Pachinko (National Book Award Finalist)

By: Min Jin Lee

Narrated by: Sandra Oh, Min Jin Lee

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 2018DAYTON 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

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

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.

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

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.

Good story, great narration - a potentially great Epic, but rushed.

I’ve found a real appreciation this year for fiction/historical fiction set in Japan/Korea/China. I’ve loved discovering Murakami, Han Kang, the Shogun epic and others.
Pachinko is beautifully told, and the narration is excellent. And 17+ hours is a reasonable length for the story of an extended family, recalling some 80 years. Yet the novel’s plot often felt rushed, with the role of protagonist changing often from one character to the next. Where it lacks then, is that some characters seem to go from protagonists/featured players to background/secondary characters before their story is complete. (Without spoilers- Noah, I felt, was a prime example).
So while I don’t relish 30 hour audiobooks, this is a case where I’d have been happy with a deeper, longer, more intimate look into these characters before their departure from the story.

Time Travel

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

Beautiful story

This is a beautiful heartbreaking story! I don’t normally read historical fiction but I’m so glad I did! This is much better than the Apple TV series!