Helpful Score: 3
Wow---probably one of the best books I have read this year so far. At first, I wasn't sure I would like it because of the style of writing but as I got to reading more, I began to know the family and traditions of Korea. You "grow up" with Najin over a span of 30 years. I stayed up late each night for the past few nights trying to finish as I couldn't put it down. Highly recommended!!!
The Calligrapher's Daughter is a beautiful, touching, and at times tragic story of a woman and her family growing up in Korea during the Japanese occupation. Our main character is Najin Han, and we meet her at about the age of five, before she even has a name in fact, in the year 1915. Through her story, we learn about the customs of Korea and how devastating the Japanese were to the culture, history, and people of the country.
To read the rest of my review, please visit:
http://www.dorolerium.com/?p=1043
To read the rest of my review, please visit:
http://www.dorolerium.com/?p=1043
I caught a blurb about this book on Amazon and was delighted to find it on my library's current books shelf on my next visit. What a discovery! Eugenia Kim's debut novel was wonderful. Beautifully written, completely engrossing story and characters that come to life on the page. I've been reading a lot of great historical fiction lately, and this one ranks up there with the likes of Lisa See and Amy Tan. I can't wait to see what Ms. Kim does next. Very highly recommended.
The writing of this book is beautiful, flows very well. The story was quite interesting, with good information of the history of the time. Some of the characters were a bit flat. My only complaint is the story moved very slowly. I do recommend reading it though.
I really wanted to like this book. It takes place in a foreign country during an historical era (early 1900's), two things I really enjoy in a novel, but after 60 pages I had had enough of the style of writing. I just could not continue reading Korean history (and other things such as childbirth), from a child's viewpoint. It would have been so much more enjoyable if the author had written it in the third person. Just another in a long line of books BADLY in need of an editor with a big, fat, red pencil.
A well-written fictional account based on fact of what it was like to grow up as a female in early 1900's Korea during the Japanese occupation. During the Westernization of Korea in that time period, many older Koreans still held on to the traditional ways. This story is about a royal calligrapher's daughter who was brought up in this strict, traditional style and how it affected her life as she grew and the country changed, especially when Korean's women began taking more control of their lives during WWII.
This book was hard to put down creating some late nights!
This book was hard to put down creating some late nights!
Great book. Rich in history of an early Korea and its character development. Yet another reminder of how repressed women have been in our history. I recommend it.
