From the Bookshelf of Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge…

Pachinko

Min Jin Lee

Discussion: 2017 Read Harder Challenge

Why we're reading this: 6300 miles away from my house! Whew!
[close] 6300 miles away from my house! Whew!

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2017 Read Harder Challenge

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What Members Thought

Feb 14, 2018 Cat rated it did not like it

Shelves: fiction, national-book-award

horrible attempt at sweeping generational epic. jumped forward or killed characters when the plot required good writing and relentlessly insulted the reader's powers of observation with adverbs. ...more

5 likes · Like · see review

Jul 17, 2019 Mary rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: format-audio, 2019-shelf, summer-bingo-2019

I liked the story - a multi-generational family saga set in 20th century Korea/Japan - and especially enjoyed learning about modern Korea/Japanese history and relations and about pachinko (I'd never even heard of it). BUT. the writing was not good. and the dialog - especially anything to do with sex - was awkward at best and cringe-worthy at worst.

I kept thinking it would get better ... but nope.

Very disappointed and even more puzzled by the stellar award reviews.

Summer Bingo - prize runner-up. ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Oct 13, 2019 Christina rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, tbr-for-2019

Beautifully written. I felt it wandered at times and perhaps their were a couple of unnecessary characters, but overall very glad I read it.

1 like · Like · see review

Jan 03, 2018 Sarah left GR marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, audiobooks

Roxane Gay's favorite book of 2017:
http://roxanegay.tumblr.com/post/1692... ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Jun 27, 2018 Maegan rated it it was amazing

A sweeping historical novel which drew me in from the first sentence.

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Jan 21, 2019 Laurie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019

I really enjoyed this multi-generational saga about a family of Korean descent in Japan. The writing is excellent, and it’s a topic I knew nothing about.

Like · see review