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Whale
Whale | Cheon Myeong-Kwan
11 posts | 8 read | 9 to read
A sweeping, multi-generational tale blending fable, farce, and fantasy--a masterpiece of modern fiction perfect for fans of One Hundred Years of Solitude Whale is the English-language debut of a beloved and bestselling South Korean author, a born storyteller with a cinematic, darkly humorous, and thoroughly original perspective. A woman sells her daughter to a passing beekeeper for two jars of honey. A baby weighing fifteen pounds is born in the depths of winter but named Girl of Spring. A storm brings down the roof of a ramshackle restaurant to reveal a hidden fortune. These are just a few of the events that set Myeong-kwan Cheons beautifully crafted, wild world in motion. Whale, set in a remote village in South Korea, follows the lives of many linked characters, including Geumbok, an extremely ambitious woman who has been chasing an indescribable thrill ever since she first saw a whale crest in the ocean; her mute daughter, Chunhui, who communicates with elephants; and a one-eyed woman who controls honeybees with a whistle. Brimming with surprises and wicked humor, Whale is an adventure-satire of epic proportions by one of the most original voices in international literature.
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quote
Pinta
Whale | Cheon Myeong-Kwan
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^^ 361 “Let‘s stop here. All truth has vanished.”

365 “Chunhui was about to ask Jumbo something else, but before they could happen, they vanished. Only their voices were left behind in the vast outer space, faint.
Goodbye, little lady.
Goodbye to you too, elephant.”

Playful, sensual, sometimes childlike, sometimes cunning, sometimes cruel.

review
Pinta
Whale | Cheon Myeong-Kwan
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Pickpick

Talking elephants. Whale-shaped cinema. Coffee. Twins. Daisy fleabane. The Red Brick Queen. Determination, loyalty, cruelty, devotion. A magical-realist saga. One-eyed bee woman. Shamans. Geumbok & Chunhui. Beautiful translation. Love the old-fashioned direct address to reader. 2023

137 “But first, another interesting event awaits us.”

353 “Dear reader, the story continues.”

353 “the lonelier she got, the more perfect her bricks became.”

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review
Graywacke
Whale | Cheon Myeong-Kwan
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Pickpick

This one was rough up front. Advertised as Korean magical realism, instead it‘s satirical weird disturbing stuff, told with a humorous tone. But…if you can hang in there, it gives a scope of 20th-century Korean history, and a scathing view on South Korean capitalism and autocracy. This was published in 2004, translated only in 2023, and made the International #Booker2023 shortlist.

vivastory This sounds great. Adding to my list 9mo
Graywacke @vivastory awesome. It‘s not for everyone, but if you‘re up for it, i think it rewards 9mo
vivastory I see that this author is also a director. Apparently they directed an adaptation “Hot Blood“ by Un-Su Kim. I loved Kim's book Plotters. Very unusual book, but I still remember it years later 9mo
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Graywacke @vivastory i know nothing about any of that. Noting! I‘m interested. I feel S. Korean arts can be on the rough side, from my limited sampling. (Like Parasite) 9mo
vivastory Absolutely. That's one of the things I really appreciate about S Korean movies They don't hold back. I feel like a lot of other narratives feel compelled to include a redemption arc/happy ending. Not for S. Korean cinema. 9mo
Graywacke @vivastory just need to mentally prep myself beforehand… 🙂… 😳 9mo
batsy I was holding off because of the magical realism aspect (it can be so hard to pull off) but your review is very intriguing. Added to the list. 9mo
Graywacke @batsy It‘s tough up front (I gave it an hour and set aside for several days. When i came back, i was ready and enjoyed.) So you will know pretty quickly what you‘re up against. 🙂 It‘s not Marquez style magical realism. It‘s a more crass kind. Humorous (well, maybe not at 1st 😁) 9mo
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review
Lindy
Whale | Cheon Myeong-Kwan
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Pickpick

The storyteller‘s voice (humorous asides and repetitions addressed to Dear Reader), the folkloric/ mythical tone, the surprising (and sometimes brutal) adventures and the epic sweep of history kept me enthralled in this tale of the fortunes and misfortunes of a mother and daughter in South Korea. Translation by Chi-young Kim; this was shortlisted for the International Booker in 2023.

batsy Sounds great! I was a bit intimidated by it but I'm encouraged by a positive Lindy review 🙂 10mo
31 likes1 comment
blurb
Lindy
Whale | Cheon Myeong-Kwan
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The picture Geumbuk draws for the architect as instruction for the shape of the movie theatre he will design.

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Lindy
Whale | Cheon Myeong-Kwan
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But we can‘t unspool all of his stories here. We will just summarize his turbulent life this way: he had experienced all kinds of hardship.

rockpools Ooh, I‘m curious to see what you make of Whale. It‘s quite something! 10mo
Lindy @rockpools I gobbled it up. Now I‘m reflecting, going back to passages that I flagged 10mo
28 likes2 comments
quote
Lindy
Whale | Cheon Myeong-Kwan
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One day, the man with the scar took Geumbok to a café next to the theatre. He ordered tea that was arrowroot-black. She took a sip and spat it out immediately; it was too bitter. “What is this?”

“This is coffee.”

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review
ChaoticMissAdventures
Whale | Cheon Myeong-Kwan
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Bailedbailed

This was on the Booker shortlist 2023 and I didn't do enough research on it before picking it up, I just knew it was a surrealist South Korean book and there was a movie theater shaped like a whale.
I just listened to about 30 minutes that was all about a maid raping a disabled man (who is only referred to as "the half wit") and apparently we are supposed to understand because his penis is huge.
I am so tired of rape as a plot point. Gross

5feet.of.fury Wow. That‘s rough. 1y
DivineDiana Thank you for the warning. Not for me either. 1y
Lindy Shawna, I know this book isn‘t for everyone. I do want to point out that the disabled man in the scene you mentioned is actually very much in favour of sex with the maid, even though she initiated their trysts, and he is described as an enthusiastic participant who looks forward to it. Later on in the novel, there is a devastating scene of gang rape. Devastating to the character as well as traumatic for me as a reader. 10mo
Graywacke I listened to an hour and then set it aside for several days, until i was more mentally ready 9mo
33 likes4 comments
review
sarahbarnes
Whale | Cheon Myeong-Kwan
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Pickpick

This very engaging book that reads like a folktale is not what I expected going in, and I really enjoyed it. Sometimes hilarious, sometimes heartbreaking, I was pulled into this meandering story of Chunhui‘s life. I‘m very glad the Booker put this one on my radar.

Pictured here with the oregano and tarragon that are very happy about how much it‘s been raining here. 🌱

BarbaraBB Great pic and I was so pleasantly surprised by this book too! 1y
sarahbarnes Thank you! 💙 It wasn‘t like anything I‘ve ever read before I don‘t think! 1y
Megabooks Fantastic pic and review! 1y
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review
BarbaraBB
Whale | Cheon Myeong-Kwan
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Pickpick

Geumbok is an ambitious woman with a business instinct in South Korea, Chunhui is her mute and neglected daughter. This is their story and that of a parade of other people and animals coming and going. It‘s brutal, sometimes magical, you may like it or not but it certainly is superb storytelling. Reminded me a bit of García Márquez.

With this book I finished the #InternationalBooker shortlist ?

batsy Wow, congrats on finishing the shortlist! 🙌🏾 I'm intrigued by this one, but also a bit intimidated. 1y
Amiable Great job! Congratulations! 1y
squirrelbrain Well done on finishing the shortlist! 🎉🎉🎉 1y
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BarbaraBB @batsy I was too but it‘s an easy and engaging read! 1y
Megabooks Congratulations!! 🎉🎉 1y
sarahbarnes This one finally came in at my library and I‘m starting it now. Very intrigued. Glad to see you enjoyed it! 1y
BarbaraBB @sarahbarnes I hope you will too and I think you will. It‘s very readable and different from our regular American/English books. 1y
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