Litsy

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Historic tale which I was naive about, therefore very interesting whilst retaining a personal element and so rich with female friendship and family bonds.
I loved the ways the divers supported each other. The female friendship reminded me of My Brilliant Friend, oddly.
Some of the content was incredibly harrowing and harsh reminder of war atrocities that continue today.

16 likes

janerzy

Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop: The heart-warming Korean sensation | Hwang Bo-reum

so-so

A pinch of delight

2 likes

lauraisntwilder

Pachinko | Min Jin Lee

pick

I know I'm late to the party with this one, but, wow, it really lives up to the hype! I can definitely see myself rereading it someday.

Leftcoastzen I remember it was really good ! Glad you enjoyed it ! 1w

BarbaraJean I haven't read this one yet, either--it's been on my list for ages! 1w

Jess861 Been a while but I remember loving this book! 1w

39 likes3 comments

Purpleness

The Court Dancer | Kyung-Sook Shin

40 likes

Robotswithpersonality

Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop: The heart-warming Korean sensation | Hwang Bo-reum

pick

I had no idea this book would be so focused on the nature of work, but I loved it for that: business owner vs being a company person, part time work vs full time, the corporate tendency to offer contract over permanent position, needing to be seen as a success, the rat race, the need to make an income, make a profit vs work/life balance, 1/?

Robotswithpersonality 2/? plans for the future - when exiting high school, when entering the workforce, when considering the next step in your career, when opening a business - how far ahead can you plan, really? Evaluating effort and contribution, puritanical work ethic.
As much about coffee as books and coffee-related businesses as book businesses. 2w

Robotswithpersonality 3/? Speaking of which, I personally didn't like Before the Coffee Gets Cold, but I feel like this has some (improved) parallels in the way it addresses failed/turbulent relationships, reflecting on the past and deciding on the future.
Reading the author's note and finding out the author is an essayist adds to my understanding of many chapters that felt like framing for a specific topic, for a conversation/debate to happen between characters. 2w

Robotswithpersonality 4/? I do appreciate the way time passes, a format emerges of introducing a new idea/thing happening, and then kind of sliding forward and back in progress along that theme, which may be revisited later, there is still a fair amount of linear chronology, direct connection between one chapter and the next. 2w

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Robotswithpersonality 5/? I am fond of the amount of times that mentions of crocheting and knitting found their way onto the page. ☺️ And of course discussions of what books can do, what a community of people drawn together by books and book spaces can do for each other.
The writing reminds me of self-help non-fiction a bit, very straightforward, methodical in exploring a topic, even in detailing the actions of a character, which appears to me a bit wooden when scenes 2w

Robotswithpersonality 6/? of greater emotion are at play.
When a work is translated and I encounter an uneven reading experience, I'm never sure if it's a faithful representation of the author's unique style, my western reader eyes bumping into a common style of writing from a different part of the world, or that the translator is giving the reader a more basic version of the writing than the original because it was the clearest way to communicate the change to 2w

Robotswithpersonality 7/? English. I did like how certain words stay in Korean, especially around relationships, conveying something unique to the culture.
If you need a safe, quiet space to acknowledge the many pitfalls of being roped into the capitalist workforce, and societal expectations around relationships, being reminded of all the ways you can still make changes, enjoy life, while earning a living, I think this is a good place to stop and rest in for a while. 2w

Robotswithpersonality 8/8 ⚠️verbal abuse of adult child by mother 2w

14 likes1 stack add7 comments

Robotswithpersonality

Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop: The heart-warming Korean sensation | Hwang Bo-reum