Annalisa’s
Comments
(group member since May 04, 2018)
Annalisa’s
comments
from the Nothing But Reading Challenges group.
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Thank you. Realized when I was listening to The 100 last night there is a character named Octavia so works for O because of her.
Does Westerns work for MPG Western or does it need to be exact?
DQ - Day 416. This section focuses on the next generation of the family, namely Noa and Mozasu. Personally, I thought it was interesting how the previous generation focused on the women (Sunja and Kyunghee) who were submissive in nature compared to their male counterparts. Whereas, the new generation, Noa and Mozasu, felt like the submissive characters compared to the female counterparts. What are some of the similarties and differences you noticed between the two generations? Why do you think the author decided to shift the gender roles of focus?
I’m not sure the switch was more than Sunja only having sons. I don’t know that I would consider Sunja and Kyunghee submissive. They listen to the men but they are willing to stand up for themselves when necessary.
17. Noa finally learns the truth about who his father is. Did you think it was normal for him to take his anger out on Sunja, rather than confronting Hansu? Do you feel Hansu would track down Noa and coerce him to go back to his studies? Or would Sunja finally get the courage to stop Hansu from meddling in her son's affairs?
I expected him to be angry with Sunja. He was close to her where he isn’t close to Hansu and views him as a benefactor and not much more. I don’t know what will happen with Hansu finding Noa.
18. Akiko is a free spirit and is not shy to speak her mind. In one scene, she references to George Eliot's take on Jewish people persecuted unfairly. This was one of my favorite scenes because of its reference to classic literature. There is a quite a lot of symbolism to her argument. What were some of the other passages from the story you stood out for you till now?
I am listening to the novel so I don’t remember anything really sticking out. I liked how sweet Isak was to Sunja when they first got to Osaka.
19. John is an interesting character introduced to the story. What are your thoughts of him? Do you think he would play a more active role in Yumi and Mozasu's life?
I didn’t really think much of him. He might play a bigger role but he might not. It is hard to know.
20. The section ends in a bitter sweet manner for Noa, where he finds himself working in Pachinko, just like his un-educated brother. Why do you suppose the author took this route to bring Noa down and put him in the same level as Mozasu?
I don’t know that it is necessarily to bring Noa down so much as to show what a role Pachinko has in the society.
DQ Day 5- Book 3 chap 3 - 11
21. We start this section with a tragedy of Yumi’s death, which brings about the reentry of Hansu into the family’s life again. This is the first time that we see Hansu physically violent with one of the female characters when he hits the woman who was in the car with him from the bar. We later see that he changes her life for the worse. Have your thoughts about Hansu changed throughout the story? And did this scene change any of your feelings towards him?
My feelings about Hansu have been mixed. I don’t dislike him or really like him. I think he tries but it isn’t always the way he thinks it will be.
22. Noa continues to be a character that really compels me, I really loved when he said he noticed Risa’s handwriting before he noticed her, “he could detect that there was a kind of dancing spirit in the hand that wrote such elegant letters”. This is whimsy that I haven’t seen from him, and Noa indicates throughout the story that he can’t be his true self. Who do you think his true self is?
I also really enjoyed the scene with him noticing her writing. I don’t know what his true self would be. I guess maybe free of expectation of others.
23. Mozasu seems to be getting the support he needs as a single dad, and even his old friend Haruki is back and has a wife, Ayame. In this section, we see a sexual awakening in Ayame and a chapter is dedicated to this new character and her feelings about sex. How do you think this section connects with the rest of the story?
I think it connects via Haruki being gay and her realizing she wants something she can’t have. Wanting seems to be a theme throughout the story.
24. Hansu finds Noa and I was very surprised that he and Sunja went to see Noa. During Sunja’s discussion with Noa, he says that being Korean is terrible to him. We then find out he committed suicide after his interaction with Sunja. Why do you think he choose that time to take his life, what were the precipitating factors, did you see it coming?
I didn’t see it coming. I think having to interact with his family again and remember where he came from probably was too much for him. Also he didn’t want his wife to know.
25. We close this section with Etsuko, who seems to have been struggling with self worth and who she is now in relation to her family and her life with Mozasu and Salomon. She indicated that being a mother was what defined her more than everything else and even if she hadn’t done it well, it was who she was. Motherhood is strong theme throughout the story, what key things have you learned from this cultural and historic perspective on motherhood during this generational span?
That making hard choices have repercussions and we don’t always see them. I don’t know about learning anything about it though.
DQs Day 6, Book 3 Chapter 12 to end
26. In chapter 12, we go back full circle when Sunja returns to Osaka to visit her dying mother and sister in law. I especially noted how after 40 or so years, Sunja is still at fault for her stunt with Hansu, her mother still blaming her for how the older man used her and considering her lucky that Isak even married her. I found that passage extremely sad, especially how it relates to today's society and views on women. What did you think of it?
It was sad. I felt bad for Sunja and her sister in law as well. Her mother is old and in my experience there is some lack of filter that comes with age. Insulting others doesn’t feel insulting when you are old.
27. Having read about Hana and how she first took advantage of Solomon and then ended up in Tokyo working as a hostess, I instantly felt bad for her. Do you think she went so far because of her family shame or do you think there was anything else that drove her to that point? And what did you think of Phoebe's reaction to Solomon trying to help Hana?
At first I really disliked Hana but then I also felt sorry for her. I didn’t really like Phoebe and how she reacted to Hana, but it was understandable.
28. What did you make of the ending? How do you think the family fared on, what happened with Solomon? I would have loved to glimpse into the lives of Noa's children as well. If you could have changed anything about the ending, what would you change?
I don’t know that I would have changed anything about the ending. I guess I might have liked to see Kim again but I understand why he disappeared.
29. Why do you think the author chose the title for the book as such?
The title was fitting because the family seemed to be trapped with few other good options.
30. Considering how long the book was, do you think its pace was good? Overall, did you like/enjoy it? Would you have cut out anything since it's so long? How did you rate it?
The pace was good for me but I did think if I hadn’t been listening to the audiobook it would have been a slow read for me. I rate it three stars. I liked the story but it isn’t one I think will stick with me.
Completion PostBook:
Author: Min Jin Lee
Pages: 548
Date: August 12th
BOM: links on the ss
planing sheet updated.
Completion PostBook:
Author: Signe Pike
Pages: 527
Date: August 12th
Letters: S, G, A, E, T
Tag: ?tried checking and got message saying taking to long.
Task: Read a book with a brown cover
Planing sheet updated
No problem. I hope I’m able to get a copy of it soon. I have a hold on it.
Not sure if you saw or not but you got DQ’s for Spin the Dawn, Maddy.
Day 3 DQs11. In the beginning of this section, we find out that Noa not only looks like a middle class Japanese boy, he also wants to be one. What are you opinions on this and why do you think he wants this? What do you think would happen if he shared this with his parents?
I don't know that anything would have changed. His family was doing everything they could to survive at the time.
12. Isak is back from jail finally after two years. I found this to be a bit of a surprise because I was expecting him to die in jail. I wasn't expecting him to be let out. What were your thoughts on him being let out of jail to die in his home. He was obviously let out to die at home, but did you find this mercy surprising? Did you expect this?
I didn't think of it as a mercy. I thought he was let out so that the jail didn't take the blame for him dying but that it could be on the shoulder of his family. I did expect him to be let out.
13. A run in with Hansu. I thought it was super creepy that Hansu has been keeping tabs on Sunja (even though one of the kids is his). What are your opinions on this? And then he drops the whole "we're about to get bombed" curveball. Do you like him more because he warned Sunja or do you still think he's being selfish and trying to keep his only son alive?
I also thought it was creep that Hansu kept tabs on Sunja. I didn't like it but I also understood why he did it. He wanted to protect her when she rejected him. I did like that he told her to protect his son and that he made sure her family was safe as best he could.
14. Wow. Hansu lying to Yoseb about his parents being dead. That is beyond harsh. Why do you think Hansu did this? He obviously wants his child, Noa, but do you think he is also planning on getting Sunja back?
I think Hansu was trying to protect them and keep them from trying to go back to Korea which would have been dangerous. I don't think he wants Sunja back. It doesn't seem like he has any interest besides keeping Noa safe.
15. Hansu later tells Kim that Yoseb is dying and to scoop up Kyunghee before she gets old. Talk about a jerk. What do you think of Hansu after this? What about Kim? Do you think Kim will eventually try?
I really didn't like that he did that. It does seem like Kyunghee likes him, but I hope that Kim is as good a man as it seems like he is and he doesn't try what Hansu suggested. It seems like he will be respectful.
DQ - Day 26. I might be too judgmental, but her pining for Hansu is constantly making me frown. She promised to care for and honor her husband, never to betray him. Yet she keeps marveling about her lost "love", how she misses him, how she wants to see him, how she has already been in the city with him in her mind, etc. Are such thought not a kind of betrayal? She is so rational and reasonable about what happened and knows full well how he lured her in and used her, but cannot stop the pining and reminiscing about it. Why do you think she can't let it go and focus on her future?
He was her first and he is the father of her child. It seems like with time she will let go and focus on her future.
7. After all Isak said about his successful brother and all his dreams about the better life in the city, he arrived to some harsh revelations. I am starting to think they might have been better staying on the island. Isak's brother's revelations about his house, his neighbors, the judgement in the city, the discrimination at work and spying everywhere are very disappointing and brutal. Do you think it a natural disillusion of impossible dreams? Or Yoseb's hope that it might be better for his brother here, where he can watch over him?
I think that Yoseb missed his brother and wanted him close. I don't know if he thought it would be better or now. I do think they might have been better off staying on the island, but I'm really not sure. They were impossible dreams for the most part.
8. That scene in the church with the brother and sister. The pastor discussing what it actually means when a wealthy man wants to be a young girl's "friend". The duplicity of the pastor - being nice and not judgmental to the siblings, yet judging them harshly when they have left was not surprising but annoying still. The sweet talk to their face, but harsh berating behind their back would have been exactly what happened to Sunja and her family. Do you think this scene was included to reveal to Isak more truths about his wife's condition and impossible choices to help him understand her?
I think it was more about showing the way people are. I don't think it was for Isak to learn from so much as the way people are in public verse in private.
9. The pastor's reason for hiring Isak was revealed as well - to get money from his family and avoid paying him wages - and I must admit it didn't endear the pastor to me at all. And the pawnbroker and his greed, the loan sharks and their scare tactics. We get introduced to many characters that are not really likable and portray humanity at its worst. Do you think it is a decision by the author to reveal the true nature of people in all kinds of positions in general or is it included to especially note how people get in times of oppression and hard times? I am starting to think Isak coming to Japan was a huge mistake with every little revelation. Do you think it will work out? Or do you agree it was a mistake?
I don't know if it was a mistake, but it was done without the insight of what things were really like for Yoseb or what things would be like for Isak at the church.
10. The debacle with the watch was very educational. We get to see a merchant's attitude towards women, husband's attitude towards a wife in stark contrast to how men are treated. Yoseb is enraged with his wife and sister-in-law, he can't forgive them or appreciate the help, yet he can forgive and accept when his brother asks him to. Do you think he would have gotten over it in time if his brother hadn't asked him? Or would he be always resentful towards women? The whole "head of the house" part further gets the point home that women will always be under the command of a man, even in regards to baby names. The prison scene also drives home how women are still supposed to be home and stay away from men's troubles, too weak to do something about it. And women who work are still frowned upon, even in their own family. Do you think it will change further in the story? Will oppression and war open their minds towards changing a woman's role in the family and world?
I'm not surprised that Yoseb wants the women to stay home and is resentful of Sunja taking charge and paying the debt. I have a feeling that women working will play more into the story and Yoseb will resent that his wife and sister-in-law work. It is going to remain a point of tension. I don't think a war will change that.
Thanks. I just wanted to check because it does have a red tint to the brown.
Do you think this would work for a brown cover?
Day 1 DQs1. This novel starts with the sentence: "History has failed us, but no matter." Did you like this opening line? What do you think it means, and why do you think the author chose it?
I don't think I even noticed the first line. I'm listening to the audiobook so it has to really be spectacular for me to notice a first line. I think it is an interesting first line and I understand why the author picked it. Koreans living in Japan during the opening of this novel were treated very poorly, like second class citizens. History does very little to show this. I can see there are a lot of events that history fails the individuals because it doesn't serve the people portraying the history.
2. I am half-Korean, and my mom has shared a lot of the history of her own family and how it's interwoven with Korean history in general. What, if anything, did you know of the Japanese colonization of Korea -- or the history of Korea, Japan, and China in the 20th century in general -- before beginning to read this book?
I didn't know a lot about it. I knew that colonization happened and that it wasn't good. Korea, Japan, and China have had a significant number of conflicts and while I don't know much about any of them, I did know they happened and that they lead to racism between the countries.
3. Hansu seems like a complicated character. What were your thoughts on him? Did you hate him?
I didn't really think much of him besides that he acted about how I expected. I didn't like or dislike him.
4. What did you think of Sunja's decision to not accept being Hansu's mistress? Why do you think she chose to reject him? Do you think she made the right decision?
I think Sunja made a good decision in not accepting him. She would have known what it meant to be a mistress and that she would always be wondering if he would come back. It also seemed to me that she didn't really have strong feelings for him besides that he made her feel special.
5. In this first section of the novel, we see two couples wed -- Hoonie and Yangjin, and then Isak and Sunja. What were some of the similarities between these marriages, and what were the differences?
Hoonie and Yangjin don't know each other before hand and we really only saw them after they were married. Isak and Sunja have a short wedding too. However, at least they met before hand and it wasn't arranged.
I am not going to finish The Lost Queen before the deadline.
I think earlier it was said that E was the letter we most need. That might have changed though.
Completion PostBook:
Author: Kate Atkinson
Pages: 468 (I listened to the audiobook)
Date: August 4th
Letters: U, A, E - Ursula Todd, Edward Todd (Teddy) Characters/ Kate Atkinson(author)
Task: a bird on the cover.
updated planning sheet
Completion Post
by Julia QuinDate: August 3rd
Pages: 383
Works for Q or A
task: Read a book with a body of water (e.g. sea / lake / pond / etc) on the cover
There is a cliff with the ocean below on the cover.
On the planning sheet.
I remembered that I read the first book in a series earlier this year Doomed To Be Cannon Fodder: Book 1 and the author is Xiao Xiao Ye Yu which would be good for X or Y. I’ve also got Malcom X I’ve been working on.
Completion Post
Julia Quinn
August 2nd
Works for q
on the planning sheet
