I was really into this book... until I wasn't. The book tells the compelling story of young Junja as she and her family fight to survive in post-WWII Korea. I was drawn into the story of this brave young girl, a diver, and a survivor. But halfway through the book, the perspective and narrative changed and I was thrown. And I felt unsatisfied not feeling like I ever got the full story of Junja. It may have been better if I had read it as a book- not audiobook.

3 Stars
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an audio arc of this book

I listened to the audiobook the narrator was amazing. This book was fascinating but ultimately not for me. If you like slow-moving historical fiction books with romance and fabulism elements this is the book for you.

Things I liked:
-Haenyeo Family: Junja the main character is a haenyeo and comes from a haenyeo family. I knew about this tradition before reading this book and always found it amazing. I loved how it was explored in this book I wish it was explored more by far my favorite part of the book.
-Historical Time Period: The exploration of the Post-war period in Korea. I've never learned about this period in history before it was interesting learning about it.
-Jeju Island was a character in itself. I loved the setting!

Things I didn't like:
-Fablusim: There were some hints of fabulism in this book. I'm not a big fan of fabulism, and it didn't work with the story.
-Pacing: Almost nothing happened in part 1, part 2 was faster but still extremely slow.
-Romance: Insta love and I didn't feel a true connection between them it was all telling no showing.
-Characterization: All the characters felt one-dimensional I couldn't tell you one character trait they had they were superficial.
-Fatphobia/Ableism: There was a character named the fat boy that's it he doesn't get a name and is only described as fat. Another character has a cleft lip when the main character meets her she is horrified she describes her appearance as disturbing. These two characters end up together and are seen as the most undesirable.
-This book was trying to be too much at once, a romance, historical, and fabulism. The combination of all this meant each part felt rushed and not fully fleshed out.
-The writing style didn't work for me.

TLDR: This book was definitely interesting but didn't work for me. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about the post-WW2 period in Korea or the Haeyneo tradition in Jeju.

The Mermaid from Jeju is a fiction book about the life of a female deep diver who gathers edible sea creatures and plants in the water off Jeju Island, South Korea. The author captured the Jeju culture and life of the female divers with great detail, painting an accurate picture for the reader.about the rigorous demands of the diver's lifestyle. I loved this story..

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media, Alcove Press for my copy of The Mermaid from Jeju by Sumi Hahn Narrated by Cindy Kay; Raymond Lee in exchange for an honest review. It published December 8, 2020.
Wow! I did not want to stop reading this book! It has serious Lisa See vibes, and I was so enthralled by the story. I couldn't stop thinking about it when I wasn't reading. Now that it's over, I'm missing Jeju and the divers! 
I learned a lot about the history of Jeju island and the culture as well. I think that Hahn did a great job telling this story with great care and humanity. I never stopped to think about the PTSD that the survivors of these atrocities experience. I also didn't think about how they would experience it. Stories like this are so important to teach us about history, and to help us not to repeat history. It also helps to grow empathy and understanding.
Also, the narration was so well done!

This book gave me feelings for the women and people of Korea the way Lisa See's book "Snowflower and the Secret Fan" gave me those same feelings for the women and people of China. The voice is dreamy, and the story unfolds in waves, while showing me a world and people I really knew nothing about. Then the author's note at the end of the book gave an added lift to the story as well. 

Junja's life on JeJu Island changes after she survives a near fatal drowning and then takes a journey. As she meets one interesting character after another, she must decide whether to fight her fate or succumb to its depths. Lucky for Junja, she is not alone. For example, she meets Yang Suwol, a boy who lives in the mountains and who has plans and dreams of his own, which seem to include her. However, like Korea itself,  everytime Junja soars, life brings her crashing back down. Where, ultimately, will her struggles take her? 

This is told in dual timeline fashion, though the modern story is short and doesn't have the depth of the historical tale. I also had a little bit of a disconnect with Mr. Moon, I just couldn't quite get to know him. But perhaps that is as it should be, for Junja may have left her heart in Korea. I definitely need to talk to someone about this book. 

Thank you to the publishers and Net Galley for a copy of the audio book in exchange for an honest opinion. I like the new program, but I don't like how I can't backtrack easily to the last chapter. That is often needed as changes to new chapters can be abrupt.

What a beautiful, heartwrenching story of love, loss, and war. This historical fiction follows Goh Junja just after WWII on the island of Jeju -- the largest of Korea's islands. The story is truly magical, and I loved learning about Jeju and the haenyeo -- a group of female divers who scour the seafloor for food and are known to be twice as strong as men, heck yes girl power. I also enjoyed learning about the red scare and anti-communist occupation that happened in the country — and all the innocent lives taken throughout the war.

The Mermaid from Jeju by Sumi Hahn is an amazing historical fiction book which features a young haeneyo, Junja, in post WWII Korea.  Hahn brings you into the life of the mystical and harrowing world of Junja who is a deep sea diver facing multiple tragedies.  Those who adored Lisa See’s Island of Sea Women will fall in love with this fabulous debut.

I loved every minute of it, and did not want it to end.  I listened to the audiobook version.  It was expertly done and paced in a way to keep you engaged.  The beautiful descriptions of the underwater world and the landscapes of Korea will stay with me.  The first half of the book is narrated by Cindy Kay and is the story of Junja.  We are immediately transported into her life and learn about the resilience she has after facing tragedies that likely would not have occurred had she been home.  Junja does not allow this to crumble her.  Instead, she rises above her multiple losses in a way that is inspirational and showcases her beautiful courage.

The second half of the book is narrated by Raymond Lee and features the stories of Yang Suwol.  It switches times periods frequently to provide insights into his life and the way it intersects with Junja.  There is beauty, mystery, magic, and abundant love in his section.  The language and especially his life experience give us even greater understanding of the folklore of the Korean culture.

These characters will become real to you.  Their unfailing courage, sense of determination, warm hearts, spiritual desires, and even sense of humor will touch you long after the book has ended.  You will learn much, but more importantly be inspired by the strength of these haenyeo women. Despite their many challenges they found ways to defy the societal bounds to enact meaningful change.  They were not looking for glory, just a chance to find a way to support their families. What a legacy they left, you will be better after reading it.  Their strength and determination should not be forgotten.

I was provided a free advance reader copy from Dreamscape Media Alcove Press  in exchange for my honest review from Net Galley.  The opinions shared in this review are my own.

*Thank you to NetGalley for my advanced copy*

I truly enjoyed this story.

The first 2/3 of the story is told from Junja's perspective growing up on the Island of Jeju and learning to dive from her mother and grandmother. It's set post-WWII and there are a lot of encounters with soldiers and Americans who have occupied Jeju. There are some racial slurs that were common for the time, but it was still cringey to hear them. 

The last 1/3 alternates between Junja's past and present and her husband's search for answers to his grief.

I recommend reading/listening to the author's note on her inspiration for the story.

The Mermaid from Jeju 
by Sumi Hahn (Goodreads Author) 

Hey Sumi! I will give you 4 out of 5 birds for The Mermaid from Jeju. Last year I read The Island of Sea Women and fell in love with the superhuman women divers. So when I saw that there was another book on Netgalley, I jumped at the opportunity. I listened to the audiobook courtesy of Netgalley and really enjoyed the book until the last 25% of the book. It switches from a female narrator to a male and the story shifts too. I thought it was clever and beautifully written, but the later half didn't hold my interest as much. Overall it was still a fun listen to clench my want for more of this culture. 

Thanks for the free listen Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

#amreading #mrsbirdswords #booklover #Bibliophile #bookaddict #bookreccomendation #goodreads #fiction #bookshelf  #book #bookaholic  #historicalfiction #theislandofseawomen #lisasee #culturalread #asiaread #bookclub #warbook #asianliterature #themermaidofjeju #sumihahn

Wow this book has left me with such mixed feelings. It’s told in two parts, and the first part was absolutely incredible. 5 star worthy without question. Then in part two, we jump ahead to present day, new narrator, and a totally different tone. From then on it goes back and forth from past to present. The second story, told from the point of view of Junja’s future husband, felt completely disjointed and wasn’t nearly as interesting. I found myself tuning out a lot. I may have tuned out too much because when the end left me feeling like I missed something but I couldn’t bring myself to go back and re-listen. I may track down the physical copy later and skim through the ending. Based on the author’s note I’m wondering if part two was added in later based on the author’s experiences and it just didn’t merge well with the original story. I feel like I went from reading a 5 star book to a barely 3 stars but because the prose was so beautiful and I loved the first half so much, I’m going to split the difference and call it 4 stars, as disappointing as the ending was.  

Thank you NetGalley, author and publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book was stunning, lyrical, heartbreaking, nostalgic and absolutely beautiful.

It is actually remarkable how much I could relate to a young Korean girl trying to survive in the aftermath of WWII - but Sumi Hahn made me feel just that with The Mermaid from Jeju. The main character Junja is confident, headstrong and with strong morals. Making a living as a 'mermaid girl' - a deep sea diver, Junja has never ventured far from home until her visit in the mountains, which ends tragically in her mother's death under her absence.

Junja was a character I won't forget for a long time, and her story touched me to the core. With such well-developed characters and stunning writing style, Sumi Hahn's novel is definitely a must-read.

The Mermaid from Jeju is a beautifully written story perfect for fans of Pachinko- transportative and full of atmosphere, this multigenerational story humanizes the Korean conflict post WWII.  Rife with tradition, spiritualism, mysticism, the novel tells the story of Junja, a haeneyo (mermaid), or pearl diver, on the South Korean Island of Jeju.  The writing is magical while never feeling fantastical; rather, it captures the culture and tradition in order to connect the reader to both the characters and setting.


The story is told in a non-linear format, opening in America on the day of Junja’s death as the mother of adult daughters.  It then goes back to her youth and follows her coming of age against the background of war and its effects on an occupied people.  The first half of the novel is definitely stronger than the second half, which jumps back and forth in the timeline, whereas the book previously followed a fairly linear progression after the initial jump back in time.


The audiobook experience was lovely.  Multiple narrators brought the story to life; I found the pace of their narration to be comfortable and natural (as opposed to the too-slow style audiobooks are typically produced with).  However, I found my attention wandering more during the second half of the book.  I am not sure if it is because of the format, or because of the change in the tone of the story, but I think that had I read it physically I would have enjoyed the entirety of the novel to a higher degree.


I recommend this book to fans of World War II fiction looking to broaden their reading to regions outside of America and Europe, as well as those looking to explore the after effects of the war.  I also recommend this book to fans of multigenerational family sagas, or books that follow characters over a lifetime.

Thank you #NetGalley, #DreamscapeMedia and Sumi Hahn for the advance readers copy of “The Mermaid of Jeju” for my honest review.

I enjoyed the audiobook of the The Mermaid of Jeju.  The story is told from two points of view in the past Jeju and in the present her husband. The historical fiction is primarily based in Korea during WW11. I found the narration done by the male harder to follow than the narration by the female.  Overall, I throughly enjoyed the story.

This was such an different book than I am used to. I loved learning more about the Haeneyo women. The way the author described them was truly inspiring. This book gave beautiful descriptions of Korea and made me want to learn more about this time period. This is a topic I have never seen represented before and I think it is important to amplify this story! I would recommend this book to anyone. 
I only took off a star because at times it got a little confusing due to the change in narrator in the second part.

Did not Finish
First off, this cover is absolutely stunning.  I had seen a few people talk about this one and I was intrigued. Sadly, I just could not get into it.  I tried reading both physically and listening to the audiobook.
I may try again as I may just not been in the mood for this one, but I did pick it up several times.  It was just not capturing my attention as I would have liked to keep going. 

NetGalley does not allow for (DNF) no rating. I rate three stars as it I normally will not rate a story I did not finish. I do not feel it fair to give one star or five stars as I was not able to fully rate the story if I did not finish it.

I honestly wanted to rate this higher and actually went back and forth a bit and ultimately decided on 3.5 stars. My wish was granted by NetGalley to receive a audio version of this which I received after its publication date. I honestly cant remember what drew me to this book to request it but it did open my eyes to a unique culture of woman that I knew nothing about. Initially I was engulfed in this narration, the story had a certain calm to it that just kept my mind and heart yearning for the richness of this heartbreaking story. You could smell the salty air, feel the breeze of the water, and smell the earth of the mountain through Junja's journey. Part One had me enamored by the woman of Jeju Island. The rich story was mesmerizing and deeply atmospheric. Part one had a linear time line that was smooth, easy to listen to and follow, with one POV . From there confusion set in. Part 2 not only started abruptly but felt disconnected. It was much harder to get my bearings with the story. the considerate calm I felt in Part 1 was disrupted into chaos due to the multiple POV's and multiple timelines. With the audio having no page breaks or chapters it was hard to decipher if I was in a flashback or more present day. It seemed odd to me to change the format of the book and have it be so very different from the first half. It was distracting and I feel like I never fully recovered from my confusion till the book was over.  I also feel the audio version put me at a disadvantage with understanding the characters better. The pronunciation of the names as well as the island itself posed some bemusement at times, I feel as if I had been reading the book and could have physically saw the spelling of the names, the comprehension of some of the characters wouldn't have been a dilemma in understanding the second half of the story, and knowing who was who and who was speaking. So unfortunately I cannot recommend the audio but I do believe there is room for this story on your reading shelf in print form. There is quite a beautiful tale here that is worth hearing.

The Mermaid from Jeju takes place in 2 parts, each with their own narrator. I was emotionally invested in Junja’s story as a Korean village girl after WWII. I ached at her losses and smiled at a budding romance. I loved feisty, old-fashioned grandmother and the Nationalist policeman with surprises. A story of bravery and hard times. 

My personal gripe with The Mermaid from Jeju is that the second half of the book was about Junja’s husband 40 years later. (So many authors are doing this multiple timeline writing now. If the story and characters are excellent, I feel the modern update does not add much and usually takes away from the richness of the first timeline.)  I was disappointed at not hearing more from Junja, her grandmother, and new love. I would have rated the book 5 stars if the historical story kept going and the modern one didn’t exist. Their story was far more interesting that Junja’s husband visiting a shaman in Korea after being haunted by ghosts.

Sumi Hahn describes things vividly, without overdoing it. Her lyrical writing provides historical context for the conflicting events. In war, nasty things happen, but the author did an excellent job of communicating the emotions and horror without being too graphic.  

I listened to the audiobook of The Mermaid from Jeju. The narrators’ clear voices made listening to the story enjoyable. Pacing was excellent. I could always tell which character was speaking. 

     I am grateful to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank to you to the publisher and netgalley for the audio copy of this book. 

I loved this book. Currently, I am studying the Korean language and culture, and the story of this book was straight up my alley, so to speak. Reminiscent of Pachinko in some ways, and of the korean TV show Chicago Typewriter in others, this story takes a unique perspective on a little known history. 

Following Junja, a haenyo from Jeju island (female divers in Jeju), as she navigates her changing home in the face of the aftermath of WWII and the Japanese occupation of Korea. They now are occupied by America, a side of the story not often depicted and which I was really intrigued to hear about. I think these are the perspectives that we can really benefit from hearing. There are so many times when we think we are the "better ones" or the "good side" and we don't consider how history actually happened. 

The Characters: 

Junja: I loved the elements of her character built from her love for her family, her love for the society, and the kind of innocence she starts out with in regards to knowledge of the war. Her growth was really fascinating to follow. 

Suwol: SPOILERS: I really wish he'd ended up with Junja. I really liked his character, his clever and quietness, and the family history that supported him. 

Style: 

This novel is told in two times: Junja's youth and then the future, when Junja is old, married, and has kids. In the beginning when this transition first happened, it confused me a little bit (I think listening to it on audio and not having it in front of me might have been part of that) but over all, I really enjoyed the way these two timelines interacted, leading each other on and yet never spoiling what was in store for either side. 

Regarding the audio book version specifically, I really enjoyed listening to this story. The voices were handled well, though I wish that the grandmother and Suwol had had different tones. They kind of sounded the same to me, and it was a little off setting; but I really enjoyed the fact that there were two narrators for the story, and that when it was time to see the story from a different person's perspective, the voice changed. 

An enjoyable listen, and surely an enjoyable read, pick up the Mermaid from Jeju if you want a story that tackles family, love, and a history you likely know nothing about.

Thank you NetGalley for the wonderful opportunity to read this book! 
    The writing is smooth and well done, I enjoyed the characters, especially the grandma with her legend story’s and dream interpretations. 
   The transition from one narrative to the other did confuse me when it was introduced halfway through the book that I had to go back to make sure I didn’t skip a section. 
   For you historic fiction fans out there, add this to your reading list! It is a good book.

Thank you Netgalley for the eARC audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I requested this book from Netgalley because I absolutely loved The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See and was excited to see another story about the haenyo from Jeju island in South Korea.  I tried to not compare this story to See's, but it was hard not to and may have detracted from my reading experience.

The entire time listening to THE MERMAID FROM JEJU, I had moderate amount of interest in what was happening in the story.  There were very few events that propelled the plot forward, instead focusing on characterization, which was a bit confusing.  In a book with multiple settings set in different points of time, the crafting of those is important.  The story starts present day for a very short chapter, and then switches to the past until 63% of the way through the book.  Then without much transition, it rapidly switches back and forth between past and present day with little labeling of when we are reading.  Combined with an almost interchangeable cast of characters (somewhat due to their names and that I was listening as an audiobook, so, my fault), it became impossible to follow, to the point where I'm not even sure who the main character married.

I was just going to pass it off as somewhat boring and poorly constructed until I listened to the Author's Note at the end of the story.  Based on what the author described in their experience writing this book, it was not all that well-researched to begin with.  They wrote the book because they claim they had visions of ghosts from the story and then they only researched the history of what happened on Jeju to add local flavor (not a direct quote because I don't want to go back and listen to it again, but it was pretty close).  This dropped it a star for me.  Go read The Island of Sea Women instead if you really are interested in a very cool cultural phenomenon that has almost now died out and you want an insight into Korean history.