Pachinko Audiobook By Min Jin Lee cover art

Pachinko

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Pachinko

By: Min Jin Lee
Narrated by: Sandra Oh, Min Jin Lee
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About this listen

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 2018 DAYTON 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

©2017 Min Jin Lee (P)2024 Grand Central Publishing
Family Life Historical Fiction Sagas World Literature Heartfelt

What listeners say about Pachinko

Highly rated for:

Compelling Storyline Vivid Descriptions Excellent Narration Meaningful Stories Multigenerational Saga
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Great family saga

Wonderful story and great narration! The sweeping story of a family through the years before and after WWIi,

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Work of Art

Beautifully written novel that connects to so many of us whose lives have been altered by colonial imperialism and our search for survival and belonging.

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Wonderful

What a wonderful story. I enjoyed Pachinko from start to finish and did not want it to end. Sandra Oh gave a great performance and she should do more audible reads!

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A Classic!

Stunning novel. Sweeping epic, a tragedy. Complicated character development. Sandra Oh is an excellent narrative who brought this to life. ☆☆☆☆☆

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Who Knew?!

Sprawling, multi-generational tale of one Korean family in Japan. Not an easy place to be a foreigner. Sandra Oh’s performance is wonderful. Gets a bit soapy at times and some characters are thinly drawn. But absolutely worth a listen.

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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.

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Time Travel

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

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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!

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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.

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The narration and the story line

This book needs patience but is a page turner . 4 generations and their life between Korea and Japan and global plus war influence . I think the threads still exist in today’s world for refugees or immigrants to countries . The feeling to be caught between two cultures , starting a new life and new identity all against a Korean background

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2 people found this helpful