Historical fiction can be hit or miss for me, All too often they can get a bit too mushy for me. But Beasts of a Little Land hit the nail on the head. Part Pachinko, part Memoirs of a Geisha, with no shortness of beautiful prose. The first chapter in particular was beautifully written and transportive. My only negative would be the amount of violence in this book, but that's just a personal preference. I would wholly recommend this book

Beasts of a Little Land by Juhea Kim is an excellent historical fiction novel that gives a passionate and brutally honest view of one woman’s life story amongst the unrest and changes not just in her own life, but also within her country.

This is a topic I honestly knew very little about, so it was fascinating and enjoyable to learn so much more about some of the events that took place in regards to the Korean independence from Japanese occupation and colonization in the early part of the 20th century.

Here, we not only follow the political and historical changes, but also one woman’s life and how it is shaped based on her gender and societal position at that time, and also how in association with all of these restraints and expectations, her inner struggle for survival, happiness, love, and purpose.

This book is not a “light” book content-wise. The author is honest and open about some of the atrocities that took place to the people living at this time, as well as how women were affected as well. Those scenes were challenging to read, but shying away from subject matter does not make its reality disappear. I was appreciative of the author’s ability and passion to be able to present this material as part of a wonderful tapestry of life’s journey for the cast of characters written for this narrative.

An excellent novel.

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Ecco for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication.

This novel was very beautifully written and the author very skillfully connected and interwove so many people and details throughout the book. Everything was connected with everything else, from beginning to end.

Unfortunately, this novel just wasn’t for me. It slowly told the tale of one woman’s life along with many other side stories and characters that all ended up being connected. I prefer books that are more fast paced. I do know that many people have loved this book, it just wasn’t for me.

Thanks you Net Galley and the publisher for this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review..
#NetGalley #BeastsofaLittleLand

I loved how this book followed one person throughout her life. The characters are so compelling and human so you get caught up in their emotions and really feel like you know them. The historical elements were really interesting and made me want to read more about Korean history. The human stories were what made me sad that the book was over and also made the tale less predictable. Most of my predictions did not come true and that also made me want to keep reading as I had to find out what happened next. This is such a great read and has something for everything.

I also loved all the descriptions of meals - food will always keep me interested in a story!

This book takes place during the Korean independence movement of the early 1900s. So little of this history of Japanese colonization has made its way to US publishers, which immediately makes this book so important. This ambitious and complex story with numerous characters reminds me of multigenerational sagas like Min Jin Lee’s novel Pachinko.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book!

Beasts of a Little Land caught my attention quickly as the author, Juhea Kim, set the mood and pace with excellent description that continued to reel me in to a story never experienced ..in a place and time that many no nothing about. Japanese occupied Korea and
its effect on the people involved was terrible. The characters lost personal rights and were forced to grow through situations never even imagined. This book will not disappoint the reader who will have lasting effects from the experience.

I am a reader who particularly enjoys historical fiction works that let me travel to periods of history and parts of the globe that I’ve never been to before. As a result, I am also a reader who often finds myself frustrated by the fact that English language-historical fiction still seems to be lopsidedly made up of works set in Europe and the United States. So I more or less leap at any reading opportunity that will let me explore a new combination of time, location, and people.

So that’s precisely what I did with Juhea Kim’s “Beasts of a Little Land,” which provided me with exactly what I wanted. I was able to get lost in a complex tale where the lives of the rich cast of characters constantly intersected with one another as their various fortunes shifted over the course of several tumultuous decades. But on top of that, I also feel like the book also told a lot of the story about Japanese-occupied Korea, which was all fresh historical territory for me. All in all, definitely a recommended read - and that goes double for readers whose appetites have been whetted by works like Min Jin Lee’s “Pachinko” and Lisa See’s “The Island of Sea Women” and are looking for even more great reading about Korea and its people’s turbulent 20th century.

This is an absolutely wonderful and engrossing story that takes place during the Korean Independence movement. There are a few main characters that intersect throughout the years, and their lives from childhood to mature adulthood create a saga that you won't be able to put down, so be prepared to stay up late into the night. It's the story of Korea, which is a very bitter one and unknown to most Americans. It traces the colonization of Korea by Japan through those cruel years and with characters from different walks of life, the reader can gain understanding of this era in history. The choices the characters make in their lives are discussion-worthy and as such, this would make an excellent book club selection for a book group focused on Asia.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. I greatly enjoyed reading it.