This was a beautifully written and complex family saga that discusses the effects of Japanese imperialism in Korea throughout generations of a family. Lee dives deeply into the emotions of each of her characters, lending all of them a complexity that's hard to find in such a saga without sacrificing other elements of a well-crafted novel. I really enjoyed watching the story unfold as multiple layers of disgrace and shame befall this family. It has excellent commentary on immigration and imperialism from a non-Western European perspective, which is an area of world history and culture that is often neglected in our literature and history books. Its messages are timely as Lee explores the effects of uprooting one's life to live in a country that's not your own and face persecution and discrimination for it while also diving deeply into the themes of toxic masculinity, family shame and responsibilities, and gender roles in Korean and Japanese family structures. All around this is one of the best books I've read this year and have been recommending it to everyone. I hope it is nominated for and picks up a few awards later this year.

This book was absolutely spectacular! Thank you for the opportunity to read and rate it!

I enjoyed the experience of reading 'Pachinko'. There's so much to this complex family saga that I had many Goodreads updates. I won't say much but, if you want a read that is satisfying and will stay with you long after it's over, 'Pachinko' is the book for you. I highly recommend it to lovers of literature, family sagas and history.

I love the idea of this book, as I like family epics especially ones that weave in large chunks of history (like THE INCARNATIONS and HOMEGOING). The book had some great commentary on being a woman and aging, and about womanhood in general. Some particularly good lines: "Sometimes, she felt like a serviceable farm animal who'd one day be useless" as well as "She wasn't hideous or shameful to look at, but she had prematurely reached the stage in a woman's life when no one noticed her entering or leaving a room." Though I was interested in the story, and the family at its center, I felt the text was a bit too long with too many lulls. But still, I found moments and quotations that got right at the heart of things, which made me reluctant to quit on the book even when the pace felt a little sluggish. Like "...a man must learn to forgive—to know what is important, that to live without forgiveness was a kind of death with breathing and movement." Overall, a skilled writer who handles a lot of history.

This novel felt almost educational. I learned, deeply and emotionally, facts that I knew in passing before. I don't know how Lee succeeded at this since while reading I felt a sort of disconnect from the characters (also difficult to say why, the scope of the epic tone wasn't wide enough? too many characters? none of these are actually weaknesses of this novel). Maybe it was that I kept waiting for an explanation of what pachinko is that never came (I finally looked it up online after finishing the novel.) Nevertheless, I finished the book feeling like something.must.be.done. with a deep engagement in the situation (though not the characters).

What an incredible book. Stunning family saga. Highly recommend

This well written historical multi-generational family saga follows a strong Korean family beginning in the early 1900s through the Japanese occupation of Korea and subsequently their exile in Japan and concluding in 1989. I really enjoyed the look at the dynamic between the Koreans and Japanese, a cultural and historical insight I knew nothing about.
(Thank you to NetGalley and  Grand Central Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review)

I'm having trouble connecting with this book. While the prose is beautiful, there are too many characters. This leaves the narrative emotionally shallow. I don't think I'm going to finish it.

I'd heard so much about this book but nothing could have prepared me for this multi-generational story of the Korean and Japanese conflict during WWII. Knowing very little about the history (even though my father was a WWII veteran) I was immediately entranced by the story of Hoonie and Yangin growing up in Korea facing poverty and many other injustices of the time. As the novel unfolds, we are introduced to their generations of progeny as we travel to Osaka and beyond. Each generation battles with the customs and expectations of culture and we are reminded of the rich history and the resilience of the human spirit when confronted with tragedy and the love of one's family. What an absolutely lovely novel!

This is a wonderful book! The story of Koreans in Japan is not one that was familiar to me before reading this- I learned so much while experiencing the ups and downs of this family. What misery for them to be treated the way they were and yet they perservered. Lee has carefully crafted a family saga that is beautifully written with highly sympathetic characters. Yes it's very long and yes there are lots of characters but that's what the best sagas are- tales that take everyone into account. THanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Highly recommend this terrific novel.

I was lucky enough to hear Min Jin Lee speak during the American Library Association conference. Not only is she a phenomenal speaker, but an eloquent writer as well. Loved this generational story of a Korean family.

Pachinko is an interesting study of 3 almost 4 generations of Koreans living in Japan. I didn’t know any of Korea’s history and I knew very little about Japan so this was very educational for me. For instance I didn’t know Japanese people didn’t like Koreans. I loved that it covered so many decades and moved from year to year quickly, but at the same time that same technique left me wanting to know more about each of those characters. It might be why I didn’t connect that well with any of the characters.
I would recommend this novel to all lovers of Historical Fiction

As good as advertised, something I'll definitely be recommending for plane rides, beaches, or evenings on the couch - well written and engaging.

This book is amazing!!

Pachinko follows a Korean family through 4 generations of living in Japan before WWII and after.

The setting was wonderfully described and I was extremely attached to the characters. (Mostly the characters from the first three parts of the book. The youngest generation's stories felt a little rushed and lacked the depth that the older generations had.)

My take away was that I feel I have a better understanding for those who are discriminated against in a country they either moved to or were born in. I don't think I will ever fully understand what it's like to go through something like that, but I feel that's why it's important to read these kinds of stories.

I highly recommend this novel and am looking forward to reading more from Min Jin Lee.

One of the things I like about reading well written historical fiction is that it can take me to another time and place and can be a profound learning experience. I knew close to nothing about the Japanese occupation of Korea from 1910 through WWII. Last year I read [book:Tiger Pelt|31183054] which introduced me to this time in Korea which was horrific in so many ways for the Koreans. While this novel begins in a village in Korea, most of the story takes place in various places in Japan, but this is a Korean story about four generations of a family spanning decades. I found myself easily engaged because I was so taken with the strength of this family who are living a difficult life of hard work, barely keeping a roof over their heads and meager food on the table. Hoonie, a young man with physical disabilities finds happiness in an arranged marriage to Yanglin. A daughter, Sunja is born bringing joy, then heartache. It is Sunja's story that takes us to Japan and expands into a family saga of her children and their children.

So many things are depicted here - family bonds and love that moved me to tears at times, the discrimination of Koreans, even those born in Japan, culture and religion, identity, not just based on your birth place but who your family is . While this is about that experience of Koreans in that time and place, it is ultimately about good, honest, caring people who manage to move through their lives as they deal with the things that life hands out to everyone including illness, death, disappointments.

I was curious about the meaning of the title. What does Pachinko mean? "Pachinko (パチンコ?) is a type of mechanical game originating in Japan and is used as both a form of recreational arcade game and much more frequently as a gambling device, filling a Japanese gambling niche comparable to that of the slot machine in Western gaming." (Wikipedia) It becomes clear in the novel what Pachinko is to this family as it becomes a business some of the characters are in. More than that, I saw it as a metaphor for so much of what happens. Every decision made by the characters is taking a chance, a chance that they hope will move them forward, will give them a good life in spite of the hard things they endure. Isn't that what most of us do? This is a long novel and while the last part was not as gripping to me as the first two thirds, I recommend you take a chance on it.

I received an advanced copy of this book from Grand Central Publishing through NetGalley.

Lee's writing style is beautiful, and this book held my interest the whole way through (and it's not a short book). It feels especially timely as a story about immigrants and refugees, and it's a study in what makes home, home.

Did not finished it. I'm afraid this wasn't for me. I usually love family sagas but I couldn't connect with these characters at all. It was nice to learn a bit about Korean history, but I wasn't interested enough to keep on reading. So sorry.

"Pachinko" is a wonderful book! It traces the story of a Korean family who through special circumstances moves and settles in Japan. The characters are so vividly portrayed and the plot so intricately woven that you can not put this book down. The reader is invested in their lives. When tragedy occurs, the reader's sadness is pervasive as the joy when plans go well.
It is also a book that teaches you so much between the relationship between Japan and Korea, especially how the Koreans fared under Japanese rule.
"Pachinko" is an inciteful and satisfying book on all accounts!

Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko is a beautiful story of love and loss, spanning five generations.

It is the story of Sonja, a Korean girl left pregnant and alone, who flees to Japan with her new husband for a better life. In Japan, though, Koreans were met with distain from the locals. Not fully part of either country – neither able to become naturalized Japanese citizens nor able to go back to their home country – they lived a hard life with numerous trials and tribulations.

It was a poignant look at discrimination between two distinct cultures at a momentous time in history – covering the Japanese annexation of Korea in 1910; World War II from 1939-1945, and the Korean War from 1950-1953 – and what that meant for the innocent bystanders.

I really liked this story. It was long (weighing in at 490 pages), but well worth it. I felt like I got to know each of the characters (especially Sonja and her sons). I enjoyed watching them mature and learning how to make their way in the world – even as they dealt with being outsiders in different ways.

“Pachinko” plays a large role in the book (hence the title), though it might not be immediately obvious. Or maybe it wasn’t immediately obvious to me. I mean, the word “pachinko” isn’t even mentioned until about halfway through the book. Which makes sense, because up until that point, the author is setting the stage for the characters, letting them grow and develop.

But I digress.

The cover was exciting and colorful. The writing was beautiful. The characters were well-developed and complex. The story itself was well thought out. It was a very enjoyable read. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Pachinko is a story about love and loss. But, ultimately, it’s a story about hope.