What a wonderfully satisfying and absorbing novel this is. Not only did I enjoy the story line but I also learnt so much, an ideal reading combination. It chronicles the lives and fortunes of four generations of an ethnic Korean extended family, starting in Korea during the Japanese occupation in the early years of the 20th century, then going to Japan itself shortly before the war and continuing to the 1980s. A lot happens during these turbulent years, not only to the family but also in history, not least the dividing up of the family’s native Korea into North and South. It’s a sprawling family saga which encompasses many issues – discrimination against immigrants, the perils of being in a minority, success and failure in love and business, the role of women, religion, the Yakuza. I had no idea that Koreans have always been ill-treated and discriminated against in Japan, or that almost as a direct result of limited opportunities it’s the Koreans who now dominate the Pachinko industry. The story of one family’s struggle to survive against the odds is narrated against a background of real historical events and makes for some compelling reading.

"Pachinko was a foolish game, but life was not". This is a fascinating and educational historical fiction novel spanning four generations of a Korean family. The time frame begins
in 1910 and ends in 1989. The story centers around Japanese racial prejudice against the Koreans. This is a story about a young Korean girl named Sunja who is seduced and becomes pregnant. She is unmarried and her mother fears her life is ruined. Sunja's life story and the next two generations are explored in this well written book.
The characters are believable and heartwarming. This book will make a great book club discussion selection. I thank Netgalley and Grand Central publishing for the Advanced Reader's Copy.

I originally got this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The book was published earlier last month and I borrowed the audio version to listen to instead. As many have said Part 1 is excellent and Part 2 is good, but Part 3 is where the book really went downhill for me. Also, way too many characters are introduced and keeping track of the characters is extremely difficult. Their was an excessive amount of swearing, which was not always necessary. At times, yes, but at other times it was not necessary to the story. Also, I felt there was more sex in the story than necessary and that some of the sexual scenes were placed in there just because the author felt there should be LGBQTIA issues included in the story. Some of it came out of nowhere and was not needed to further story. All in all, I was disappointed by the book and give the book a 1.5 to 1.75 star rating.

Min Jin Lee's Pachinko is an exquisitely captivating look at the Korean experience in Japan; from 1910 in Korea to 1989 in Japan, this sprawling epic spans several generations of a complex blended family involving expatriation, adoption, remarriage, and patronage. This goes so far beyond the usual rags to riches immigrant trope, it is mind-boggling how many issues and ethnic bugaboos are presented in this story: gender roles in Asian society, physical beauty vs inner beauty, Tiger parenting, filial piety, assimilation and the model minority, nationalism, religion, education, bullying, perception vs reality, and the perpetuation of stereotypes limiting opportunities. Each of these is handled objectively, without any apparent bias or agenda. Throughout this book I was struck by how convincingly Lee captures so many different voices, aspects, and inflections without having to resort to distracting footnotes or unwieldy glossaries; her collection of vast characters is so authentic and uniquely animated I never confused any of them - probably due to her cleverly giving the male Baek/Ban/Bokus biblical names like Solomon, Mozasu, Noa, Isak, and Yoseb.

When I was a happa living in Minami Azabu, I knew some of my friends and co-workers were of Korean ancestry, but didn't grasp the depth of the racism they faced; Pachinko will go far in shining light on such disparities. There was so much good advice throughout this book, for moms to give their daughters as they grow up and move away, for survivors dealing with the loss of a loved one, and even for victims coping with institutionalized racism.

An excellent work of historical fiction that begins in Korea in 1910 and follows four generations to Japan in 1989. The view of an immigrant family's struggles with identity and cultural acceptance seems especially poignant for a reader in the USA of 2017.

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee is a saga of four generations of one Korean family. The history underlying the story is that of Korean immigrants in Japan. I love the first half of the book for its focus on the individual characters. The second half incorporates too many characters and story lines. At the end though, this book is the story of a mother and the story of an immigrant population and well worth reading.

Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2017/02/pachinko.html

Reviewed for NetGalley

It's still very early in the year, but I'm willing to bet this book will be one of my favorite reads of 2017. I had to slow myself down multiple times while reading this one because I just wanted it to last forever. The writing is wonderful, and I learned so much about Korean history and culture. I finished the book a couple days ago, but these characters will stay with me for a while...

In "Pachinko," Min Jin Lee weaves a multigenerational story of a Korean family in Japan from the pre-WWII Japanese occupation of Korea to the 1980s. Surviving--or not--war, partition, discrimination, and rejection, the Baek/Boku/Park family rises from desperate poverty to wealth through shrewd entrepreneurship, an unstoppable work ethic, and pachinko, a gambling business of dubious respectability that is one of the few sectors open to Koreans, even those for whom Japanese is their first language and who can "pass" as Japanese.

The book is fairly epic in scale, and is consequently not an extremely quick read. Readers should not be dissuaded from trying it, however, as it tells a fascinating tale of a society that features all too rarely in English-language literature. The narrative jumps along in fits and starts, occasionally skipping over key events or dropping bombshells and then rushing off in another direction, but the story of the Korean immigration to Japan, and of the Baek family, is nonetheless engrossing, full of drama and interest as the characters struggle to pull themselves out of abject poverty during the pre-war and war years, and then to fight their way past bullying and discrimination, and somehow hold their family together in the face of external and internal pressures, in the post--war years. The older Koreans want to return to their homeland, but their homeland has become two homelands--half the family is from what is now South Korea, and half the family is from Pyongyang--and reports coming from both Seoul and Pyongyang are not encouraging. The younger generation considers Japan to be their home, but Japan does not return the favor, and even third-generation immigrants are not Japanese citizens and have to submit to fingerprinting and monitoring in return for being allowed to stay in the only home they've ever known.

The story of the immigrant to America is well-known; "Pachinko" takes the immigrant narrative and turns it around by taking the same story and setting it on the other side of the Pacific. Readers of immigrant literature will find much that is familiar here, but there are some startling differences, especially the issues surrounding immigrants to a country that, unlike the US, is homogenous and mono-cultural. Unlike Korean immigrants in the US, the Koreans in Lee's book can "pass" as natives and members of the dominant culture, which makes the dominant culture all the more determined to mark them as separate and different. Differences in clothing and cuisine are dwelt upon at length, and the younger characters are forced to worry about smelling like garlic and kimchi at school, something impossible to avoid when your family is supported by home-made kimchi.

Which brings us to my personal favorite thing about the book: the luscious descriptions of Korean, Japanese, and hybrid food! Cooking forms a major part of the female characters' activities, and the male characters are no slouch at eating, either :) Not only did I learn about a number of Korean and Japanese dishes I hadn't heard of before, but I was filled with inspiration to make some of my own. Lovers of East Asian food, or anyone who loves reading and thinking about food, should read this book for that reason alone! The immigrant experience in "Pachinko" is one where poverty fills others with suspicion and scorn, but wealth occasions even more suspicion. Food, though, holds the family and the community together, allowing the characters to maintain a link to their homeland and demonstrate their care for each other in a concrete, hands-on fashion. A delicious read for anyone interested in Korean or East Asian culture.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a review copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

One line review: Go read this book; it’s a riveting family saga that stretches across time and cultures, and you’re going to love it.

Min Jin Lee's "Pachinko" traces a single family from the start of the 20th century in Busan, Korea, to Yokohama, Japan, in the late 1980s. Marriage -- and secrets -- take Sunja, the daughter of a Busan innkeeper, to Osaka, Japan, where she struggles to build a life in a bleak Korean ghetto. Bolstered by strong bonds with her husband's family, Sunja perseveres and sets her sons on the path toward better lives, despite harsh discrimination, poverty, tragedy, and war.

Although this is a rambling, multi-generational saga covering some of the most vexing issues of the 20th century, Lee portrays her characters in such compelling and effective detail, the reader enjoys a story that explores love, faith, hope, and success, as well as despair. It is masterful storytelling that lets the reader live alongside the family.

One thing I particularly admired was the way Lee presented such deep inner lives for the characters, while staying true to the self-contained nature of their culture. Through her descriptions -- and more important, through the characters' actions -- the reader gains a clear understanding of each person's motivations, fears, and desires. But, the characters always reflect their society, putting family and the future before self. (In fact, some of the book's biggest twists take place when various characters lose sight of that.)

I was sad when the book ended -- I would have liked to stay with this family even longer.

I received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A multi generational story of a Korean-Japanese family starting from 1910 and ending in 1989. The family deals with the Japanese colonization/occupation of Korea, moving to Japan and dealing with the discrimination from being Korean, dealing with the war, and once again dealing with discrimination from the Japanese. There is also a bit that has to deal with religious persecution in Japan towards Christians.

Though many characters get their chance to shine within the story, the real star of the book is Sunja. No matter where the book goes, it always goes back to her at some point. You can see how she changes from a naive girl to a hardened older woman. She's taught to accept the mantra that a women's role in life will always have suffering. And while she does accept it in some ways, she thinks it's BS in other ways. It's hard to give much away without spoiling the book, but this is a story where you follow characters on their journeys and knowing what will happen to them will really ruin the book.

This book never passes judgement on any of the characters. They make mistakes and react accordingly. When they encounter other people, judgement is passed, however they always see the other side of the situation. Everyone is multi-faceted which is important in a book like this. There are no over the top blow outs or 2D characters that are used to move the plot. Instead, the story ebbs and flows.

You get multiple POVs throughout the book. Characters enter and leave the story without much fanfare. I do think it's odd that the Haruki story with his wife kind of disappeared given how much time was spent on it.

One interesting thing the book does hit on are the different immigrant experiences for people who have the same "root country" but different "branch countries". For instance, the Korean-American character interacting with the Korean-Japanese characters. Despite both having strong Korean traditions, the difference in the American and Japanese experiences show almost different worlds of mentalities. It was well handled, as the Korean-American character could have been overbearing in someone elses hands.

I think the marketing of the book makes it seem more soap operaey than it truly is. I also think that this book might not be for everyone because there is some emotional distance between the reader and the characters due to how it's written.

However, this book worked for me in all ways. 5/5.

I loved this book. Every character has wonderful depth and plays an essential role in the fabric of the story. As the story unfolded, I became increasingly drawn into the joys and heartbreak of the central character, Sunja, and her loved ones. The story is beautifully written and despite the many hardships encountered by Sunja and her family, a positive feeling of love and kinship suffuses the novel. Highly recommended. Thanks to Grand Central Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC.

A gem of a book. I had a hard time putting it down, feeling transported into the lives of a Korean family that spanned generations. I loved each character, feeling the joy and despair in their individual stories. A few even exasperated me, as they made choices which would make their lives more difficult than they needed to be. Author Min Jin Lee brilliantly captures the life of the undervalued hard-working and courageous Koreans and this will be a story that stays with me.

What an amazing, enjoyable and unforgettable book! Pachinko by Min Jin Lee is a page-turner and beautifully written. The cover of the book is brilliant and spectacular as well. It features a picture of an actual pachinko, which is a popular Japanese form of pinball. From the beginning, I was fascinated by the complex, yet memorable characters. The novel follows the lives of several generations of Koreans living in Japan. Prior to reading this book I had no idea how tough life can be for Koreans in Japan. They are constantly discriminated, insulted and dishonored (and that’s just the tip of the iceberg). Lee does an excellent job and gives an honest, candid view of the characters’ unsurmountable struggles and small triumphs. I recommend this book to fans of The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
I loved this novel. I was a little daunted to find that it ran to almost 500 pages and I found myself so enraptured by this saga that I finished it in a day (I came out bleary eyed, but I did it)!

I am not normally a fan of anything that has to do with relatively modern history (I was a toddler during the Korean War, but still) and even family sagas usually leave me a little daunted -but once I picked up this book I couldn’t put it down. This book made it effortless for me to actually learn something and to see it from these peoples’ perspectives was just emotionally both draining and uplifting.

This book was emotionally draining, a revelation, intelligent, not ‘in your face’ religious, educational, romantic ( sort of), filled with love and was written in such a way that I could actually see pictures in my mind of what the characters looked like. I don’t think I have had a book fascinate me in such a long time.

I concur with many reviewers that the style of the book changed as you neared the conclusion -but it was simple for me to see why and I appreciate that the author took the time to make these distinctions. We went from one changing generation to another and when the author hit the 60’s and 70’ she made sure to change the tone for the younger generation to show these changes in the world -the sexual revolution, a stronger women’s liberation, a country coming back into its own etc.

I highly recommend this book to those who like family saga’s, 20th century history and high drama books.

*ARC supplied by publisher.

Although some of the central events of the novel, like World War II and the atomic bomb drop at Nagasaki, are familiar territory for fiction, Lee prioritizes out-of-the-ordinary perspectives: her Korean characters are first the colonized, and then the outsiders trying to thrive in a foreign country despite segregation and persecution. I recommend Pachinko to readers of family sagas and anyone who wants to learn more about the Korean experience. My only caveat is that the book goes downhill in Part III; the action speeds up and I felt less of an emotional connection with the later generation (as with the Jane Smiley trilogy).

I missed Lee's first book but I was really intrigued by the flap copy for Pachinko. Fiction is a way for me to identify areas of history or the world I don't know much about - the history of Korea is definitely a blind spot.

Pachinko is the story of Sunja, a poor teenager in 1930s Korea just after the start of the Japanese occupation. When she is seduced and abandoned by a wealthy Korean expatriate, she is left pregnant, a massive source of shame for her hardworking mother. A young Presbyterian minister, Isak, offers to marry Sunja, give her baby a name, and take her with him to his new congregation in Osaka. The novel continues to follow Sunja, her sons Noa and Mosazu, her brother-in-law Yosef and his wife Kyunghee, the growing circle of family and friends, and the yakuza Hansu, the man who set the saga in motion, as they survive living as second-class citizens of Japan in the twentieth-century.

This is a beautifully wrought family novel concentrating on the successes and tragedies of a single Korean family living in Osaka. Lee shows the reader in unflinching detail how poorly Koreans - even those born in Japan - are treated. The Japanese people brutally repressed non-Japanese ethnic minorities and denied Koreans good jobs, equal pay, fair housing, equality under the law, respect, and citizenship (gee, I wonder who else that sounds like...). There is a lot of concern about being one of the "good Koreans" rather than one of the "bad Koreans". Also very interesting is the almost constant undercurrent of "should we go back to Korea?" Even though life in Japan is hard, with no guarantee of success, there is the constant pull of the homeland as Korea remained divided between North and South against an almost certain belief that none of them would have survived had they stayed in Korea through World War II and the Korean War.

Much of the later plot revolves around the economics of the pachinko parlors of Japan. If you don't know much about pachinko the game, don't worry. After I read the book, I had to look up how the game worked so I'll give you the capsule summary. Pachinko seems to be an amalgam of pinball and slots (kind of) and leans more on chance not skill; after the balls are shot into the machine they bounce down from pin to pin, the object being to get them into a small cup to win a payout. So, fate. And life for Sunja and her family in the novel resembles the pachinko balls, bouncing from one pin to another in search of a better life.

A sweeping multi-generational saga immerges the reader into the lesser known world of the persecution a Korean Japanese family over four generations as they are face challenges of identity and belonging.

After what felt like a soap opera-ish start I quickly settled into this beautifully rendered storyline of the Japanese occupation of Korea and the Korean diaspora Japan. The story spans from the early 1900s to the late 1980s. It is the strong characterization and meticulous research that kept me turning the pages. There is a softness and dignity in the characters that is offset by the hard edges of bigotry and scathing discrimination. I knew a little about the harsh realities of when Japan annexed Korea (and the subjections of the Korean people) but this storyline with its unflinching intimate look at a personal level was both wrenching and revelatory.

Fans of historical fiction and immigrant stories will be richly rewarded by this quietly sharp yet elegantly intelligent written book.