Pachinko

  • By: Min Jin Lee
  • Narrated by: Allison Hiroto
  • Length: 18 hrs and 14 mins
  • Categories: Literature & Fiction

Publisher's Summary

Yeongdo, Korea - 1911. In a small fishing village on the banks of the East Sea, a club-footed, cleft-lipped man marries a 15-year-old girl. The couple have one child: their beloved daughter, Sunja. 

When Sunja falls pregnant by a married yakuza, the family face ruin. But then, Isak, a Christian minister, offers her a chance of salvation: a new life in Japan as his wife. Following a man she barely knows to a hostile country in which she has no friends and no home, and whose language she cannot speak, Sunja's salvation is just the beginning of her story.

©2017 Min Jin Lee (P)2017 Hachette Audio

Customer Reviews

1-5 of 2 reviews

  • Blissful9

    An Insight into Koreans living in Japan

    Pachinko is a lengthy chronicle of several generations of one Korean family from before the Second World War until the 1990s. The author has attempted a to cover a huge expanse of time in great detail which has made the book at times a bit repetitive and long-winded. However, for me it was an eye-opener as I knew next to nothing about Koreans living in Japan. Their life there was difficult and made more so by strict rules regarding what they could and could not do, for example, they could not become citizens. The author shows how all the restrictions forced them into the less reputable jobs such as pachinko worker and eventually owner.If you like sweeping family sagas and are interested in Japan and Korea, then you will really enjoy this book.

    10 people found this helpful

    May 15, 2019
  • Barrington

    A great multi-generational story

    Fascinating insight into the history of Korean immigrants in Japan and a great family saga. It dragged on at the end just a little. Loved the narration.

    9 people found this helpful

    May 15, 2019

Write a Review

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *