.79 ·

Rating details

· 21,988 ratings · 3,950 reviews

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Jul 07, 2012 Fotooh Jarkas rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, 2012, novels, e-book

الرواية تدور حول ثلاث محاور رئيسية ، الوحدة و الأنانية والفراق ..
قصة مايكل أنجلو و ألمه وهو يتطاول لتزيين سقف كنيسة السيستين ، تحمل رمزية رائعة..
فقد نكون يوما سقفا عاليا ، كسقف الكنيسة هذا..
لكن أقل شأنا منه .
نسبب بكبرنا و تعالينا ألما لمن يحاول جاهدا أن يزين حياتنا
ربما يكون إنسانا على قدر من الرفعة والقداسة ...
و ربما يكون أما

ليست رواية اعتيادية أبدا
هناك أرواح تحكي هذه الرواية ، تشبه أرواحنا في كفرها وإيمانها
في عطائها وشحها وجحودها و نكرانها ...
و أحيانا بل و نادرا في اعترافها و امتنانها...

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Nov 30, 2018 Nasrbarshoumy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

لحظة
قمة المأساة
حينما يحدث أمر يمكن أن يقع للجميع ولا تظن أنه سيحدث لك.
اعتاد الناس أن يتعرض الآخرون لمثل هذه التجارب البائسة...
وما الغرابة في ذلك...
والدة...
لتقل جدة أيضًا...
تتدهور قواها العقلية بحكم انهيار الجسد واستهلاك النفس وانشغال الأهل وانصراف العالم عنها...
تخرج ولا تعود.
انظر لهؤلاء المشردين بالتأكيد كانت لهم أسر وجدران حامية وأوقات لطيفة وأحباب يحنون عليهم وضعاف يتمسحون بهم ومريد يلجأ إليهم طالبًا النصح وناشدًا الحكمة.
وانظر لهؤلاء المتمتعين بأناقتهم في السيارات الفخمة، والمحشورين في لحظة
قمة المأساة
حينما يحدث أمر يمكن أن يقع للجميع ولا تظن أنه سيحدث لك.
اعتاد الناس أن يتعرض الآخرون لمثل هذه التجارب البائسة...
وما الغرابة في ذلك...
والدة...
لتقل جدة أيضًا...
تتدهور قواها العقلية بحكم انهيار الجسد واستهلاك النفس وانشغال الأهل وانصراف العالم عنها...
تخرج ولا تعود.
انظر لهؤلاء المشردين بالتأكيد كانت لهم أسر وجدران حامية وأوقات لطيفة وأحباب يحنون عليهم وضعاف يتمسحون بهم ومريد يلجأ إليهم طالبًا النصح وناشدًا الحكمة.
وانظر لهؤلاء المتمتعين بأناقتهم في السيارات الفخمة، والمحشورين في المواصلات العامة الذين يكتظ بهم المترو الأزرق والباص الأخضر والأتوبيس الأحمر، ولا بأس من أن تمر عيناك على السائرين متخبطين في خطاهم، أو باحثين في الأركان عن شئ ضائع. هل خرجت أم أحدهم ولم تعد؟
هل شاهدوا شبهًا لعزيز تائه في أتوبيس مسرع، أو لمحوا وجهًا اختفى في زحام السوق لأب أو جد؟
هل استعادوا أرصفة الشوارع وأرقام البيوت وبوابات المدارس ومنازل الحارات لعل من غاب عاد لديار كانت له فيها ذكرى معه؟
ها هم يفتحون الأبواب المغلقة واللحظات الموصلة وقماقم الأشباح المنسية ويرون وجوههم الحقيقية الكئيبة في مرايا مصابيح خابية الوهج.
هذا هو موضوع الرواية التي تمر من سيول إلى روما...
وكأن الكاتبة داخل الرواية تقف مبتهلة أمام أم حضارية أخرى في أوروبا بعد أن نشأ جيل جديد من أبناء آسيا في أمريكا.
فصام ثقافي لم يستطع ضمير المخاطب أن يغزل خيطه الهارب في فضاء الحيرة بين هوية ذات جذور تحتفي بطقوس الأسلاف وجيل اختطفه أسلوب حياة أخرى...
إنها ثلاث روايات في رواية واحدة...
تتبع سيرة الأم الغائبة...
وسير أهلها الغائبين عن الوعي بمسئوليتهم تجاه ثقافة تكوينهم.
وسيرة الشرق والغرب...
لكن تظل الأم ذائبة في شوارع المدينة...
وشعاب النفوس...
وطرائق الحكي. ...more

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Apr 08, 2011 Ruthie Jones rated it it was amazing

Shelves: nook-book, wip-comps

Powerful and unforgettable! I actually believe this book has changed me or at least opened my eyes to my own level of participation (and shortcomings) in my relationships.

This amazing story will rip you to shreds and force you to face difficult questions about your own relationships--not just with your mom but with all those people who claim a piece of your life and heart: "Who are these people who love me so much?" "Why do I take their very existence for granted?" "Do any of these people really ...more

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Jun 30, 2012 Haneen rated it really liked it · review of another edition

عمل ادبي متميز للغاية..هذه المرة الاولى التي اقرأ فيها رواية نظيفة من الدرجة الاولى تخلو من تفاهات جنسية و افكار شاذة و عقد نفسية

جعلتني هذه الرواية افكر و افكر و افكر كيف للانسان ان يعرف قيمة احبابه عند فقدانهم و كيف يعيش بعد فقدانهم و كيف له ان يسترجع ذكرياته الجميلة و المريرة معهم في ان واحد..شعور التقصير و تأنيب الضمير و لوم النفس الذي سيسيطر عليه بعدهم...

شخصيات الرواية جميلة للغاية..قريبة من القلب..واقعية و بعيدة عن الخيال

الزوج كان انسان اناني ,مقصر, عديم الفائدة...
اؤمن بشدة وجود هذه النوعية ...more

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Jul 02, 2012 نبال قندس rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: owned

لو كان بالإمكان لوضعت لها ملايين النجمات
لأول مرة في حياتي أبكي بحرقة على رواية ، هذه الرواية التي أظن أنها أجمل ما قرأت
ستتخذ حيزاً كبيراً في ذاكرتي
مكاناً لا يُنسى
سأحملها معي للأبد و سأبكي مجدداً كلما تذكرتها
بعد أن ضاعت أمهم الرائعة التي ضحت طوال حياتها من أجلهم
بعد أن أهملوها كثيراً و تجاهلوها أكثر
و أزعجهم اهتمامها الدائم بهم
يبدأ الأبناء و الزوج بالبحث عن هذه الأم
و تذكر كل تلك التفاصيل التي تجاهلوها
و اللحظات التي نسوها
يدركون أنهم لم يعرفوا أمهم حقا لم يعرفوا ما تحب وما تكره
لم يعرفوا بمر ...more

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Jun 30, 2011 Jordan Ferguson rated it it was ok

This is not the sort of book I read, and I’d be lying if I said the Korean name on the cover didn’t play a part in getting me to crack the spine; I tend to give passes to stories I think are lame when they come from Asian countries, it’s just where my own cultural preferences lie. Even still the story, about a family dealing with the disappearance of their mother in a Seoul subway station, would normally have been a little too ‘old lady book club’ for me. But one detail of the plot, a minor poin This is not the sort of book I read, and I’d be lying if I said the Korean name on the cover didn’t play a part in getting me to crack the spine; I tend to give passes to stories I think are lame when they come from Asian countries, it’s just where my own cultural preferences lie. Even still the story, about a family dealing with the disappearance of their mother in a Seoul subway station, would normally have been a little too ‘old lady book club’ for me. But one detail of the plot, a minor point highlighted on the jacket description, pulled me in: as the family gathers to make missing person flyers to distribute, the missing mother’s children realize they have no recent photos of her. How heartbreaking is that?

So that little detail got me in the door, since so much of my own [never finished] creative work is concerned with our inability to ever really know another person, and whether that deficiency is really a deficiency at all, or instead an impossible standard we’ve all been convinced to aspire to? PLAM deals with these concerns by the shovelful, as the other family members look back on their relationship with their mother/wife, re-examining shared moments under the colored light cast by her absence.

Shin’s big gamble with the book is her narrative technique, primarily telling the story through second-person voice [when your mother disappeared, you stood outside the station and handed out flyers with your brother and his wife]. It’s a risky move, creative writing teachers usually brandish flaming swords to discourage students from using due to the difficulty in maintaining consistency, but Shin keeps it engaging about 75 per cent of the time.

But 75 per cent is not 100 per cent [I rock math!] and unfortunately the book suffers from its shifting perspectives. Similar to Egan’s ‘Visit From the Goon Squad,’ the problem with the shifting voices is if you like one narrator, you might not ever hear them again. This isn’t as much of a deficiency in PLAM as in ‘Goon Squad,’ only because none of the narrators are that exceptional: I probably preferred the writer daughter to the oldest son, but neither of them are exactly vivd or colorful, a fact I might attribute to the somewhat flat prose of Asian authors when translated to English.

PLAM isn’t a bad book, by any means, but I think it might have more to say about the mother/daughter relationship than the mother/son. Ultimately, it’s a book about the moment when children start to see their parents as individuals, something other than ‘Mom’ or ‘Dad.’ It’s a story worth telling, but I think it would have resonated better with me in a story written by an native English speaker. There were many times, moments related to Korean holidays or family memorial altars, where the significance just whooshed past my head, and despite it’s book club-friendly subject matter, I can see it being a hard sell to those members of my clientele. The prose lacks the florid prose that typically fills such books. And that’s a shame, since I think there’s a lot that crowd could get out of it, but they’re a stubborn bunch in my experience.

All in all, the book’s a fine introduction to a new voice from a place we don’t hear very much from in North America, and the push the book seems to be getting would suggest Kyung-Sook Shin is an author we’ll be hearing from for a few more books yet. ...more

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Nov 16, 2012 Abdulrahman rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: novels, women

رواية جميلة ومؤثرة
"بعد أن اختفت, أصبحت حاضرة في حياتكم, كأنكم تستطيعون مد أيديكم إليها
ولمسها "
فعلا لا أحد منا يقدر ما تفعله أمهاتنا من أجلنا إلا بعد أن يغبن عنا

هل سألت نفسك يوماً.. هل أمي تحب الطبخ فعلا ؟ أم أنها تفعل ذلك لإرضائنا ؟

" إننا نتعامل مع الأم وكأنها كائن لا يمرض "

"
إن كلمة " ماما " كلمة مريحة وتنطوي على توسل خفي : من فضلك اعتني بي , من فضلك ربتي على رأسي , من فضلك قفي بجانبي سواء كنت على خطأ أو صواب
"

( أمك ثم أمك ثم أمك)

ماما ♥

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Mar 16, 2015 حماس rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: international-words, بحوث

أيلزم أن نفقد أحبتنا لنعلم منزلتهم؟؟
ألا نستطيع أبدًا أن نرى ما هو أمامنا؟؟
ألا نقدِّر أبدًا ما بأيدينا؟؟
ألا نندم أبدًا قبل فوات الأوان؟؟

ضاعت أمهم
فعاد كل منهم لنفسه يلومها
لماذا فعلتُ ذلك؟؟
ليتنى قمتُ بكذا
لو عادت فسأفعل هذا

ولكن فات الأوان...

هذه الرواية صفعة على وجه كل من له أم
على قيد الحياة

ومن ماتت أمه فالرواية سكين يذبح القلب
بل يذبح النفس والروح أيضًا

أمى: أينما كنتِ فسامحيني
ذهبتِ مبكرًا جدًا
لم أُعطى الفرصة لأوفيكِ حقكِ
وإن كان شوقى يدفعنى لأراكِ فيكفينى أن أنظر بداخلى
لأراكِ
غيابكِ كان مدمرًا
فقد كنتِ ...more

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Nov 07, 2012 Noura rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, novels, أدب_مترجم

رائعه ... مع ان النهايه صدمتني الى حد ما

تتحدث الروايه عن أم تاهت ف محطه سيول ولم يدرك زوجها أختفائها الا عند ركوبه القطار ولكن في اعتقادي هذه الأم قد تاهت قبل ذلك بكثير
هذه الأم تاهت عندما تخلت عن حياتها لأسعاد زوجها وأولادها
وللأسف لم تحظي يوما واحدا بأهتمامهم جميعا

موجعه لاقصي درجه ... عند قرأتي للروايه احتجت أن أعيد النظر في علاقتي ببعض المقربين مني

هل حقا انا أعرفهم جيدا؟

هل لمجردانك تعيش في بيت واحد مع عائلتك يجعلك تعرفهم جيدا؟!!

الأجابه لا ... هل يوما ما جلست مع والدك او والدتك وسألتهم
ماهي ...more

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Feb 19, 2012 Elaine rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2012

Wow, that was bizarre and bad. What starts out as an interesting family novel turns into an extended hagiography of "Mom", a woman so amazingly selfless and nurturing that puppies, ducklings, fields and orphans spring into worshipful life around her -- only her callous children and faithless husband don't see the value of this woman, who secretly feeds the poor, delivers the baby of a man who stole from her, sleeps in the cold, and donates her old-age mite to orphans. She is so selfless that -- Wow, that was bizarre and bad. What starts out as an interesting family novel turns into an extended hagiography of "Mom", a woman so amazingly selfless and nurturing that puppies, ducklings, fields and orphans spring into worshipful life around her -- only her callous children and faithless husband don't see the value of this woman, who secretly feeds the poor, delivers the baby of a man who stole from her, sleeps in the cold, and donates her old-age mite to orphans. She is so selfless that -- despite being plagued (literally) by a host of illnesses from mysterious stomach trouble to cancer to (apparently) Alzheimer's -- she never even agrees to take medicine or go to the hospital. She is Super-Mom, the epitome of "never mind, I'll just sit in the dark", and so annoyingly perfect and cloyingly abject that if she were your Mom, you'd be speaking as sharply to her as her children and husband do. But never fear, in Shin's world, these children will rue for eternity those sharp words. Even the perfect 2nd daughter is racked by endless guilt and wants to stick her head in a dirt hole b/c she failed to plant a persimmon tree in the spot that Mom told her to (really).

Speaking of the 2nd daughter, one of the most gratingly retrograde and black/white aspects of this book is that the only person in the family who is kind to Mom (so kind she buys her a mink coat with her first paycheck!) is the 2nd daughter, a stay-at-home Mom to 3 children, so selfless in her own right that she wears mis-matched socks and collapses in motherly exhaustion. This book does not deal in nuance! By contrast, the careerist, not-married, older daughter is -- you guessed it -- mean to Mom, and Dad!, drinks too much, and therefore is to blame for most things in the world.

A final complaint -- and in a book so thematically irksome, this is really trivia -- the family structure and timeline do not hold together. There are supposedly 5 children, but the two younger sons are almost invisible and the repeated depictions of family life when the protganists are children never involve the younger children. The eldest son is said to be over 50, yet the eldest daughter (the middle child of the 5) is said to be in her thirties -- this could work, except that they are repeatedly described as being young children together. Similarly, the elder and younger daughter are apparently close in age, but the childhood scenes never involve any interaction between the sisters. When the three oldest have moved to Seoul, Mom is described as having nothing to live for back in the countryside, which is odd as presumably she had two young children back at home. This just seems sloppy in the extreme.

So why two stars and not just one? Well, I did enjoy learning a bit about life in the Korean countryside. Especially the loving descriptions of meals -- I always enjoy those. ...more

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Apr 29, 2018 Rosie Nguyễn rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Đây là cảm nhận dựa trên bản dịch tiếng Việt. Nghe nói bản tiếng Anh và bản tiếng Hàn chính gốc thì hay kinh khủng và rất khác bản tiếng Việt.

Một cuốn truyện được giới thiệu bởi một anh làm xuất bản mà mình quý. Và mới đọc đã thấy thích rồi. Truyện cứ như nói hộ lòng mình ấy. Những mâu thuẫn, cãi nhau vì bao nhiêu chuyện vặt vãnh giữa mẹ và con gái, những tình cảm ẩn sâu không dễ lộ thành lời, cái yêu thương kỳ lạ giữa những người trong gia đình, mọi thứ được mô tả sống động và cụ thể, cứ như hi Đây là cảm nhận dựa trên bản dịch tiếng Việt. Nghe nói bản tiếng Anh và bản tiếng Hàn chính gốc thì hay kinh khủng và rất khác bản tiếng Việt.

Một cuốn truyện được giới thiệu bởi một anh làm xuất bản mà mình quý. Và mới đọc đã thấy thích rồi. Truyện cứ như nói hộ lòng mình ấy. Những mâu thuẫn, cãi nhau vì bao nhiêu chuyện vặt vãnh giữa mẹ và con gái, những tình cảm ẩn sâu không dễ lộ thành lời, cái yêu thương kỳ lạ giữa những người trong gia đình, mọi thứ được mô tả sống động và cụ thể, cứ như hiển hiện trước mắt người ta vậy. Đọc và chảy nước mắt, và nhớ tới má, nhớ da diết, và thấy mình là một đứa con có lỗi biết bao. Có lẽ ai đọc quyển này cũng thấp thoáng thấy bóng dáng của mình và mẹ mình trong đó.

Nói như vậy để thấy rằng người viết rất có tài, kỹ thuật viết rất tốt, chắt lọc chất liệu từng chút từng chút một, những chi tiết nhỏ xíu mà gợi lên bao nhiêu điều không nói, và những chi tiết chân thực đến nỗi như là người viết đã đi vào trí nhớ của người đọc mà lôi ra những mẩu ký ức tuổi thơ vậy, cứ như đọc lại nhật ký của bản thân mình, khiến họ không khỏi giật mình nhớ lại những ngày xưa cũ, mình cũng đã từng làm thế, nói thế với mẹ mình.

Một quyển truyện về tình cảm gia đình, nhưng không chỉ gói gọn trong đó. Điều có lẽ khiến quyển sách này được đón nhận nồng nhiệt đến vậy là từ câu chuyện của một bà mẹ nó viết về câu chuyện của hàng triệu người mẹ, câu chuyện của một người phụ nữ trở thành câu chuyện về thân phậncon người, câu chuyện của một gia đình cho thấy bối cảnh xã hội trong cả một thời kỳ, với những giá trị lần lượt bị thay thế và đánh đổi, với những câu hỏi về cuộc sống và mối quan hệ giữa người với người.

Đoạn đầu đọc rất thích, chắc khoảng 5 sao, đoạn sau từ phần người cha thì tụt xuống 3 sao, có lẽ vì thấy nhiều chi tiết hơi bị thừa và rườm rà, lại vận dụng kỹ thuật tương tự tiếp mà không có thêm gì mới nên không có nhiều cảm xúc như trước. Điều đọng lại trong mình là hình ảnh can trường của người mẹ, một người với can đảm và mơ ước, với khát vọng và nỗ lực, với tình yêu cuộc sống và ý chí kiên cường, mặc cho bao nhiêu bất công của hoàn cảnh, bao nhiêu xô đẩy của cuộc đời, đã không ngừng nỗ lực để sống tốt và có ích, hoàn thành trách nhiệm của mình trong đời, và tận hưởng cuộc sống theo cách riêng của mình. Đó có lẽ là cách sống mà người ta nên lựa chọn cho mình trong cuộc sống của một người trưởng thành vốn nhiều gian truân và thử thách. ...more

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Feb 26, 2017 Orsodimondo rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: corea

L’ORSO ATTRAVERSÒ LA MONTAGNA
Tutto ruota attorno alla figura di una donna di 69 anni: una contadina, vera campagnola, che si potrebbe definire forte e tenace, ma a me sembra essenzialmente ostinata e caparbia.
Il suo essere madre e moglie viene ben prima del suo essere donna: tendo a pensare che con il marito si sia congiunta solo le volte necessarie a partorire i quattro figli più il quinto morto prematuro.
È sempre stato il pilastro della sua famiglia, nella quale ha investito tutta se stessa, ...more

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Feb 02, 2012 Ruba AlTurki rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

حتماً لن تكون المرة الأخيرة التي أقرأ للكاتبة خصوصاً أو في الادب الكوري عموماً
هذه القصة كانت فاتحة خير فيما يتعلق بالحكم الاولي على الاعمال الكورية بالنسبة لي.
أرجوك إعتن بأمي، قصة عائلة كورية وفقدان والدتهم في محطة سول للقطارات، كيف لك أن تفقد إنساناً؟ يضيع منك وكأنه لم يكن؟ هل هذا ممكن؟ هل يحدث فعلاً؟ أين ؟ كيف؟ ولماذا؟
ستجد نفسك تجري في سباق مع هذه الصفحات لتجد الوالدة، ستبحر وتغوص في أعماق نفوس وذكريات هذه العائلة .. كيف وجدوا أنفسهم أمام سؤال كبير.. هذه التي ضاعت منّا.. من هي؟
تضيع منك أمك ...more

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Jan 24, 2016 Fahad AlSayabi rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

لكلّ أولئك الذين يخشون الفقد،
أطلب منكم ما مفاده:
تأجيل قراءة ما بين أيديكم، والشروع في قراءة الرواية أعلاه،
ليس فضلاً، وإنما أمراً هذه المرّة،
قد لا تكون رواية عظيمة بهذا القدر، صحيح،
ولكن ما جيء بها من عاطفة –تجاه الأم- تخللت النص عظيم بحق،
كلّما اصطدمت بوجه أمي الآن، تَرددَ عليّ صوتها، مثلت الرواية قبالتي،
تمنيت لو أنّي قرأتها قبلاً وليس الآن وبعد هذا العمر العشريني،

أشعر في هذه اللحظة، وكأن الرواية اتخذت مني مسكناً أبديّاً لها،

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May 31, 2013 Yousra rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: اكتشافي-مكتبة-روايات-الشباب, بيت-الكتب

رواية إنسانية بالدرجة الأولى ... مفعمة بالمشاعر المختلفة والمتناقضة أحيانا

رواية رائعة ..... وبقدر روعتها فهي مزعجة ومُبكية أحيانا

تدور احداث الرواية - كما ورد في التعريف بالرواية على ظهر الغلاف - حول الأم التي يفقدها زوجها في محطة قطار الأنفاق في سول ومسيرة البحث عنها... ولكن بالقراءة تكتشف أن البحث كان عن الأم في حياة أبنائها، والأم والزوجة في حياة زوجها .... والبحث عن انسانية الأبناء والزوج في رحلة بحثهم عن الأم المسنة التائهة في المدينة الكبيرة المتغيرة

لا أنكر أن الأسلوب أربكني واستغرقت وقتا ح ...more

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Dec 31, 2011 Sherifa rated it really liked it · review of another edition

فوبيا فقد من نحب ... هذا الكتاب مليء بالاحاسيس ... قد تكون طريقة الكتابة غريبة بعض الشي
حزين جدا
عميق ببساطة
احببته
و ابكاني

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Mar 28, 2011 Karen Ng rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: aging, asia, powerful-narrative-poignant, translated, korea-korean-literature

Wow....wait, I need to capitalize this: WOW...This story took me through an emotional roller coaster that reminded me of all my personal shortcomings in the relationship department with my own family and my Mom. The last time I was this wrecked was when my father passed away of cancer 2 years ago.

The story begins when the 70-year old mother of a family disappears from a Seoul train station. The family, 5 grown children and her husband, is desperate to find her and yet, on the other hand, are bla Wow....wait, I need to capitalize this: WOW...This story took me through an emotional roller coaster that reminded me of all my personal shortcomings in the relationship department with my own family and my Mom. The last time I was this wrecked was when my father passed away of cancer 2 years ago.

The story begins when the 70-year old mother of a family disappears from a Seoul train station. The family, 5 grown children and her husband, is desperate to find her and yet, on the other hand, are blaming themselves and each other for not spending more time or paying more attention to her. The book is divided into 4 major sections with 4 narrative voices: the oldest daughter, the oldest son, the husband and the mom herself, with a shorter epilogue again narrated by the oldest daughter. A second person narration is heavily used in the book..in all except for the personal narration of Mom. It takes a little getting used to but then ultimately one would start to identify with the voice:

"You were the one who always hung up first. You would say, "Mom, I'll call you back," and then you didn't. You didn't have time to sit and listen to everything your Mom had to say..."

"Mom was the kitchen and the kitchen was Mom. You never wondered, did Mom like being in the kitchen?"

As the story unfolds with each person's narration, we understand a little more about Mom, her love for all, her everyday life, her relationship with each of her children, her relationship with her husband and her husband's demanding older sister. We come to know that her children and her husband know very little of her, except that she was always there for them, taking care of them. When Mom's voice starts narrating at the end, we get the complete picture, almost...

It's no coincidence that the Korean word for "death" is a homonym for the number 4 (same in Chinese). This is a very sad story to read, yet I can't stop reading, especially toward the end. The translation is great, leaving Shin's original writing style unchanged. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves his/her Mom. ...more

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Sep 27, 2018 AMEERA rated it really liked it · review of another edition

💔💔💔💔

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Mar 07, 2019 María Alcaide rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019, asia, female-authors

Me ha emocionado. Aunque me han sobrado algunas páginas, quizás, del final, me ha encantado. 4.5 - 5*s

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Jul 03, 2012 Odai Al-Saeed rated it liked it · review of another edition

هذه الرواية تتحدث عن الحضور الغائب... لا نشعر بقيمة من نحب الا عندما نفقده...رواية مؤثرة في الأدب الكوري تهيج شعورك العاطفي اتجاه الأم وتوقظه...كانت ممتعة

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Jul 14, 2011 Clare Cannon rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: adults

A beautiful story about the small but heroic sacrifices made by a Korean mother for her family, and the lack of recognition her family gave her until the day she goes missing on the city subway.

The second person narratives - while a little disconcerting at times - allow each of her children, her husband, and finally the mother herself to share their own experience of her disappearance, and the memories it recalls about their lives before.

The mood is sombre, reflective, and would be heavy if not ...more

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Mar 21, 2011 Jill rated it it was amazing

Shelves: best-of-2011, asian-literature

Those who have traveled in Southeast Asia – and Korea in particular -- will know right away that the number 4 (pinyin sì) is considered unlucky because it sounds like “death” (pinyin sǐ). Why, then, did Korean author Kyung-sook Shin carefully craft a novel from four different viewpoints?

The answer is that the members of this family are unlucky, or at the very least, careless. Through years as a family, none of them ever really knew Mom or understood the sources of her strength. And now she has d Those who have traveled in Southeast Asia – and Korea in particular -- will know right away that the number 4 (pinyin sì) is considered unlucky because it sounds like “death” (pinyin sǐ). Why, then, did Korean author Kyung-sook Shin carefully craft a novel from four different viewpoints?

The answer is that the members of this family are unlucky, or at the very least, careless. Through years as a family, none of them ever really knew Mom or understood the sources of her strength. And now she has disappeared in a crowded Seoul subway station, where she and her husband of 50 years were about to board a train. Her disappearance devastates those who are left behind.

The story is told from four alternating points of view: Chi-hon, the oldest daughter and a successful novelist, Hyung-chol, the oldest son who is wracked with guilt for not living up to his potential, her husband who inevitably disappointed Mom through his selfishness and adultery, and last of all, Mom. Little by little, a fuller image of Mom emerges, although we, the readers, never really get to know all the facets of Mom either.

Chi-hon reflects, “Either a mother and daughter know each other very well, or they are strangers…You realized you’d become a stranger as you watched Mom try to conceal her messy everyday life.” As Chi-hon strives to sort out who her Mom really was, she realizes that, “…because of one thing or another you would push calling her to the end of your list.” Mom had become superfluous in her busy life, a solid presence who was always a little bit of an enigma.

Hyung-chol was the favored son who was both idolized and pressured. In the end though, he could not live up to Mom’s aspirations and dreams for him. “Mom’s disappearance was triggering events in his memory moments, like the maple-leaf doors, he thought he’d forgotten about.”

The two adult children – and their father – realize, too late, that Mom was an integral part of existence. Father thinks, “When she planted seedlings of eggplant, purple eggplants hung everywhere throughout the summer and into the fall. Anything she touched grew in bounty.” Still, he selfishly ignores her intense headaches and the heartbreaks that Mom is forced to undergo alone.

When we get to Mom’s story, we learn some of the background – her arranged marriage, for instance, and a few of the secrets she keeps. But it’s left to Chi-hon to recognize the truth in a letter from her younger sister, “Do you remember asking me a little while ago to tell you something I knew about Mom? All I knew was that Mom’s missing. It’s the same now. I especially don’t know where her strength came from. Think about it. Mom did things that one person couldn’t do by herself. I think that’s why she became emptier and emptier.”

Please Look After Mom is a novel that’s distinctly Korean –ancestral-rite tables, the Full Moon Harvest, plum juice and steamed skate – but is also very universal. Every view is explored – Chi-hon and Father’s stories are in second person, Hyung-chol’s is in third person and Mom’s is in first person. And, while the second person tense can become a little cumbersome, the writing is still direct, moving, and graceful.

It’s worth noting that Kyung-sook Shin is already a prominent novelist in Korea; the book sold nearly one and a half million copies in South Korea. Translated expertly by Chi-Young Kim, the book is certain to make readers appreciate the hardworking, uncomplaining women who go by the simple endearment “Mom.”

...more

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Nov 12, 2016 هَنَـــاءْ rated it it was ok · review of another edition

البيت الذي يفقد "الأم" يفقد الركن الذي تستند عليه أساساته ..

-يا ترى هل نحتاج إلى صدمة عنيفة لندرك إلى أي ركن نستند؟!

هذه الرواية تحاول نقل شعور الضياع الذي يعتري الأبناء لحظة فقدان "الأم"، الألم، الذكريات .. كل شيء يتداعي أمام القلب التائه .. الكثير من الندم والإحساس بالتفريط تجاه ذلك الماضي .. وخزات متكررة تجعلك لا تنسى التفاصيل ولا تفر منها بل كل شيء يغدو بثقل الدنيا على صدرك المنهك ..

-ماذا لو فقدت أغلى إنسان لديك ؟!
-هنا فقط يمكنك أن ترى بوضوح .. حتى لو أغلقت عينيك مراراً وتكراراً ..
كل الأفك ...more

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Jan 31, 2019 Monica Kim: Reader in Emerald City rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2019

I have so many dreams of my own, and I remember things from my childhood, from when I was a girl and a young woman, and I haven't forgotten a thing. So why did we think of Mom as a mom from the very beginning? She didn't have the opportunity to pursue her dreams, and all by herself, faced everything the era dealt her, poverty and sadness, and she couldn't do anything about her very bad lot in life other than suffer through it and get beyond it and live her life to the very best of her ability, g I have so many dreams of my own, and I remember things from my childhood, from when I was a girl and a young woman, and I haven't forgotten a thing. So why did we think of Mom as a mom from the very beginning? She didn't have the opportunity to pursue her dreams, and all by herself, faced everything the era dealt her, poverty and sadness, and she couldn't do anything about her very bad lot in life other than suffer through it and get beyond it and live her life to the very best of her ability, giving her body and her heart to it completely. Why did I never give a thought to Mom's dreams?— Kyung-Sook Shin, Please Look After Mom
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Kyung Sook Shin’s “Please Look After Mom,” winner of The Man Asian Literary Prize was a deeply affecting, tear-jerker read. I cried so hard reading this book, I do not recommend you read it in public and make sure you have a box of tissue handy. Simple in prose, it wasn’t necessary that the writing in itself was good, but what the book was about that made the novel good. Although set in South Korea, this book will undoubtedly resonate with many people because of its universal theme — family, motherhood, love & loss, tradition, and familial obligations & duties. I think that is why the novel did so well worldwide.
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This novel brought back of some of my fondest childhood memories of growing up in a rural countryside in Korea. It’s so hard to believe that I used to live exactly like the rural life described in the book. I kept thinking of my parents, especially my mom as I read the novel. I briefly mentioned about my parents in another review, but both of my parents had rough childhoods. Especially my dad who has been on his own since 9, working at various temples to have a place to stay doing all kinds of odd errands & jobs. Then they got married & had twins at a young age and have been just working to have the ends meet, eventually bringing our family to America. They never really had the opportunities to pursue their dreams or go to school, they had to work & raise a young family. I love my parents and forever grateful & indebted for their love, sacrifices, and support. I could not imagine my life without my parents and hope they live a long, healthy life. I hope that I can be a good daughter to them and make up for all the troubles I caused, but that’s for another time, lol...
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simple in prose & bit slow burner, but deeply affecting & poignant and well-observed family dynamic & Korean culture, the novel is told in 2nd person narrative by four voices — daughter, son, father, and mother, after Sixty-nine-year-old So-nyo (mother) got separated from her husband among the crowds of the Seoul subway station. They were on their way to visit their children from the countryside, and told the kids they’ll find their way to the eldest son’s house on their own because none of them could meet them at the station. What follows is each character’s heartbreaking confession, guilt, misinterpretation, miscommunication, and frustration — not picking up their parents at the station, reflecting back on the sacrifices the mom/wife made for the family, not being a better daughter/son/husband, not acting on what mom asked or not to do, and ultimately, not knowing who mom really was.
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We don’t get to find out where mom is at the end, that broke me, and left me bit frustrated. But I have a bunch based on mom’s confession. I think author left that part out on purpose because it’s the stories that are the focus of the book. Oh my goodness, the dad’s section really tore me up! And mom’s secret, oh my god, heartbreaking! Highly recommend this hauntingly beautiful, yet sad, moving novel. 😭✌️📖 ...more

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Nov 07, 2011 ليلى المطوع rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: كتب-رائعة

بعض الروايات بعد الانتهاء منها نحتاج للتوقف للحظات لاسترجاع كلماتها ومعانيها ، هالرواية كانت فريدة من نوعها ، كانت تستحق اني ابكي بعد الانتهاء منها .

الكاتبة لعبت على وتر حساس وهو الام ، والتصرفات الي نمارسها من دون شعور

الله لايحرمني من امي والله يحفظها لي هالرواية خلتني اراجع حساباتي وحركاتي .

)":

بعض الابناء انانيوون

الملاحظة الوحيدة عليها هو اختلاط بعض الشخصيات فما اعرف من الي يتكلم حاليا .

لكن ككل تستحق القراءة

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Jan 23, 2019 April (Aprilius Maximus) added it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019, dnf

DNF at 50% - Honestly just couldn't get into it :(

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Dec 28, 2012 طَيْف rated it really liked it · review of another edition

حكايةٌ تهز الفؤاد وتدميه

"بعد أن اختفت، أصبحت حاضرة في حياتكم، وكأنكم تستطيعون مدّ أيديكم إليها ولمسها"

تُفقد الأم في محطة للقطارات...فيؤجج غيابها كل الذكريات القابعة في رتابة الحياة...ليدرك أبناؤها وزوجها حجم الفجيعة...ويبدأون مع البحث عنها باستعادة التفاصيل الغائبة والتي أهملوها...وتنهمرعليهم التساؤلات...ويتمنوا عودتها ولو ليوم واحد...ولكنها تظل أمنيات بعد فوات الأوان

ظنوا أنهم فقدوها في تلك اللحظة...ليتبين لهم أنهم فقدوها منذ زمن...فأصبح وجودها باهتا في حياتهم

الرواية جميلة بفكرتها التي تلامس الق ...more

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Nov 19, 2012 MuhammadShadi al-Rajeh rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

كنت قبل زمن ليس ببعيد من الذين لا يحبون قراءة الروايات، بحجة أنها لا تفيدنا بشيء جديد، أو لا تزيد شيئاً على معرفتنا العلمية.
ولكن بعد عدد من الروايات "المتميزة حقاً، وليس كل الروايات طبعاً!" أيقنت أن هناك أموراً لا يمكن لغير الرواية أن تعلمنا إياها.

الرواية جميلة جداً جداً، وأسلوب الكاتبة متميز حقاً، لأول مرة أقرأ رواية بهذا الأسلوب الكتابي، لست أدري ماذا يسمى، ولكنك تشعر وكأنك المخاطب دوماً على لسان كل من شخصيات القصة.

ستتعلم الكثير منها، وستوقن أن هناك الكثير الكثير من الأمو ...more

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Mar 14, 2019 Heba rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: closer-to-my-heart

الأم عالم بذاته قادرا على منح الحب على الدوام دون توقف ، نعتاد ذلك الى ان تأتي لحظة فارقة فى حياتنا حيث نفقد ذاك العالم بفقد صاحبته...طوال قراءتي كانت الكلمات تبدو مرتجفة مبتلة بدموعي ، نحن الأبناء قد نغفل ما يتبدى على ملامح ذاك العالم...
تلك الرعشة التي تسري بيديها بعدما كانت تتقن صنع كل شيء فى سبيل اسعادك ، ملامحها التى كانت تتدفق بالحياة باتت شاحبة متغضنة ، عرفت التجاعيد سبيلها اليها معلنة عن الزمن الذى مضى دونما ان تشكو يوما ثقله عليها..، تلك الحواس الواهنة التى يطأها الألم وتسألها ما بك "م الأم عالم بذاته قادرا على منح الحب على الدوام دون توقف ، نعتاد ذلك الى ان تأتي لحظة فارقة فى حياتنا حيث نفقد ذاك العالم بفقد صاحبته...طوال قراءتي كانت الكلمات تبدو مرتجفة مبتلة بدموعي ، نحن الأبناء قد نغفل ما يتبدى على ملامح ذاك العالم...
تلك الرعشة التي تسري بيديها بعدما كانت تتقن صنع كل شيء فى سبيل اسعادك ، ملامحها التى كانت تتدفق بالحياة باتت شاحبة متغضنة ، عرفت التجاعيد سبيلها اليها معلنة عن الزمن الذى مضى دونما ان تشكو يوما ثقله عليها..، تلك الحواس الواهنة التى يطأها الألم وتسألها ما بك "ماما" هل انت على مايرام؟ فتبادرك باجابتها المعتادة انا بخير ، ليس هنالك ما يستدعي القلق علي يا حبيبتي 💕
تترنح ذاكرتها ، فيتأرجح قلبك انت عند الخط الفاصل بين الحياة والموت...، تخفي حنينها لاحلامها القديمة مهما تبدى فى نظرتها الغائمة الدافئة، يكفيها ان تعيش لحظة تحقيق حلمك انت..، وفجأة عندما تقع ضعيفة ، مستسلمة للمرض ، هنا تتساءل كيف حدث هذا؟
الم تكن دوما تجيبني انا بخير ..
ان نحب والدتنا يعني ان نتمنى ارضاءها، نغلفها باهتمامنا، ننصت اليها حتى وان كانت حكايتها قد قصتها علينا مراراً ، لكن لا نبدي استياءنا ولا تململنا، نكسر جدران الصمت بيننا وبينها، نحتضنها دونما أسباب، نوليها رعايتنا ، لا ندع الحياة تسلبنا من تواجدنا بقربها..لأنه سياتي يوما ونفقدها عندئذ لن يمنحنا القدر فرصة ثانية ، وستصبح عالقا بلحظة فراقها لا تعرف كيف الخلاص منها وستظل تطالب القدر توسلا لو تحظى بنعمة تواجدها معك مجدداً ولو ليوم واحد فقط..عندئذ لن تتلقي جواباً ، تطأطأ راسك وتغمغم بكلمات متلعثمة لا يسمع منها سوى "ارجوك اعتن بأمي" .....
اسأل الله ان يبارك في عمر امهاتكم ، ويرحم ماما ويتولاها بعظيم عفوه ويرحم امهات المسلمين ويتغمدهن بمغفرته ويرزقهن جميعا جنات النعيم 🌸🌸 ...more

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Jul 18, 2013 ياسمين ثابت rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

ان صمت الموتى يجعل الباقين على قيد الحياة يصابون بالجنون

وليت امهم ماتت...بل اختفت..تاهت...فجعلتهم جميعا بمختلف اعمارهم وظروف حياتهم تائهين مذنبين..تركت في حلقهم طعم المرارة والخذلان...لانهم لم يعطوها حقها كأم وكانسانة وكزوجة
رواية واقعية مؤلمة لا استطيع ان اصدق ان احدا قد رواها بهذا الصدق دون أن يمر بأحداثها حقا....لاني بكيت فيها كما لم ابكي في أي رواية قط

الرواية تحكي عن كل فرد من افراد اسرتها على حدى وهو يحدث ذاته كيف امكنه التصرف معها بهذا الشكل في مختلف الذكريات...وتمني عودتها ليصلح من نفسه... ...more

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Read Women: South Korea: Please Look After Mother, Kyung-Sook Shin	31	38	Apr 19, 2019 06:49AM
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YA Buddy Readers'...: Please Look After Mom --> Start date WIP	1	7	Jan 14, 2018 12:19AM
Play Book Tag: Please Look After Mom / Kyung-Sook Shin - 3***	3	20	Jun 15, 2017 07:32PM
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About Kyung-Sook Shin

Kyung-Sook Shin

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Kyung-Sook Shin is a South Korean writer. She is the first South Korean and first woman to win the Man Asian Literary Prize in 2012 for 'Please Look After Mom'.

Books by Kyung-Sook Shin

The Place Where the Harmonium Was (풍금이 있던 자리)

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Quotes from Please Look After...

“You realize that you habitually thought of Mom when something in your life was not going well, because when you thought of her it was as though something got back on track, and you felt re-energized.” — 157 likes

“...I have so many dreams of my own, and I remember things from my childhood, from when I was a girl and a young woman, and I haven't forgotten a thing. So why did we think of Mom as a mom from the very beginning? She didn't have the opportunity to pursue her dreams, and all by herself, faced everything the era dealt her, poverty and sadness, and she couldn't do anything about her very bad lot in life other than suffer through it and get beyond it and live her life to the very best of her ability, giving her body and her heart to it completely. Why did I never give a thought to Mom's dreams?” — 136 likes

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