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The Calligrapher's Daughter: A Novel
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The Calligrapher's Daughter: A Novel
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The Calligrapher's Daughter: A Novel
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The Calligrapher's Daughter: A Novel

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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A sweeping debut novel from Eugenia Kim, inspired by the life of the author's mother, about a young woman who dares to fight for a brighter future in occupied Korea

In early-twentieth-century Korea, Najin Han, the privileged daughter of a calligrapher, longs to choose her own destiny. Smart and headstrong, she is encouraged by her mother—but her stern father is determined to maintain tradition, especially as the Japanese steadily gain control of his beloved country. When he seeks to marry Najin into an aristocratic family, her mother defies generations of obedient wives and instead sends her to serve in the king's court as a companion to a young princess. But the king is soon assassinated, and the centuries-old dynastic culture comes to its end.

In the shadow of the dying monarchy, Najin begins a journey through increasing oppression that will forever change her world. As she desperately seeks to continue her education, will the unexpected love she finds along the way be enough to sustain her through the violence and subjugation her country continues to face? Spanning thirty years, The Calligrapher's Daughter is a richly drawn novel in the tradition of Lisa See and Amy Tan about a country torn between ancient customs and modern possibilities, a family ultimately united by love, and a woman who never gives up her search for freedom.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateMar 30, 2010
ISBN9781429992572
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The Calligrapher's Daughter: A Novel
Author

Eugenia Kim

Eugenia Kim is the daughter of Korean parents who immigrated to America shortly after the Pacific War. She has published short stories and essays in journals and anthologies, including Echoes Upon Echoes: New Korean American Writings, and is an MFA graduate of Bennington College. She lives in Washington, D.C., with her husband and son. The Calligrapher's Daughter is her first novel.

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I learned I had no name on the same day I learned fear. Until that day, I had answered to Baby, Daughter or Child, so for the first five years of my life hadn't known I ought to have a name. Nor did I know that those years had seen more than fifty thousand of my Korean countrymen arrested and hundreds more murdered.When a daughter is born to calligrapher Han and his wife shortly after the Japanese occupation of Korea, Han refuses to name her until the occupation ends. Najin eventually gets her unusual name through an American missionary's misunderstanding of a conversation. She hears adults speak of “self-determination” and, when it is explained to her, she decides that's what she wants for her life. Self-determination won't be easy with a father who clings to traditional ways in defiance of the new Japanese laws, nor with the ever-increasing restrictions the Japanese are imposing on Koreans. Najin has her mother's love and support, but she struggles with doubt as she tries to emulate her mother's strong Christian faith.The words on the page embodied textures, tastes, and smells so strong that I felt I was in Korea with Najin. I was particularly fascinated by the intersection of Christianity and traditional Korean culture. Church was central to Najin's family. Najin's mother had internalized her Christian faith, while her father never really gave up his Confucian principles. Christianity was compatible with those ideals so he was able to integrate them into a system that worked. Najin struggled with her faith because of the suffering and injustice she experienced. The historical afterword explains that Korean Christianity was not the result of missionary efforts, but rather it came to Korea by way of Bibles that a Korean scholar brought back from China in the 17th century. Now I'll be looking for a history of Christianity in Korea to find out more.Highly recommended for readers with an interest in early 20th century Korean history, Japanese history, women's history, or family novels. Although most readers wouldn't classify this novel as Christian fiction, it will appeal to many readers of Christian fiction.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Soft, gentle prose shapes an unnamed girl’s story as she endures a diminished pedigree, loss of hopes and home together with a failed marriage during the Japanese occupation of Korea. A traditional, upperclass Korean man, the girl’s father shows his disappointment at the birth of a daughter, by declining to name her, an event that Najin, as she comes to be nicknamed at age eight, struggles to understand. Her future clouded by her father’s opposition and sweeping government reforms, Najin cobbles together a delicate balance of her father’s ideals and the reality of Korea under Japanese rule. Kim’s sweeping tale offers a woman’s perspective on Korea’s strict patriarchal society. Heavy with sentiment, Kim tells her mother’s winding story in an uncomplicated way. It may be historically accurate that protestant religions flourished in Korea long before missionaries arrived, but the Christian motif runs a bit rampant here, overly pedantic and at times even pushy. Thorough as a sermon, the underlying religious aspect of the novel is inseparable from its characters and, in fact, largely motivates them. At the root of the book is the bond of family, which Kim beautifully displays. Holding true to the emotional restraint of the characters, Kim heightens a reader’s ability to infer meaning from tone, posture and word selection. No one expected anything of her, an unnamed Korean girl. But her honest struggles with identity, education, marriage and faith will resonate deeply, striking a bright and surprisingly modern chord with readers.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    “I learned I had no name on the same day I learned fear.” The haunting first line promises good things to come and does not disappoint. This Korean daughter was called Najin, the town of her mother, in lieu of a name because her father would not grant her a naming ceremony or a name.Najin's family is very traditional and privileged at the beginning of the 20th century, when Japan starts dominating Korea. As a girl child, Najin is taught traditions and restraints incomprehensible to most of us today, yet managed to achieve much. Her father is very rigid in maintaining the old ways and her mother is compliant, like water. Her brother is spoiled and petulant, caught between two worlds. As Japanese dominance gains strength, the family knows poverty, as so much of the country, and their traditions as a Korean family and faith as a Christian family, are considered subversive.Covering almost half a century, the story does not always move quickly but I never found myself bored with it. I love the look at Korean life during this period, and cannot imagine developing the restraint and submissiveness required of proper Korean women. The author writes beautifully and I hope she publishes another book soon.I read a library copy of this book for my F2F book club.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The narrative is delicate and sensitive as the mannerisms and language of traditional Korean propriety. And though the daughter of the calligrapher is born unnamed, her strength of character and unwavering discipline and grace evolves as naturally, artistically, and raw as the process of calligraphy itself. It goes without saying that the art of Korean calligraphy is one engraved with history, tradition, years of training, depth of feeling, artistic pride, and fluidity.Yes, the novel is about the Japanese occupation of Korea in the early twentieth century, but it is more so about the resilience of Korean propriety, patriotism, duty, cultural tradition and history, faith, and the strong love and bond between family, specifically, mother and daughter as shown in the characters of Najin and her Umma-nim.There are competing values in the book: tradition vs. modernism; Korea vs. Japan; propriety of women vs. men; aristocracy vs. the underprivileged; Christianity vs. Confucianism; domestication vs. pursuit of higher education; and the list goes on.What I enjoyed most about the book was the window it provided in disclosing traditional Korean propriety and the secret world of the Korean aristocracy as shown by the Emperor and its Korean royalty. Where westernized values often demean subservience, conservative cultural practices, and even domestication, as well as self-discipline (viewed as a form of rigidity)—I, myself, from an Asian background, understand their significance and appeal.The traditional propriety found in Korean practices come from an intent of honour and decorum, which I, from reading this novel, have come to truly appreciate. Others may scoff and march in bands of protest, the cries of “independence” and “liberation” and “modernism,” but I find as a native born into western culture, but raised by an ethnic (namely Asian) cultural paradigm, I feel the pull of sentimental tradition and its quiet, subdued, and subservient qualities, its actual richness— something that the west actually lacks. What could be naturally condemned in the novel by western beliefs is actually what I became nostalgic for in reading it.It’s an elegant, lyrical novel with characters who are well-versed and practiced at concealing what is a deeply rooted passion for country, culture, history, tradition, and family. A beautiful read.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Not knowing much about Korean history previously, I found this novel very illuminating on the subject. The Calligrapher's Daughter tells the tale of Najin Han, who grows up a privileged life in early twentieth-century Korea, a country experiencing great changes. As Najin grows up, the Japanese occupation grows more limiting for Koreans, and many of Najin's family and friends fall afoul of the Japanese. Despite her father's determination for his daughter to follow tradition, Najin manages to avoid a childhood marriage and pursue an education. She even finds a man to love and the promise of continuing her education in America. But Najin is denied permission to leave Korea, and more than a decade passes filled with struggles and war before she sees her husband again. An interesting read filled with Korean history and believable characters.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The Calligrapher's Daughter is about the resourcefulness of an upper-class Korean young woman named Najin, as Korea struggles with Japanese occupation and pernicious Western influence fracturing their country and culture. To survive and support her family, Najin works and gains advantages any way she can: she is taken to the palace when she is young; later she teaches, sews, keeps house for her in-laws. She is strong and capable, hardly the standard for young Korean women at the beginning of the 20th century, especially in her very conservative father's eyes.The book is not without some flaws. Both the prose and the plot could have been tightened up and made more dynamic, especially in the early parts of the book. That may be the nonfiction influence though - the novel began as Eugenia Kim's nonfiction retelling of her mother's life, and grew into a larger fiction project. So it's even more impressive to see everything that Najin went through for her family, and know that the author's mother actually accomplished them. An interesting read, and because I wasn't familiar with Korean history, it ended up being really educational too.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Another win. This was a great book, and I would recommend it to fans of Wild Swans by Jung Chang, Leaving Mother Lake by Yang Erche Namu & Christine Mathie, and even Memoirs of a geisha by Arthur Golden. I got the same feeling as I got from those books, and not just because those took place in China and Japan, and this one in Korea. No, it was because two of those were about real events, and in this one the author was inspired by her mother's story. There was reality and everyday life. And life in a time of turmoil.

    This was the story about Najin, a girl who is not named and gets her name by mistake, a name that doesn't even mean anything. She lives in Korea, a country occupied by Japan, and life gets harder and harder as the Japanese tries to oppress the people. She is headstrong, much to her fathers regret. And thanks to her mother she gets to attend missionary school, and she has a real yearning for education. But her father wants to hold on to the old ways, and tradition. While she wants more.

    I admired her a lot, because she was so strong and wanted so much. And then there is the way they spoke then, I was fascinated. She meets the emperor and thanks him for remembering a a screen her dad had painted.

    "Thank you for your Imperial Highness's kindness to this persons worthless family."
    And that is not the only time she says something like that, but it is used in other places. So yes rather fascinated by the way they spoke back then.

    It is a story about a girl growing up, going to school, and everyday life. And watching the political unrest around her. Her dad getting beaten and put in jail, people dying after a failed protest march, a woman taking her own life after being raped by soldiers. Land being given away to Japanese families, and Korean families starving. At the same time she also spends time at court, and watches the fall of the royal family, as the emperor is murdered. Her dad who was a famous calligrapher, and who had a lot of money slowly poorer and poorer.

    But she never says that this is wrong, and this is right. The book tells it as she sees it, and also sometimes from her father's and mother's POV. There is also a mention about a certain rebel leader up north, but her dad is not so big on communists, even if they fight the Japanese.

    This was such an enjoyable story. 30 years of Korean history in a country that truly changed during that time. There is friendship, hardship, and even romance promised as the grows up as the Armstrong woman she was.
    A truthful look at a time gone by.

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I recently got into a kick of novels based in Asia---India, mostly, as well as Japan. Korea was out there for me at this time, but I'm glad I grabbed it. An interesting lore covering multiple decades, I was allowed to snuggle right into the characters and become enveloped in their lives. Granted, this is not the best book I have ever read, but still. I good rainy day book.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The narrative is delicate and sensitive as the mannerisms and language of traditional Korean propriety. And though the daughter of the calligrapher is born unnamed, her strength of character and unwavering discipline and grace evolves as naturally, artistically, and raw as the process of calligraphy itself. It goes without saying that the art of Korean calligraphy is one engraved with history, tradition, years of training, depth of feeling, artistic pride, and fluidity.

    Yes, the novel is about the Japanese occupation of Korea in the early twentieth century, but it is more so about the resilience of Korean propriety, patriotism, duty, cultural tradition and history, faith, and the strong love and bond between family, specifically, mother and daughter as shown in the characters of Najin and her Umma-nim.

    There are competing values in the book: tradition vs. modernism; Korea vs. Japan; propriety of women vs. men; aristocracy vs. the underprivileged; Christianity vs. Confucianism; domestication vs. pursuit of higher education; and the list goes on.

    What I enjoyed most about the book was the window it provided in disclosing traditional Korean propriety and the secret world of the Korean aristocracy as shown by the Emperor and its Korean royalty. Where westernized values often demean subservience, conservative cultural practices, and even domestication, as well as self-discipline (viewed as a form of rigidity)—I, myself, from an Asian background, understand their significance and appeal.

    The traditional propriety found in Korean practices come from an intent of honour and decorum, which I, from reading this novel, have come to truly appreciate. Others may scoff and march in bands of protest, the cries of “independence” and “liberation” and “modernism,” but I find as a native born into western culture, but raised by an ethnic (namely Asian) cultural paradigm, I feel the pull of sentimental tradition and its quiet, subdued, and subservient qualities, its actual richness— something that the west actually lacks. What could be naturally condemned in the novel by western beliefs is actually what I became nostalgic for in reading it.

    It’s an elegant, lyrical novel with characters who are well-versed and practiced at concealing what is a deeply rooted passion for country, culture, history, tradition, and family. A beautiful read.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A well-written, enjoyable book full of history, tradition, and story. The only thing that stopped me from giving it five stars was the ending. I wish it had gone one or two chapters further so we would know a little more about what happened to Najin and Calvin.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    "The Calligrapher's Daughter" tells the story of a girl growing up and becoming a woman in Korea during Japan's occupation and through WWII. The history of this time was unfamiliar to me, but Eugenia Kim made it interesting and told it through the eyes of characters that you begin to care about. It delves into questions of family loyalty, faith, and tradition. Najin's questions of faith are familiar even though they are told through a different time and place. Her need for independence is admirable, but so is her devotion to her family. Overall, "The Calligrapher's Daughter" is a good read. It's detailed and slow at some points, but it all builds to create the world in which Najin lived.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    PlotFollows the life of Najin, from the age of approximately seven through early adulthood. She lives in Korea, which is occupied by Japan. She is raised in a traditional Korean household, but raised Christian, with some Confucian traditions and beliefs. Najin follows a nontraditional path when her mother sends her to be trained in the emperor's court rather than be put into an arranged marriage at a young age. Najin becomes well-educated and eventually has dreams of a medical career. She takes jobs as a midwife and teacher, helping to raise money when the family hits tough times due to Japanese takeover of business and claiming of private property. Najin marries Calvin Cho, who then moves to the U.S. for a seminary education. Najin has trouble with her paperwork and is delayed. The two end up being separated for years as wars rage between China and Japan and then WWII. Eventually Calvin Cho returns to Korea, and things look up as Korea enters a democratic future.SettingKorea during Japanese occupation, from approximately 1904 through the end of WWII.CharactersNajin HanHan, Najin's father, a calligrapher scholar.Najin's mother - traditional, yet wants more for her daughterIlsun - Najin's brotherJaeysun - Najin's friend, who is interested in a Japanese manCalvin Cho - Najin's fiance/husbandPacingA little slow, but literary writing.NarrationFirst-person from Najin's perspective for most of the book. Occasionally there is a chapter from Han, Najin's father, and her mother. These are in 3rd person. There are two chapters featuring letters (to/from Najin/mom during her time with the court; to/from Najin/mom/Calvin when Najin is living with her miserable in-laws after marriage.=====Language - GSex - mild, wedding night. Also a man who masturbates in front of teenage girls, prostitution (Ilsun visits a teahouse)Violence - torture for political purposes
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    interesting read, for the unknown history of korea. And because of the resilience of the main character. I also liked the relationship between mother and daughter
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The fictionalized account of the life of the author's mother in Korea during the Japanese occupation. This book is greatly helped by the author's preface, the glossary of Korean terms in the back and the explanation for the reader of the period of the first half of the 20th century. Written in prose that is gentle and at a measured pace, this story describes Nijia Han's birth through her marriage to Calvin Cho. Being the first born daughter has many challenges in this Asian culture because her father is so traditional, but she is able to overcome much of it with the help of her mother who doesn't want to see her bethrothed at a young age. Nijia instead moves to the palace and serves with her aunt until the emperor is murdered. It is not a quiet peasant life for Nijia who then marries and lives apart from her American-bound husband for eleven years.I had difficulty believing the times spent in the palace with the princess as a 'playmate' but I had to remember that Najia came from the elite class. Her father was a well-known and respected calligrapher who owned quite a large estate and had servants. It wasn't until the war years when Japan was ramping up production for the war effort that the Han family was evicted from their home which was taken for military purposes. The description of her time in prison was disheartning and her father's reaction to it was very sad given his revolutionary actions.I have not read any other books about this occupational period and plan to share this book with a friend who teaches world history. I would certainly recommend it to anyone interested in Asian history and culture.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is truly a heartwarming and lovely tale, one of those novels that touches you in such a way, you hate for it to end. It is story of a Korean girl and her mother, a story of a proud nation battling the aggressiveness of another, a story of a man coming to understand and accept that old ways and lifestyle must change, and a story of love that survives many hardships. All these stories in one magnificent novel. The Korean girl, Najin, is growing up in a very Confucian household. Her mother, however, strives for Najin to get an education and to make something of herself. Throughout the many years, wars, and tribulations, Najin's mother is there for her, supporting her and fighting for her, even standing up to her strict husband to save Najin's future. Najin, does indeed, make something of herself despite her nation's constant battles with Japan and being separated from her husband and even imprisoned. Readers also see things from Najin's father's point of view, as he comes of age in a society that is straying from his traditional beliefs and he comes to slowly accept that his daughter is not so "worthless" after all. Tho taking a minor role in the novel, a love story also thrives. Being married for only a day and separated for eleven years, reader's will find out if love is enough for Najin and her husband. The ending will leave reader's dabbing their eyes. Truly, a gem and absolute must read. Highly recommended.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    From My Blog...The Calligrapher’s Daughter by Eugenia Kim is a beautiful tale told primarily by Najin Han, however several sections are told through her father Han, the calligrapher as well as through her mother. The story begins in 1915 when at age of five, Najin learns she was not given a name. Her mother was referred to as “the woman from Nah-jin” and a missionary thought Najin would be a beautiful name and thus she became known as Najin Han. The story takes the reader through the tumultuous times of Korea fighting for its own identity while under Japanese influence as well a lot of missionaries, both of which are prominent in the novel and Najin’s life. Kim weaves together a beautiful tale broken down into smaller sections of time, a certain year or several years that prove important to the story. Each section is a self-contained short story but smoothly transforms into a fascinating story of a young Korean girl coming of age, of family, traditions both old and new, and the struggle of identity and faith. Kim is quite descriptive in her writing allowing the reader a glimpse into the first half of the 20th century in Korea. Beautiful prose accompanies well-developed characters and the reader would be hard pressed to not find Najin a charming character. The Calligrapher’s Daughter was Kim’s debut novel and proves to be a brilliant debut; I am looking forward to reading more of her works. I highly recommend The Calligrapher’s Daughter to all readers and think this would make a wonderful discussion group choice.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is the story of Najin Han from childhood to womanhood in early 20th century Korea. Najin Han begins her life on Korea's cusp of Japanese occupation as a curious child who often tests the boundaries of her small world by spying on the adult conversations of her parents. As a child she sees and experiences the beginnings of the Japanese occupation but does not completely understand it. As she matures her world changes colors and she watches the political boundaries and tests the cultural ones. From a young age she has wanted to determine her own destiny and as a result Najin grows up to be a headstrong woman, having been pulled in different directions by everyone around her. Into Korean adulthood (by age 12) her mother continues to encourage Najin to foster personal growth and even helps her pursue an education. To avoid a prearranged marriage Najin's mother sends her to a king's count to be a companion for the princess; a very unconventional idea for a woman in early 20th century Korea. Meanwhile, her father is a staunch believer in Old World traditions and customs. He fiercely tries to hold onto Korea while the country slowly loses independence.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Through telling her mother's story Kim is able to tell the much wider story of Korea's history in the early decades of the 20th century. I knew very little about the occupation of Korea by Japan so it was certainly interesting to learn how this occurred and to consider the harsh impact on the Korean people. The writing however leaves something to be desired – the characters seem cut outs, one dimensional, wooden.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    An elegantly written family saga spanning 30 years of Japanese occupation of Korea from 1915 to 1945.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The Calligrapher’s Daughter, by Eugenia Kim, chronicles the life of Najin, a Korean woman living during the time of the Japanese occupation of Korea. The novel which begins shortly after her birth, is slow going at first but ultimately, tells her story from a very young age to after she has married. Najin faces much hardship throughout the novel, from the hatred of her father to the downfall of her family from high society to her marriage into another family. Since the novel follows such a long time frame, it’s easy to get lost in all of the cultural detail, which I was unfamiliar with and found to be very interesting. Definitely a book to read if you would like to enhance your knowledge of this time frame.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This was a beautiful coming of age story about a girl in Korea during the Japanese occupation. It is a period and place that I knew very little about. I was pulled into the story right from the beginning when we meet a young girl of five who does not yet have a name. Her father refuses to name her. He is a calligrapher and a political activist. Najin is finally given a name and as she grows into a young woman her life takes many unexpected turns due to the political unrest at the time and her father's determination to stick with the old ways. She is a strong character who earned my admiration. It is not a quick read but a book to be slowly read and savored.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This book was an enjoyable read and I was glad to learn more about Korean history and culture. However, I found that I expected more of the main character -- things just seem to happen to her. A woman who represents a new cultural direction for Korea -- particularly one who accomplishes what she does and lives through what she does -- should not be quite so passive, especially when the author has described her otherwise. I had also expected her to express more conflicting emotions about being caught between her traditional family and her desire to be more independent.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    "The Calligrapher's Daughter" is Eugenia Kim's debut novel and, as so many first novels do, the book tells a story very close to the author's heart, one, in this case, inspired by her own mother's life. Set in Korea between 1915 and 1945, it recounts the suffering inflicted upon the country by Japanese invaders that arrived there early in the 20th century. Japanese administrators, determined to wipe out any memory of an independent Korea, allowed only Japanese to be spoken in schools, taught only Japanese history to Korean children, destroyed the Korean royal family, and filled local prisons with those that dared protest. During World War II, when Japan realized its chances of prevailing were slipping away, life became particularly desperate for Koreans because Japan saw Korea as little more than a source of slave labor, food, and raw materials to be exploited for the Japanese war effort. Many Korean patriots, however, refused to submit to the inevitable - and they paid a heavy price for their resistance. Najin Han's father was one of those. Najin began life as her Christian family's first born child, enjoying the comfortable lifestyle her well known artist father was able to provide. But, though she was too young to recognize it, all was not well in her world. By the time she was five years old, Japan was well into its efforts to annex her country and her father had begun to attract the attention of local Japanese authorities concerned with snuffing out the resistance. Over the course of the next thirty years, Najin will struggle to carve out an independent life for herself, one with which her tradition bound father will never be completely happy. Najin is fortunate, however, to have as ally a mother willing to defy her husband in the best interest of her daughter. Rather than capitulate to her husband's decision to marry off his 14-year-old daughter (to the 12-year-old son of an old friend of his), Mrs. Han secretly sends Najin to the royal court in Seoul where Najin's dream of an education is made possible. "The Calligrapher's Daughter" is, though, as much the story of 20th century Korea as it is an engaging family saga. Readers, like me, whose sense of Korean history begins with the Korean War of the 1950s and ends with the horrors perpetrated by the almost cartoonish North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il, will come away from the book with a new appreciation of Korean culture and the suffering its people have endured for the last 100 years. They will also become emotionally attached to Najin and her family as they follow the course of Najin's life and everything that happens to her during this violent period in Korean history. Some readers may find the book's initial pacing to be a bit sluggish. I want to encourage those readers not to give up on the book too quickly because its pacing mimics that of Japan's efforts to assimilate Korea - things begin to happen quicker and quicker as the country, and the book, move toward their respective climaxes. Rated at: 4.0
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    3.5***

    This historical novel tells the story of a young woman, her yangban (aristocratic) family and the people of Korea, from 1915 to 1945 (during the time of the Japanese occupation and annexation of Korea). Han Najin has known a life of privilege, but has always felt constrained by the bonds of tradition and the expectations of society towards a young woman of her class. She is bright and resourceful, and matures to be an obedient and dutiful daughter – to a point. She will not marry at age 14, despite her father’s wishes, and conspires with her mother to get the advanced education she so desires. Still things do not go smoothly for Najin, her family or her country. When she does fall in love historical events keep the couple apart; their love and faith in God severely tested.

    I really liked this book. I enjoy reading about a culture and time that is new to me, and I must admit I was completely ignorant of much of Korea’s rich history. However, I did think the book could have used some editing; I thought certain issues were unnecessarily repeated. (How many scenes of deprivation do we need to read to understand the difficulties the Koreans faced during this time?) I also had to remind myself several times not to judge Najin by today’s American standards; that is probably more my fault as a reader. I gritted my teeth with each subservient remark; I wanted to throttle her father and brother. Still, I managed to admire Najin for her ingenuity, courage and genuine selflessness. The ending is hopeful yet somewhat ambiguous, and I like that. I much prefer to let my imagination carry the story further, than to have it spelled out.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This book is really good. I knew about the Japanese occupation of Korea, and knew it was a source of resentment, but this book makes national issues much more personal. The main character is very compelling and you want to hear her story. I was hooked from the first page.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    In the Calligrapher's Daughter, Eugenia Kim tells of the life of Najin, a strong female character, throughout the first half of the twentieth century during the Japanese occupation of Korea. She comes from a traditonal priveleged family and must endure many changes in her lifetime. The book is beautifully written, although repitious at times, and would benefit from more editing. The characters are well developed, but I felt the plot lacked drive.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Excellent! I wanted to reread it as soon as I finished it. Absorbing. Mindboggling. How one culture can be so different from another. An amazing love story.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is the multi-generational story of a young, unnamed girl growing up in Korea during the Japanese occupation in the early 1900s. Despite her father's disapproval, Najin sets out to obtain for herself an education and a life unlike any other woman in her family. She wants to be a doctor. She wants to decide for herself who she will marry. She wants to be useful and intelligent rather than polite furniture in the home of a man. This is her story.A very moving and engaging tale. I would get so frustrated when Najin was oppressed that I would often be in a bad mood and snap at my husband! You really pull for the protagonist and wish her every success. Loved it.