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Pachinko

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Pachinko

By: Min Jin Lee
Narrated by: Sandra Oh, Min Jin Lee
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One of the New York Times 100 Best Books of the 21st Century

In this New York Times bestseller, four generations of a poor Korean immigrant family fight to control their destiny in 20th-century Japan–the inspiration for the television series on Apple TV+.

In the early 1900s, teenaged Sunja, the adored daughter of a crippled fisherman, falls for a wealthy stranger. When she discovers she is pregnant–and that her lover is married–she accepts an offer of marriage from a gentle, sickly minister passing through on his way to Japan. But her decision to abandon her home, and to reject her son's powerful father, sets off a dramatic saga that will echo down through the generations.

Profoundly moving, Pachinko is a story of love, sacrifice, ambition, and loyalty.

NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF 2017 * A USA TODAY TOP TEN OF 2017 * JULY PICK FOR THE PBS NEWSHOUR-NEW YORK TIMES BOOK CLUB NOW READ THIS * FINALIST FOR THE 2018 DAYTON LITERARY PEACE PRIZE * WINNER OF THE MEDICI BOOK CLUB PRIZE

Roxane Gay's Favorite Book of 2017, Washington Post

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * #1 BOSTON GLOBE BESTSELLER * USA TODAY BESTSELLER * WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER * WASHINGTON POST BESTSELLER

©2017 Min Jin Lee (P)2024 Grand Central Publishing Family Life Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Sagas World Literature Heartfelt
Multigenerational Saga • Rich Character Development • Historical Context • Emotional Depth • Beautiful Storytelling
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I flew through this book! The way the narration is written is unique - the first person jumps from character to character within the same conversation, so you get a blow-by-blow of the first-hand perspectives of everyone in an interaction. It sounds like it might be hard to follow - but its not. It was great, it really increased the intimacy and depth of the relationships.

The setting was also very unique, very nice to hear some new perspectives, and I learned some things. Great story.

My only complaint is that there may have been too many characters. The result was that some great characters were introduced, but then skimmed over quickly. And when the book was finished with a character, their story arc was often abruptly cut off. I liked so many of the characters, I wish they could have been present for more of the story, or their absence dealt with more in-depth.

Satisfying Read, Good Narration

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This book is deep. I am left feeling somewhat sad after its conclusion, but not necessarily in a bad way. The notion that we all exist somewhere between love and fear is captured well here. The characters and their stories are immersive and beautifully interwoven. I felt genuinely connected to these characters and as such, bereft right along with them when they experienced loss or difficulty. I also learned quite a bit from reading this book. Cultural differences between Koreans and Japanese, how so many were affected by events throughout history. Overall this is a book that will stick with me. I will take some time to reflect on this story and can definitely tell it will be an unforgettable read for me. Highly recommended!

Character development, plot, engaging and relatable storytelling

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I read this book twice, not only because it was a really good book, but also because by the time great grandchildren appeared, I started to lose track of who was whom.

Pachinko was an eye-opener in terms of the discrimination Koreans felt by the Japanese for such a long time. How sad that some characters felt the need to completely reinvent themselves in order to be accepted. What happened to Noah really caught me by surprise.😕 I’m sure this discrimination was felt by many in real life and was not written just for this book.

I enjoyed following the lives of the main characters in this book — especially the lives of the women. It was drilled into them that a woman’s lot in life is to “suffer.” How sad for one of the main characters (Sanja) who first lost her husband after his incarceration for being a Christian (minister) and then she later lost one of her sons. This poor mother took on the guilt for everything that was wrong in the lives of those she loved despite the fact that she was an excellent, loving, caring mother.

In a way, Sanja equated living with fear with loving someone because in her mind, if you risked loving someone, you had to also face the risk of losing them. I don’t disagree with her on this point. As a mother, I can relate to the “if I had only done this or that differently, life would be so much better/different for my children.” I believe that as parents, both mothers and fathers, we all have moments of thinking that, but as women and mothers, whether right or wrong or deserved, we internalize blame and see our mistakes as proof we are failures. This is so not the truth, but as mother’s we feel as we feel, whether it is true or not. We can rationalize whatever we want, but our hearts feel what they feel.

It was interesting to see this in a Korean mother. It goes to show, that no matter our skin color, our nationality, our belief system, that as women, we do live largely in a state of fear and guilt, especially where our children are concerned.

The narrator, actress Sandra Oh, did such a fantastic job in this book. She was authentic and she made every character come to vividly come to life.

Be warned: There are graphic sexual scenes in this book that are not appropriate for children to hear (in case you play this book aloud while at home or in the car with your kids). I have the benefit of listening to my books thru my hearing aides, so I can listen anywhere, any time without worrying about what others might hear, but if you don’t want to spend a lot of time having to explain things you may not be READY to explain, listen to this (amazing!) book at your own discretion.

I highly recommend this book!

THIS BOOK WILL STAY WITH ME FOR A LONG TIME…

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Great story. Great narrator. Top ten of my best reads in Audible. I fully recommend it.

Absolutely excellent.

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I saw this book at a bookshop in London, and debated on buying it. I decided to listen to the audiobook instead and I absolutely love this book. An amazing story woven across 3 generations with amazing performance.

I LOVE THIS BOOK

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I love learning about history through fictionalized characters. Very compelling, beautifully crafte story with incredible narration.

Deeply beautiful and sad

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This is such a beautiful book. So well written and so powerful. It is not for the faint of heart however. It brought up some very sensitive subjects.

Heartbreaking and eye opening

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This is a multigenerational drama about an expat family from Korea in Japan. Reminds me a little of “Cutting for Stone,” minus the multigenerational part.

If you’re from an immigrant family many of these stories, while fictional, will be eerily relatable. The characters are all so distinct and lifelike, and the story is constantly twisting and turning. I’ve got some lingering emotional whiplash, along with that hollow feeling that comes when you finish a truly good story!

Sandra Oh is the perfect choice for the narrator and she does a more than spectacular job with the characters. Her pronunciation is also quite good throughout, even with the numerous japanese/korean phrases (and adding accents when foreigners speak them), which makes the characters feel that much more authentic.

I won’t be forgetting this book anytime soon.

Feel like somebody stuck me with a spigot and drained my emotions into a bucket… so great!!

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The story was spontaneous yet precise. The narration was perfect . The author paints a vivid picture, so clear, and so descriptive, you’ll travel through time.

Incredible. Best audio book I’ve ever listened to. And I’ve listened to many.

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Brutal-ful storytelling! You are in the characters’ world and essentially time travel with them.

Time Travel

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