Join a book club that is reading Pachinko!

Riverside Women's Book Club

Formerly the Orangecrest Women's Book Club, this club has been meeting regularly since 2008. We are a very casual club and welcome all women readers.

BOOK OF THE MONTH

Pachinko

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.

*Includes reading group guide*

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

BUY THE BOOK

544 pages

Average rating: 8.1

1,196 RATINGS

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39 REVIEWS

Community Reviews

Anonymous
Jan 14, 2025
8/10 stars
I enjoyed this family saga about Koreans who have settled in Japan. I agree with other reviews that say it was a bit long and the last 1/3 seemed to jump around and cover a variety of serious topics. It needed a bit more tightening. All in all a great read.

Edit: I read this a second time for my book club and I am glad I did. I got a lot more out of it the second go round. Don’t miss the interview with the author at the end.
zzozra
Nov 30, 2024
10/10 stars
Absolutely, a beautifully written book.
Mrs. Awake Taco
Nov 13, 2024
6/10 stars
While I enjoyed it, I was let down by the second half. It felt like it just kind of petered off. Great character development in the first half.










Spoilers




I really wanted Solomon to move back to Korea. I wanted there to be a big finish with him reconnecting with his Korean roots and be proud to be Korean! Instead it just kind of ended. I guess life does just that, but that’s not what I want when reading fiction.
iz.ra
Oct 22, 2024
10/10 stars
Simply sobering. It took Lee thirty years to write this book, and it shows: the complexities of the characters, the scourge of discrimination captured in its recount of history... What does it mean to be a good mother? Daughter? Father, son? Where is your home, if not by birth or dwelling? Honestly the best book I've read in so long.
indyreads
Oct 15, 2024
9/10 stars
Great story telling, heart-pulling intergenerational stories. I also learned a lot about the history of Korea and Japan.

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