Pachinko (National Book Award Finalist)

In this New York Times bestseller, four generations of a poor Korean immigrant family fight to control their destiny in 20th-century Japan.

"Stunning." —The New York Times Book Review

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 BESTSELLER • #1 BOSTON GLOBE BESTSELLER • USA TODAY BESTSELLER • WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER • WASHINGTON POST BESTSELLER

Includes a reading group guide!

Exquisite storytelling

This was an incredible story and though it spanned many years it didn’t feel rushed and held my attention throughout. I cared about the characters and loved that it illustrated the complexity of each dealing with cultural and circumstantial obstacles to persevere and strive for happiness, love, and survival. The narration was excellent.

Get absorbed into a world of fascinating, complex characters

I cried when the book ended because I was so sad to leave the universe of these beautiful characters. And the narrator’s reading was perfection. I felt like a part of the story.

Wonderful, textured historical fiction.

I was completely swept up in this book’s fascinating historical context, bringing me in to a world of individual struggles and prejudices that was both familiar and foreign. The character development and unpredictable but compelling plot left me hoping for a sequel, yet fully satisfied.

Impacted by History

This story is rich in description and comes to life describing Korean history. Following families and their challenging lives was at times shocking and heartbreaking. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Overall GREAT

This book is a great book and will be a classic. It has opened my view of the world so much. Even though the characters were fictional they could have well been real. The way Min Jin Lee wrote and developed this storyline was unlike anything else I have ever read. We got to know everyone, everyone was real and human. Not always humane, but very much human. Thank you for this gift.